How much theology must a sinner know to get properly saved

Believe on Jesus.

 

Repent (change his mind) of his sin (disobedience to God - active and passive), and believe (trust exclusively) in Jesus the Christ (the Biblical portrait of him).

Believe on Jesus is just too simplistic. Given all the cults and heresies today, you really do a disservice to people today by neglecting to tell them everything up front.

Stop with the bait and switch.

 

I think we need to explain what the word believe means. Making Christ lord is not easy believeism. But I think we must not hinder people from coming to Christ.

When we deal with children there are many things they will not understand. But their decisions can be very genuine.

I think where we give them the bait and switch is when we do not disciple them as Jesus did His disciples. Too often we leave them as infants and do not help them to mature. We wouldn't dare think of doing that with our own children in a physical sense.

 

How much should any of us with our ignorant disobedient dirty rag selves know to be saved?

 

1 Corinthians 15: 1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,

 

Here is what it takes.

God said Preach the word!

When one hears the preached word of God, and the Spirit of God brings a conviction upon them, and shows them their lost condition, they will no what it takes to be saved, believe me, it don't take a rocket scientist to know what one must do then to be saved.

All it takes is a child like Faith.

Preacher Ron

 

Diane, those are the facts of the gospel. Paul spends 16 chapters explaining what the gospel is in Romans.

 

Is there any incidence of believer's baptism separated from scriptural accounts of repentance and faith?

not proposing baptismal regeneration, just wondering if the NT gospel preachers would recognize the thought that a 'believer' is unbaptized.

I don't think they would, would they?

Bro. Dallas

 

It was just assumed that if you really repented you would be baptized. If Christ is your Lord you will, and I repeat, WILL follow his commands.

He has commanded us to be baptized. Therefore a true Christian will be baptized.

Baptism doesn't save you, but faith without works is dead.

Have you ever heard of a dog that didn't bark, or a cat that didn't meow.
When we were made new creatures we act like new creatures.
A Christian will be baptized, and a dog will bark!

 

I agree, that is why I asked the question. Then a truly regenerated person does not have to be 'coaxed' into baptism, would you agree?

Having seen the command for it in scripture, they would readily if not eagerly desire baptism.
Bro. Dallas

 

Having been a Christian for three years and preached on the resurrection of Christ in the free speech platform at the university I attended, and wrote editorials in the school newspaper I had not much of a valid reason to get baptized. I had been taught that baptism was an outward sign of an inward belief. I felt as though I had clearly demonstrated that by exposing my beliefs and leading people to Christ.

Later when someone suggested that I get baptized I asked the person, "Why?" The person responded, "Because scripture commands it." Well that was different from what I had been taught about what baptism was. So I was baptized.

 

Well my daughter is 13. She has debated students and written papers on Christ and a number of other issues surrounding christianity such as abortion. She has taken a public stance as a Christian among her peers and teachers. She has even taken a stance against evolution in a paper she wrote disagreeing with the teacher. But she has not been baptized. She was afraid of water for the longest time. She knows how to swim some now. She knows what the Bible says about baptism, but I cannot force the issue. I have tried and it backfired some.

I think it is the same way with discipleship. We have people who personally disciple others and others who leave it up to God. But the problem is that God has left that part up to us. We have people who are willing t pay the ultimate price of following Christ and others who are afraid to say anything.

I think it is much like the parable of the sower.

 

My point is not to question the eternal position of anyone who has not yet submitted to baptism, but that the NT does not have an example of conversion without baptism, that I know of.

My brother has only recently professed faith in Christ, I am leading him to study the Gospels and Acts so that he can see for himself the Biblical command to follow Christ in baptism. As long as I make the attempt to enforce upon him what I believe, I alienate him further. So, I simply encourage him to see what the Bible teaches.

I use to work with him and we stayed together in a motel room. In the last two years, this method has shown to be the most successful. He told me once about 18 months ago he could never believe the Bible was the inspired inerrant word of God like I do because it is written by men just all other men.

It seems sometimes that people are first Primitive Baptist in their belief, then they fall into organized religion, don't it?

Well, anyway, now he is accepting the Bible as the word of God, I think he has shown much improvement.

I also think when he realizes that word of God commands him to submit to water baptism he will not need me to drag him to the water.

God Bless
Bro. Dallas

 

I think the thief on the cross next to Jesus would qualify.

 

My 9 year old recently accepted Christ. Nick has never liked getting his head wet. We got a special shower head so he'd wash his hair without a fuss. BUT as soon as he accepted Christ, he asked when he could be baptized. He showed NO fear walking into the baptismal pool either. The same thing happened with me as an 8 year old. I still cannot tolerate a pool or getting my face under water but following Jesus was very important to me!

Diane

 

Would everyone consider the theif on the cross a believer? What about those who converted in the foxholes of war and were killed? As to theology, it seems to me that Paul mentions something about those who don't have the written Word but instead have God's creations to lead them to salvation. What do you all think of that (I think it is in Romans)? I think from a Calvinist point of view, (correct me if I am wrong), it is not about how much theology you know, but rather, whether or not the Holy Spirit is drawing you to God. Is this correct?

Joseph Botwinick

 

I think the thief on the cross next to Jesus would qualify. </font>[/QUOTE]You are right. I was thinking about in the experience of the Apostles, but I did say the NT, meaning all of the NT.

 

When I have my theology all worked out I will be dead for awhile. But I think we often muddy the waters with legalistic ideas. But God wants us.He wants all of us.

A friend of mine who was a missionary in Ethiopia told me about another missionary who felt compelled to talk with the people in a village about Jesus. The people had not heard about Jesus before. But he met a man who said that he had heard about Jesus. The missioanry asked him about how he knew about Jesus. The man told the missionary that he had a dream about Jesus. So God used the man's dream to prepare him for the message about Jesus. I find that to be just like God.

 

the Macedonian Call is certainly still from God

Bro. Dallas