IN PREVIOUS tracts of this series it has been shown that there can
be but one true religion, because there is but one supreme God, that
it must be revealed from him instead of being made by man, and that
the first principle of that religion is faith, which can be made
manifest only by works. Let us now see what those works are which
are essential to salvation. The first fruit of faith in God and in
Jesus Christ is repentance of sin. Sin against God is the
transgression of his law. Conviction of sin comes through faith in
God and his law. Conviction leads to humility and repentance and
obedience. Sorrow for sin is not of itself true repentance, which
comprehends not only regret for the past, but reformation for the
future. It includes determination to forsake and refrain from sin.
As the Apostle Paul expressed it, "For godly sorrow worketh
repentance to salvation not to be repented of" (II Corinthians
7:10). When the sinner is sorry because he has been found out, that
is not true repentance. Grief is an element of repentance, because
when a believer perceives that he has broken a law of God, he feels
remorse. But unless he resolves to turn away from that transgression,
and not repeat it, he does not reach full repentance.
"Cease to do evil, learn to do well," has been the word of God and
his inspired servants through all the ages. It is a step forward in
practical religion. It is absolutely necessary to salvation. Without
it belief in Christ is vain. He said himself, "Except ye repent, ye
shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3). "God commandeth all men
everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30). Jesus instructed that
"repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name
among all nations" (Luke 24:47). The idea that people may sin
against God and against humanity, and by mere belief in the merits
of the Savior, be absolved from all the consequences of their guilt,
is one of the greatest of the many absurdities which have been
grafted by the hand of man upon the tree of religion.
Christ gave himself a sacrifice to save mankind from their sins, not
in their sins. His work is to redeem humanity by lifting it up to
Deity. His gospel teaches purification from sin and exaltation into
the righteousness of God. The atonement wrought out on Calvary is as
much misunderstood by modern divines who preach it as were the
teachings of Moses and the prophets by the sectaries who rejected
the Nazarene. That atonement was for a dual purpose. First, to
redeem mankind from the consequences of the original sin committed
in the Garden of Eden, and second, to open the way to salvation from
the actual sins committed by the posterity of Adam.
As to the first, redemption will come to all the race without effort
on their part. Death came into the world in the beginning because
the divine law was broken. It passed upon all the descendants of the
transgressor. Christ gave himself a sacrifice for that sin. As by
one came death, so by one will come life. "As in Adam all die, even
so in Christ shall all be made alive" (I Corinthians 15:22). As the
sons and daughters of Adam were not personally engaged in or
responsible for the transgression which brought death, so they are
not required to do anything in the work which shall restore them to
life. The resurrection will be as broad as the death. The raising up
will be coextensive with the effects of the fall. But when through
Christ the resurrection is accomplished, the dead, small and great,
who are thus brought up and redeemed from the grave, will be judged
according to their works (Revelation 20).
As to the second, the actual sins of each individual, salvation will
come through faith in Christ and obedience to his gospel. Each
intelligent person is accountable for his own acts. He must do what
is required in order that he may be saved from his sins. The power
is inherent in man to do right or to do wrong. In this he is a free
agent. He can resist evil and do good, or resist good and do evil,
as he elects. No matter how great may be the force of circumstances
and environments, and the pressure of hereditary influences, the
volition of the creature remains. The doctrine of rewards and
punishments is predicated upon individual freedom of the will and
personal responsibility for its exercise. Christ has done for
mankind that and that alone which they were not able to do for
themselves. That which they can perform is required of every one.
They can believe, they can repent, and they can receive and obey the
commandments of Christ given as conditions to salvation. Unless they
do this, although they will be raised from the dead and appear
before the Eternal Judge, they cannot be exalted to dwell in his
presence.
Thus it will be seen that while Christ died, unconditionally, for
the original sin by which death came into the world, he died as a
propitiation for the actual sins of the world, conditionally. And it
was to proclaim these conditions and offer them to every creature
that he sent his apostles forth as ministers of salvation. There is
no other way to eternal life. The plan of salvation is not changed
to suit the notions and opinions of man. It does not vary in
different ages, nor among different nations. It is the "everlasting
gospel." The law of Moses was a temporary and imperfect law of
carnal commandments, given because the gospel had been rejected by
the Israelites. It answered its purpose and passed away when the one
eternal gospel plan was restored by Jesus Christ, through whom alone
mankind can be saved, and that salvation cannot be obtained except
by faith in him which comprehends obedience to his requirements.
It has been shown that faith is the first principle of the gospel,
and repentance--the forsaking of sin, is the second, and it is now
necessary to present the third principle, which is remission of
sins. The popular idea of modern Christendom is that repentance of
itself brings remission of sins. That is another serious mistake.
Payment of debts is not brought about by simply ceasing to get
credit; determination to sin no more does not wipe out sins already
committed. God is a being of order and of law. He has instituted the
means whereby each sinner may receive a cleansing from the past. His
laws are as uniform in the spiritual world as in the natural world;
obedience to those laws is as necessary in one sphere as in the
other. Remission of sins comes to the repentant believer through
baptism, when it is properly performed under divine authority.
Baptism for the remission of sins was preached and practiced by
John, the forerunner of Jesus. "John did baptize in the wilderness,
and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission for sins"
(Mark 1:4). Jesus Christ honored that baptism in person and by his
teachings. He also sent his apostles to preach it to every creature
(Matthew 28:19-20; also Mark 16:15-16). Previous to preaching that
baptism, he instructed his apostles to "tarry at Jerusalem until
they were endowed with power from on high" (Luke 24:47, 49). That
power was bestowed upon them on the day of Pentecost, when they were
assembled in one place with one accord, and the Holy Ghost was
manifested to them in visible form. To the people who gathered to
hear the apostles, forming a great multitude, Peter preached the
first gospel sermon after the resurrection of Christ, as is recorded
in the 2nd chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. After testifying of
the mission and resurrection of Jesus the Christ, in response to
their inquiry, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" "Then Peter
said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name
of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the
gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your
children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our
God shall call" (Acts 2:37, 38 and 39). Three thousand people on
that day received the gospel of Jesus Christ, and were baptized for
the remission of their sins.
The remission of sins is given in baptism to those who believe and
repent, but comes through the atonement wrought out by Jesus Christ.
"Without shedding of blood is no remission" (Hebrews 9:22). The
blood of Christ answers for the blood of the sinner who complies
with the conditions required in Christ's gospel. The benefits of
that atonement are offered to all whom the gospel is preached, but
are obtained only by those who render obedience to it. The scripture
is often quoted which says, "The blood of Jesus Christ his Son
cleanseth us from all sin." But this is only part of the text, and
is therefore misleading. Here is the scripture as it stands: "This
then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto
you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say
that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and
do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in the
light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus
Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (I John 1:5-7).
Baptism was instituted for the remission of sins by divine command.
It is therefore essential. It is a sign of cleansing, purification,
death to sin, burial from the world and resurrection to a new life
in Christ Jesus. For, baptism means immersion. The sprinkling or
pouring of water on the body is not baptism. The ordinance of
baptism preached by John, the forerunner, by Christ himself, and by
the apostles whom he sent as his messengers, was both a burial and a
birth. When Jesus was baptized by John it was in the river Jordan:
"Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized
of him. But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of
thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him,
Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all
righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was
baptized, went up straightway out of the water; and, lo, the heavens
were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a
dove and lighting upon him: and lo a voice from heaven, saying, This
is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:13-17).
Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a
man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God" (John 3:5). Jesus himself set the example, and was
born of water and of the Spirit, and though he knew no sin, had to
be baptized in order to "fulfill all righteousness." When Philip
baptized the great man of Ethiopia, "They went down both into the
water . . . and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of
the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip" (Acts
8:35-39). John baptized "in Aenon, near to Salim, because there was
much water there" (John 3:23). Paul likened baptism to a burial and
a resurrection (See Romans 6:4, 5; Colossians 2:12). Peter cited
the flood as a figure of baptism (I Peter 3:20-21).
The order of the gospel as taught by Christ and his apostles is
first faith, second repentance, and third baptism by immersion for
the remission of sins, with the promise of the Holy Ghost to all who
complied therewith. Infant baptism is a palpable heresy. Sin is the
transgression of the law. Infants cannot commit sins. Baptism must
follow faith and repentance. Infants cannot exercise faith, and they
have nothing to repent of even if they were capable of repentance.
God never authorized any one to baptize an infant. Jesus blessed
little children and said, "of such is the kingdom of heaven."
Baptism to be acceptable to God must be performed by one having
actual divine authority. It must be administered in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. No man has the right
to assume that authority. It must come from God or the baptism will
be void and of no effect. When properly administered it brings
remission of sins, and the baptized believer becomes a new creature,
stands clean before God, and is prepared to receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost. Further explanations on this all-important subject will
be given in succeeding chapters. Let the reader ponder, investigate,
and enter upon the path of eternal life and salvation.