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." (2
Cor. VII; 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 XIII; 3). "God commandeth all
men everywhere to repent." (Acts XVII; 30). Jesus instructed that,
"repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among
all nations." (Luke XXIV; 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 {213} 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 exultation 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 of 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, so in
Christ shall all be made alive." (I Cor. XV; 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 co-extensive 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. (Rev.
XX).
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 {214} 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 in 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
performed by divine direction and 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 of sins." (Mark I; 4).
Jesus Christ honored that baptism in person and by his teachings. He
also sent his Apostles to preach it to every creature. (Matt. XXVII;
19-20, also Mark XVI; 15-13). Previous to preaching that baptism, he
instructed his Apostles to "tarry at Jerusalem until they were endowed
with power from on high." (Luke XXIV; 47, 49). That power was bestowed
upon them on the day of Pentecost, when they were assembled in one
place with {215} 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
to as many as the Lord our God shall call." (Acts II; 37, 38). Three
thousand people on that day received the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and
were baptized for the remission of their sins.
This great blessing is given in baptism to those who believe and
repent, but comes through the atonement wrought out by Jesus Christ.
"Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins." (Heb.
IX; 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 to 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, cleanses 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 there 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 with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son,
cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John I; 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 {216} 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." (Matt. III; 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 III; 5). Jesus
himself set the example, and was born of the 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 God caught away Philip." (Acts
VIII; 35-39). John baptized in Enon, near to Salim, because there was
much water there. (John III; 23). Paul likened baptism to a burial and
a resurrection. (See Rom. VI; 4, 5; Col. II; 12). Peter cited the flood
as a figure of baptism. (I Peter III; 21).
The order of the Gospel as taught by Christ and his Apostles was
first faith, second repentance, 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 sin. 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 tracts. Let
the reader ponder, investigate, and enter upon the path of eternal life
and salvation!
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