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Salvation by Faith
John 3:16-18
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but
that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth
not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name
of the only begotten Son of God.
Everyone claiming Jesus Christ as their
savior agrees that belief or faith is essential to one's salvation.
Hebrews 11:6 teaches us that without faith it is impossible to please him. For he who
comes to God must believe that he is. We must have faith, we
must believe in God and we must believe that Jesus Christ is
His Son. Nobody I know of questions the fact that faith is essential for
Salvation. But in the ranks of those who claim Jesus Christ as
their savior there is disagreement as to whether anybody must do
anymore than believe in order to be saved. Much of the
denominational world believes and teaches that a person is saved
when they "only believe" that Jesus is the Christ. They teach
that salvation is by faith only. They teach that all that a
person has to do to have the salvation that Jesus offers is just to
believe in Jesus and to believe in Him for who He is. In fact
many believe that it is wrong to teach that salvation is dependant upon
any act of obedience on their part. They teach this because
they really do believe the Bible
teaches that. And it is true that Jesus says in John 11:26 that
whosever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. And years
later in Acts 16:31 Paul told the Philippian Jailor to "Believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."
Now the question is, in the Biblical sense,
what does it mean to believe? Those who think and teach that
we are saved at the point of belief have concluded that "belief" in
these verses means "belief only", or "faith only". When they
read these verses and other ones similar to these they add in their
minds the word "only". In their understanding they believe
that John 3:16 means that "whosoever ONLY believes in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life." When they read acts 16:31
what they hear in their mind is Paul saying "ONLY" believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ and you and your house shall be saved. The word
"ONLY" is not there but that is how they understand those
verses.
But salvation by "faith" and salvation by "faith only" are two
completely different things just like playing football with a
"quarterback" and playing football with a "quarterback only" are two
different things. All football teams play with a quarterback.
But none of them play with a only a quarterback. There are
other players on the field. Or similarly, a fisherman might go
fishing with "worms", but does he use "worms only"? What about the
fishing pole and the hooks and the other accessories? There is
a big difference between fishing with "worms" and fishing with "worms
only". There is a big difference between playing football with
a "quarterback" and playing football with "only a quarterback".
And, likewise, there is a big difference between being saved by
"faith" or "belief" and being saved by "faith only" or "belief only".
So the question now is, in the Bible, does "saved by faith"
mean saved by "faith only"? You might be surprised how easily
that question can be answered. Because that is a question we
can put to the test. One of the rules of language
interpretation is that when a word is properly defined, its
definition can be
substituted for that word in a sentence and the sentence would
convey the same meaning and still make sense. For example, if I define a shoe as an
article of clothing for the feet and then take the sentence "I sell
shoes", then I should be able to substitute that definition for the
word shoes. I could then say, "I sell an article of clothing
for the feet". The sentence still communicates the same
meaning and makes sense because a proper
definition was substituted for the word. This is a very simple
and effective means of putting the concept of salvation by "faith
only" to the test.
In Hebrews chapter 11 we read of the men
and the women who displayed great faith during their lives.
Hebrews chapter 11 is often referred to as the great hall of faith.
The people listed in this chapter of Hebrews are the Biblical
posterchildren
of faith. Inspiration specifically named them as shining
example for us to live by. If anybody throughout Biblical history could have
been saved by faith only, surely it would have been this list of
the heroes of faith. So if in the bible "faith" can be
properly defined as "faith only" we
should be able to substitute the word "faith" for the words "faith
only" and the statements therein should still make
sense and they should still mean the same thing they meant before.
Let's start with the very first hero in the
hall of faith. Hebrews 11, verse 4, reads, "by faith
Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain". Now if
"faith" really means "faith only" then we should be able to read
this verse as "by faith only, Abel offered to God a more excellent
sacrifice than Cain". Abel did not just think about that
sacrifice and it happened. Abel did not simply believe and have his sacrifice just suddenly appear out of thin air.
Abel had to kill and he had to prepare the sacrifice. We don't
see inspiration handing out any accolades for Cain do we? Cain
obviously believed in God yet his sacrifice was rejected. If
Abel's sacrifice had not have been done properly, meaning "by faith"
then he would not have been mentioned in Hebrews 11 as a great man of
faith. He
indeed offered his sacrifice by "faith" but he certainly did not offer
that sacrifice by "faith only". The sentence no longer makes
sense when you substitute the definition of "faith only" for the word
"faith".
How about Noah in verse 7? If faith really means faith
only, then this verse would properly read "by faith only, Noah
prepared an ark for the saving of his household. Does that
make sense? If anything, this is worse than Abel's example.
We know very well that the ark did not just appear there because of
the faith of Noah. That ark required a lot of gopher wood,
tools and a century of hard labor. It was not by faith only
that the ark was built.
What about the walls of Jericho in verse 30? If faith
really means faith only then this verse would mean that by faith
only the walls of Jericho fell down. But we know better than
that. The walls of Jericho fell down after they were compassed
about for seven days. If the Israelites would not have marched
around the walls as God commanded then the walls would not have
fallen. It was indeed by "faith" that the walls of Jericho
fell but it certainly was not by "faith only".
Let's look at Rahab in verse 31. If "by faith" means "by
faith only" then this verse could say by "faith only" the harlot
Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe when she
received the spies and took care of them and protected them.
From the story in the Old Testament we know that Rahab, at great
personal risk, received those Israelite spies into her home.
What prevented her from perishing with those who did not believe was
more than just her belief. She was saved from destruction
because of the care she took of those Israelite spies. Without
the action she took towards those spies she would have died along
with everybody else. Her salvation was not by "faith only".
So "faith" in Hebrews chapter 11 does not mean "faith only"
When we try to plug "faith only" into those sentences they cease to
make sense. We're going to move onto other scriptures from
Hebrews 11 for the time being, but keep your place marked there
because we are going to come back later and develop another thought.
So many passages in the Bible say we are saved by faith.
So many passages say that if we believe we will be saved. Many
people who teach we are saved by faith only make the claim that
if we are not saved by belief only then God lied to us. But
the difficulty with that is, if we are indeed saved by faith or
belief only then Jesus lied to us when He said in Matthew 7:21 that
only those who do the will of the Father will enter the kingdom of
Heaven. We know that Jesus cannot lie in either event so there
must be a relationship between belief and obedience in the Bible
that goes beyond faith only. And to illustrate that we are going
to start with a hypothetical story. And when this story is
finished, we are going to ask and answer three questions.
My son comes running into the house one day, breathless and
excited. He says "DAD!!! DAD!!! There's a man in a truck
outside in the driveway and he's giving away free money and he says
you can have all you want, it's free for the asking and he says all
we have to do is bring an empty box and he'll fill it up for us". I look
at my son and say, "Son, what have I told you about watching too
many cartoons and playing too many video games"? But he
insists that it is true and I give him the very best "yeah right"
look that I can muster. I'm not even going to bother to go
outside and see for myself and I dismiss my son with a wave of my
arm. So my son then says to me, "Dad, if you
will just believe me, we can be rich". So after
thinking about it and realizing that I'm not rich, and I'd like to
be, I grab a BIG!!! empty box and I go out there
to see for myself and I get a box full of money out of the deal. Interesting statement that my
son made to me, "Dad, if you will just believe me, we can be rich."
Now the three questions we want asked and answered are:
1) When I believed and said that I
believed, was I rich? No I wasn't. I still had something
I had to do. My belief in my son was worthless until I acted
on that belief. So when I grabbed my box and headed out the
door, it could be rightfully said that, "by faith" I grabbed my box
and went outside to get the money. Just like the Biblical
heroes of faith mentioned in Hebrews 11 acted by faith and not by
faith only. I did not grab the box and head out the door by
"faith only". If I had not gone outside with the box
then I would not have gotten the money and it would have been
because I did not believe my son. Keep that in mind, we
are going to develop more on this later.
2) Did my son lie to me when he said "if
you'll just believe me we'll be rich?" No he did not lie
to me. In the story my son had the real expectation that if he
could convince me that the man was outside and giving away money
that I would then do what was required to get it.
3) Why wasn't that a lie? He said "if you'll just believe me and you'll be rich" I was not not rich
when I just believed him, so why was that not a lie?
It wasn't a lie because of the way we use the word
believe. In the story my son had the reasonable understanding
that if I believed him that I would take the necessary steps to
get the money. My son knew the actions were easily within my capabilities.
He knew the money was right outside and he knew the reward was enormous.
Getting the money was easy, the difficult part was getting me to
believe him. The conclusion anyone would reach is that if I
could be made to believe then the required actions would immediately
follow and I would be rich. That's the way my son used the
word "believe" in the story when he said "if you'll just believe me,
we'll be rich".
In the stated need to believe, the taking of any necessary
action is understood. Let's say that again like this. In the
stated need to believe, the taking of any necessary action is
implied. Action was implied by my son when he said it and
action was
understood by me when I heard it. That is exactly the way we
use the word "believe" many times today. And it is exactly in
that same way that we find the word "believe" used in the
scriptures.
With the enormous blessings that awaited and the relative ease
of their attainment, those who preached the gospel knew that if they
could get others to believe, and have faith, then they
would readily and quickly do whatever they needed to do to lay hold on
the promised salvation. Faith does not obtain the reward until
it has taken the understood, the implied, actions. Just as it
was in the case of getting the free money. Faith will obtain
the reward, but only the right kind of "faith" will. "Faith only"
will not. The faith that saves is the faith that does
something. In Galatians 5:6, Paul says the faith that
avails is the faith that works by love. By love means
because of love. Jesus said "If ye love me, keep my
commandments" (John 14:15).
And now, let's go back and look some more
at faith in Hebrews chapter 11. We have another thought to
consider that is very significant. Everyone mentioned in the
hall of faith did something to obtain their blessings. So when
we try and go back and plug the words "faith only" in for the word
"faith" it just does not make any sense. They did not get any
kind of blessing the moment that they believed. Only when they
obeyed "by faith". "By faith" means because of their faith.
Their honor, their justification, their salvation came only when
they obeyed God because of their faith and not before.
For example, earlier we considered Rahab.
Hebrews 11:31 says that by faith, the harlot Rahab did not perish.
Rahab is also used as an example by James in chapter 2 verse 25.
James explains Rahab's salvation in words that are difficult to
misunderstand. In James 2:25, he said, "likewise was not Rahab
the harlot also justified by works "when" she received the messengers
and sent them out another way. The writer of Hebrews indeed
said that Rahab was saved by faith, but James tells us "when" her
faith saved her. Faith brought salvation when she acted and
not a moment before.
In a very similar way Paul says in Romans 4:9 that faith was
accounted to Abraham for righteousness, but again James speaks
of Abraham too. And James tells us exactly when that favorable
accounting occurred. In James 2:21, James says, "was not
Abraham, our father, justified by works when he offered his son
Isaac on the alter?" Faith produces salvation, there is no
doubt about that, but the critical question which must be asked and
answered is
"when?". When is it that faith produces or brings salvation?
And the answer is, "when" faith obeys. And not a moment
before. The faith without works, the faith does not
obey, is dead. And a dead faith will not produce a saved soul.
And in opposition against those who would advance the "faith
only" doctrine James says in chapter 2 and verse 19, "you believe
that there is one God, you do well. Even the demons believe
and tremble. The demons believe, but they failed to take the
necessary actions of obedience. The question is, do we want to
spend an eternity with those people who only believed? And
then so clearly James makes his point in verse when 24 when he says
by inspiration, "Ye see then how that by works a man is
justified, and not by faith only."
Some people are confused by that verse
because the word works is used in the Bible in a number of different
ways. Sometimes the word "works" is used to described things
done under the law of Moses. Sometimes the word works is used
to describe things that man might devise for himself to do.
But sometimes the word works is used in the Bible to refer to acts
of obedience to God's will. And it is in this way that James
uses the word here, "Ye see then how that by works a man is
justified, and not by faith only." So as we did earlier,
we can define the word "works" in James 2:24 as "obedience to God's
will" and then substitute it in James 2:24 just like we substituted
the words "faith only" for "faith" in Hebrews 11. And if the
definition is correct then the sentence should still say the same
thing and it should make perfect sense. "Ye see
then how that by "obedience to God's will" a man is justified, and
not by faith only."
The difference between the substitution of
faith only for faith in Hebrews 11 and the substitution we just did
is that this one makes perfect sense, and there is scriptural
support for it elsewhere. And what did the Hebrew
writer teach by inspiration in chapter 5 and verse 9? "And
being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto
all them that obey him." What did Peter say to Cornelius
at his conversion as recorded by Luke in Acts 10:35? "But
in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is
accepted with him." Paul says in Romans 6:17-18 that the
Romans were set free from sin by their obedience to the doctrine.
Peter says in 1 Peter 1:22 that the Christians had purified their
souls by obeying the truth. Time after time in the scriptures
we are taught that salvation is dependant upon obedience. We
cannot be saved without obedience. Our salvation is indeed by
faith, but that word "faith" in the Bible does not mean "faith
only". There is no verse that says that and there have been a
number of scriptures presented so far that demonstrate that it does
not mean that in any way. Faith saves, but when does faith
save? Faith saves when faith obeys.
Remember the hypothetical story where I got
rich when I believed my son? Remember that I said if I had not
gone outside with the box that I did not believe my son? Does
the Bible contrast obedience and belief in that fashion? Does
the Bible ever say someone who does not obey did not believe?
Peter wrote of belief and obedience in 1 Peter
2:7-8, "Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them
which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is
made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of
offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient:
whereunto also they were appointed". Peter draws a contrast
between those who believe and those who do not by being disobedient.
Peter equates Belief as the opposite of disobedience, therefore Peter
had the reasonable understanding that those who believed would take
the necessary steps to get salvation.
This lesson was introduced with John's famous
scripture on belief. John wrote in 3:16 that "God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him
should not perish, but have eternal life" and in a few sentences later,
he wrote, "He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he that
obeyeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him"
(John 3:36, ASV).
Just like Peter, John contrasted believers and those who are disobedient.
It is clear from a Biblical perspective that John had more in mind than
simple belief in the facts. In John's stated need to believe, the
taking of any necessary action is understood, it is implied.
A study of Hebrews 4:9-11
reveals some insight as to the nature of Biblical belief; "There remaineth
therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his
rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let
us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the
same example of unbelief." The Greek word for unbelief is "apeitheia"
which means "rebellious disbelief". We see that those whom the
Hebrew writer is addressing are instructed to labor lest they fall
into an example of unbelief. So we see from this example it
requires effort, or a commitment of oneself in order to avoid
Biblical disbelief, it also requires the same to believe.
Simply stated, those who labor are true believers and those who fail
to labor fail to believe. Those who fail to obey fail to
believe.
In the hypothetical story we used as an
illustration, I believed my son and acted. If I had not acted
it is obvious that I would not have believed him. In the same
sense today if we believe Jesus Christ and act we will obtain the
blessings.
If we are going to believe Jesus and believe in Him then we are going to have to believe His teachings.
If we are going to believe Jesus Christ then we have to believe it
all. We can't pick and choose what we want to believe and what
we don't want to believe. We can't accept Jesus as our savior
and king but refuse His teachings. Jesus Christ said Himself
"And why call ye me, Lord, Lord , and do not the things which I
say"? Then He went on to teach the parable of the foolish
builder who failed to obey, thus building his house on a sandy and
uncertain foundation and the wise builder, who because of obedience
had built his house on rock.
Luke 6:47-49
"Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them,
I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an
house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when
the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and
could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that
heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation
built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat
vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was
great."
Do we believe Jesus' teaching about the wise and the foolish
builders? If we reject Jesus teaching then we obviously don't
believe Him. How can we believe in Jesus but not believe His
teachings? We cannot believe what we want and reject the rest.
It doesn't work that way. If we are going to believe in Jesus
then we must believe all of His instructions. In the account
of the wise and foolish builders as recorded by Matthew, Jesus
introduced the parable by saying "Not every one that saith unto
me, Lord, Lord , shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that
doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21).
People who simply believe that Jesus is who He said He is will cry
"Lord Lord". They know who He is. They know what He did
for us, they know and believe in Him for who He is. But those
who fail to obey Him believe in the man but not in His teachings.
And Jesus taught in the parables of the
wise and foolish builders that only those who do His will have built
their houses on Rock. Jesus said that. Do you believe
Him? Do you believe He meant what He said in Matthew 7:21?
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord , shall enter into
the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father".
If you do not believe that, then you are guilty of unbelief.
Jesus taught in John 3:18 "He that
believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is
condemned already , because he hath not believed in the name of the
only begotten Son of God". Do you believe Him. Do
you believe Jesus taught that? If anyone rejects this teaching
of Jesus then they are guilty of unbelief.
Jesus taught in Matthew 10:32-33, "Whosoever
therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also
before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny
me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in
heaven." Do you believe we must confess Jesus before men
in order to be confessed by Jesus before God the Father? Do
you believe that Jesus meant that when He said it. If you do,
then you cannot believe in salvation by faith only because faith
only has no room for any act of obedience whatsoever.
Salvation by faith only is either salvation without nothing but
faith or belief, or it isn't. There's no middle ground.
Either you believe Jesus requires the act of confession or you
don't. And if you don't believe confession is required then
you do not believe something Jesus taught and are therefore guilty
of unbelief.
Jesus taught in Luke 13:3, "I tell you,
Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."
Do you believe we must repent in order to be saved? Can we
continue in our sinful lives and live without repentance and expect
a home in heaven? If you believe we must repent then salvation
cannot be by faith only. Because salvation by faith only has
no room for action. Repenting is doing something. If we
are saved by faith only then we can be saved without repentance.
Do you believe Jesus' teaching that we must repent? If you do
not and you insist that our salvation is by faith only then you do
not believe something Jesus instructed and are therefore guilty of
unbelief.
Jesus taught in Mark 16:16, "He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."
Do you believe Jesus? Do you believe everything He instructed?
If you do believe Jesus then you must believe that baptism is
necessary in order to be saved. If you do not believe that
baptism is necessary then you fall into the second group of
individuals mentioned by Jesus in Mark 16:16, those who do not
believe and will not be saved. We already know from Jesus
teaching on confession and repentance that salvation is not by faith
only. Why would baptism be any different? If you are not
baptized then you do not believe and will be condemned. We
cannot claim Jesus as our savior and claim we believe in Him if we
do not believe His instructions. If we do not believe His
instructions then we do not believe Him. Those who do not
believe Jesus do not believe in Him either. Belief of Jesus
for who He is and belief in Him cannot be separated. We can't
reject His instructions and believe in Jesus. The parallel
verse for Mark 16:16 is Matthew 28:19, "Go ye therefore, and
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost". Baptism is a command, it
is a divine instruction from the mouth of Jesus Christ. The
baptism here is the baptism that can be administered by man and the
one that can be submitted to in obedience. Jesus commanded it,
you must therefore ask yourself, do you believe in Jesus Christ?
Do you believe in what He taught? Do you believe Jesus?
Jesus isn't done instructing us yet.
Salvation is not by faith only. Salvation requires belief,
repentance, confession and baptism. That is not faith only.
Faith only salvation, if it were true, would come without any of the
above mentioned acts of obedience from the mouth of Jesus Christ
Himself. Jesus has more instruction to give. We saw in
Matthew 28:19 that Jesus commanded baptism for every man on earth,
he wasn't finished. He had another instruction on the heels of
baptism. Jesus went on to say, "Teaching them to observe all
things whatsoever I have commanded you" (V20). If obedience is
commanded surely it is expected. When Jesus addressed the
church in Smyrna He gave this instruction, "Be thou faithful unto
death, and I will give thee a crown of life" (Revelation 2:10).
If any Christian in any church anywhere in the first century had to
remain faithful unto death, then they all did. And if they
did, we must be faithful unto death today. John taught that "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" (1 John 1:7). This is a conditional
statement. John began it with the word if. In a
conditional statement if the condition is not true then the results
will not be forthcoming. If we do not walk in the light, live
faithfully, there will be no fellowship with God. There will
be no ongoing cleansing of sin by the blood of Jesus Christ.
What this means is that salvation is not by faith or belief only.
With all this talk about faith and works,
we need to give attention to what Paul wrote about Grace. In
Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul wrote, "For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of
works, lest any man should boast." So is Paul saying here that
we do not have to be obedient to God? Is he saying God's grace
makes obedience unnecessary? Of course not. What Paul is
saying is that our works will never be sufficient to earn our
salvation. We can never rest on our works and boast that God
owes us anything. There is no way we as Christians could
possibly hope to repay God what it cost Him to offer us salvation.
He was under no obligation to send His Son down here to die for us
and He would have been perfectly well within His rights to let us
perish. Neither was Jesus under any obligation to die for us.
What He did for us, He did of His own free will and we can't earn it
with our works. But this fact does not make obedience to God
unnecessary.
Saved by "grace" does not mean saved by
"grace only" any more than saved by "faith" means saved by "faith
only". And this is just as easy to put to the test as saved by
faith was. If we are saved by "grace only" then no act of
obedience whatsoever would be required for our salvation and we know
better than that because we have to believe and belief is a
conscious decision we make and is therefore a work of righteousness
on our part. If any level of obedience to God whatsoever is
necessary to be saved, then we cannot be saved by "grace only".
It's just that simple. The Hebrew writer taught that grace was
something that we could fail if we were not diligent in chapter 12
and verse 15. If grace were not conditional, then it would not
be possible to fail it. If it were not possible to fail it,
inspiration would not have warned against it. And since it is
possible to fail of God's grace then salvation is not by "grace
only".
Faith saves, no doubt about it. Those
who believe are saved, no doubt about it. But not until that
faith or belief has resulted in obedience to God. Faith saves
when and only when faith obeys. Grace saves, no doubt about
it, but grace does not save until faith obeys. If there is anyone here who
believes but has not obeyed then you are not saved. By faith
the heroes in Hebrews 11 obeyed and they received the blessings when
they obeyed and not a moment before. By faith, each and
every one of YOU must hear, YOU must listen to the word of God.
By faith YOU must repent of your sins and turn to Christ. By
faith YOU must confess Jesus Christ as the Son of God before men.
By faith YOU must submit to baptism into Jesus Christ in the watery
grave of baptism for the remission of YOUR sins in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. By faith YOU
must live an obedient, faithful life, walking in the light as Jesus
walked, remaining faithful until our last accountable breath of life
on earth. These instructions came directly from the mouth of
Jesus, if you do not believe these instructions then you do not
believe Jesus. Do you believe Him? Do you believe in
Jesus, in what He said and in what He taught. Do you believe
Him?
If you are and you have not been baptized
into Jesus Christ or if you have and you have not walked in the
light, faithfully and you need the prayers of the congregation then
I urge you now to take this opportunity to Believe in Jesus Christ.
If you are here and you have not believed in and obeyed the gospel,
then why tarriest thou? Arise and be baptized now. If
not at this invitation, then please stay after services and let your
need be known. Behold here is water, what doth hinder
you to be baptized? Today is the acceptable time, today is the
day of salvation. Whatever your need is at this
time, please let it be known. Your friends, your loved ones
stand ready and eager to assist you. Come now as we stand and
sing.
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