Transcription
So, you're looking for a good church to be a part of, but you're confused by all of the different options. I get it.
In our last video, we saw that the religious landscape is full of all types of divisions dating all the way back to the founding of the Catholic Church, which was the first large departure from the Lord's church. Then we saw the Catholic Church split and give birth to the Orthodox churches. Next, we saw the Protestant Reformation and the dozens of churches that came from them. Over and over again, we've seen throughout history that when people can't get along, they split and start new churches. Until today, we have a situation where there are thousands of different churches all teaching different things. It's no wonder you're confused.
So, when we're looking for a good church to be a part of, what should we be looking for? Well, of course, I think we all want to be part of a church that teaches and follows the Bible. The problem is is that most churches would tell you that's exactly what they do. Very few will tell you that they aren't concerned about following the Bible or that they only follow some of it. So just asking them if they teach and follow the Bible isn't really very helpful.
There are some key areas that we want to specifically look at to see if any church is actually teaching and following the Bible as they claim. And so today we are going to be looking at the number one most important thing to look at when you're considering becoming part of any congregation. And if they don't get this right, nothing else matters. And that is do they preach the same gospel the apostles preached?
The word gospel simply means good news. And in the Christian context, it means the good news about Jesus Christ. The problem is there is more than one gospel floating around in the Christian world. Paul said, "I am astonished that you are quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and turning to a different gospel. Not that there's another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preach to you, let him be accursed." Paul is telling us that there are different gospels, but that there is only one true gospel and that that is the gospel that the apostles preached. He also shows us that there are very serious consequences to preaching a different gospel. That is you will be accursed.
So what exactly is the gospel then? Well once again Paul said, "Now I would remind you brothers of the gospel I preached to you which you received in which you stand and by which you are being saved if you hold fast to the word that I preached to you unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures that he was buried that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures." Okay. So we see the gospel saves us and some key components of the gospel or that good news is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Without that there there is no good news and nearly all churches would agree with that.
But the real question is how does the gospel save us? Is there anything that we must do in order to be saved? This is where you're going to start getting all kinds of different answers depending on which church you ask. Many evangelical Protestants will often say that salvation is by grace through faith alone. No works are required. They will often also use the sinner's prayer. Roman Catholics though they will say that people need to be baptized. Even infants need to be baptized, receive the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and confession and remain in a state of grace. But Eastern Orthodox will they will say that people need to be baptized, live a life of faith, repentance, and participate in the sacramental life of the church. Now, Lutheran, they word it a little bit differently. They often teach that justification is by faith alone through grace, not works. But baptism is often emphasized as a means of grace. Methodists, they would often say that you're saved by grace through faith, but faith must result in holy living. Pentecostals often teach that people are saved by faith in Jesus, but baptism in the Holy Spirit, often evidenced by speaking in tongues, is seen as essential for the full Christian experience. Now, Calvinists, they have a much different view. They teach that God unconditionally elects certain individuals. They are then regenerated and then believe. And so those are just a few of the very different ways in which different churches will say that a person is saved. And so obviously they can't all be right. They can all be wrong, but they can't all be right.
And so when we're asking the question, right, what must I do to be saved? What was the gospel that was preached by the apostles? Well, we need to go to the scriptures to see what the Bible actually says. And there is so much confusion out there. Let's take a look at what the Bible actually says about salvation. Not tradition, not opinion, but what the word of God says.
Number one, we must hear the good news. We must hear the word of God. Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live." Hearing his word is not optional. It is essential. Without hearing the word of God, we wouldn't even know that we were lost and in need of salvation.
But after we hear the word of God, we must actually believe the word of God or we must believe the gospel. We must have faith. In other words, Romans 10:17. So faith comes by hearing and hearing through the word of Christ. You cannot have saving faith without the Bible. Many people think that they have faith and that they that they they really truly believe in God, but they rarely open the scriptures. But God's word tells us that true saving faith comes by hearing the word of Christ. Faith isn't just a feeling. It's a response to the message of Jesus. We must truly believe it.
Then then we must repent of our sins. Jesus makes this very clear. "No, I tell you, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." Repentance is absolutely necessary for salvation. In Acts chapter 2, Peter preaches the first gospel sermon after the ascension of Jesus Christ. And after convincing the crowd of their sin in crucifying Jesus, it says that they were cut to the heart. Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Notice the first thing Peter said there was to repent. And then again over in Acts 3:19, Peter says, "Repent therefore and turn back that your sins may be blotted out." If we want our sins forgiven or blotted out, we must repent.
But what does it mean to repent? Well, it means to change your mind and change your actions. It's a decision to stop living for self and to start living for the Lord. And that change begins with godly sorrow. 2 Corinthians 7:10. And it leads to a transformed life. If you're living an immoral life, well, repentance means striving to live a moral life. If you're if you're going to church, but you haven't obeyed the gospel as the Bible teaches, well, repentance means submitting to God's plan, not to man's plan. And if you've been part of a denomination that teaches things that are not found in the Bible, well, repentance means leaving behind those manmade traditions, those doctrines of men, and finding a church that follows the Bible.
Well, after we've repented, we can see clearly in the Bible that we must confess Jesus as Lord. Romans 10:9 and 10 says, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." Without confessing with the mouth that Jesus is Lord, one cannot be saved.
And then a person who has heard the gospel message, believed it, repented of their sins, and confessed Jesus as Lord is ready for the next step, and that is to be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. It's weird that that somehow and unfortunately baptism has become controversial in today's religious world, but the New Testament speaks clearly and often about it. If we went back to Acts 2:38, Peter said, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins." I mean that's that's not unclear is it? I mean baptism is for the forgiveness of your sins as that verse clearly states.
Paul explains it in this way in Galatians chapter 3:26 and 27. "For in Christ you are all sons of God through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." If we want to put on Christ and become sons of God, we need to be baptized. We put on Christ through baptism. And then in Acts chapter 22 verse 16, Ananias tells Paul, "And now, why do you wait? Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord." Baptism is when sins are washed away. Not before baptism, but at baptism.
Peter put it this way. "Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you. Not the removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ." What is it that now saves you? Well, according to this verse, it's baptism that now saves you. In Romans 6:4, Paul says, "We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death. In order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the father, we too might walk in newness of life." If we want to walk in newness of life, we must be baptized.
You know, and when we look at all of these verses about baptism and how baptism saves, how it uh you receive the forgiveness of sins when you're baptized or when you're baptized, you put on Christ and and all of these other verses, we might start to ask ourselves, well, I thought we were saved when we heard the word. Yeah, you got to hear the word. That's true. I thought we were saved when we believed. Well, yeah, you got to believe. That's true. I thought we were saved when we repented. That's what the Bible says. Yeah, that's true. What about confessing Jesus? Yep. Yep. You got to confess him to be saved. And then baptism. All of these things are leading to the culmination of this salvation where it is actualized in the waters of baptism.
If you don't hear the gospel, you can't believe it. If you don't believe it, you won't repent. If you don't repent, you won't confess Jesus as Lord. And if you don't think Jesus is your Lord, you're certainly not going to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins. They all build on one another. And when we are baptized for the forgiveness of our sins, as God has commanded us, God adds us to his church. And it's not by a vote. It's not by human approval. It's by his own action. Acts 2:47 says, "And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved."
And so finally, as we are saved in the waters of baptism, as our sins are washed away, we learn that we must live a faithful life unto death. That's the final stage to inherit eternal life for ever. Living faithful to our Lord in loyal service to him. Just as Revelation 2:10 says, "Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life."
My friends, this is the number one thing to look for when you're looking for a good church to be a part of. Now, there are many more things to look at that are extremely important. But it doesn't matter how a church worships or is organized or their leadership or anything else. If all of that is perfectly right according to scripture, but they don't have the gospel right, none of that matters. They must be preaching the same gospel that the apostles preached.
And so if you find yourself in a church that doesn't preach the same gospel the apostles preached, well, you might want to talk to your pastor and see if he's willing to change. Maybe even share this video with him. And if he's unwilling to change, well, it's time to find a congregation that follows the Bible. Well, it's time to find a scriptural church. And if you live near us, then we would love to have you come by for a visit. And there is a link down in the description below where you can get all of the information that you need. And guys, right over here is another thing that we look for when we're trying to find a good church. I'll see you over in that video in just a second.