If I accept Jesus will
I be saved? Many people are told, by means of television, radio or by word of mouth that if they accept Jesus into their heart, and if they believe he died for them on the cross, then they are saved. Friend, this false doctrine has led millions away from the real way to be saved as found in the Bible. To be saved is more than saying "I accept you Jesus as my personal Saviour." Lets look at what the Bible says concerning the issue of salvation: Acts 2:37-39: Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, 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. This verse contains faith and grace by which they who heard Peter's preaching could be saved. Repentance is by faith and the grace of forgiveness is given. As Pastor Reckart has pointed out in his great studies on salvation, "let no man say that forgiveness is not the grace of God." He has also pointed out that water baptism is by faith and the remission of sins is given through the shed blood of Jesus. To receive the remission of sins by the blood of Jesus at the moment of water baptism is the grace of God. A person who is Spirit baptized according to Acts 2:4 has come unto the Lord by faith believing nothing doubting, and he seals this faith and grants to the convert the gift of grace which is eternal life. This is true Bible salvation as preached by the Apostle Peter. To be saved we must be born again of water and of the Spirit (John 3:3-5). Now we have observed that the Bible says we must first Repent and then be Baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. It also says we shall receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Friend this is a real spiritual experience. To be born of the Spirit was preached by Jesus. It is not just a verbal acceptance you speak and then you have received the spirit of Christ. You will know just as those did on the day of Pentecost. You will speak with new tongues or another language unknown to you. This is promised from God as written in Acts 2:39. Don't be deceived by anyone telling you that you don't have to have the Holy Spirit to be saved. Let's see what the Word of God has to say about the Holy Spirit. John 3:5-8: Jesus answered, 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. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. These verses quoted by Jesus himself tell us that we must be born again of the water and the spirit. That means baptism into his name and receiving his spirit. We will discuss Jesus name baptism and his Holy Spirit. But lets address the tongues issue now. Jesus also said with his own words: Mark 16:17: And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues. Jesus said that the true believers shall speak with new tongues. Now folks, some ministers will try to tell you that you can perform any one of these signs to project the evidence of one who has been filled with the Spirit of Christ (the Holy Ghost). But friends, this is simply a falsehood. Do not listen to a minister or any other man that suggest this to you. This is a falsehood. The word clearly shows us in what manner those in the upper room of Acts 2:1-4 were filled. Moreover, the same account is made in other passages in the Book of Acts: Acts 2:1-4: And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 10:45-47: And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? Acts:19:6: And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. Some men will say any gift of the spirit is evidence that a person is endwelled with the Holy Spirit. This is a falsehood friends. The Gifts of God can be called upon by anyone who has faith in the power of the name of Jesus Christ. But that does not mean one is filled with the spirit of Christ unto Salvation. Look at the answer the Lord gives to those who come to him proclaiming the use of his gifts but are not filled with the works of his spirit: Mt:7:22-23: Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Mt:24:24: For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Mk:13:22: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. The evidence of speaking in tongues is clearly given in the Book of Acts. Beyond that we see that one who is endwelled with the spirit of Christ will be led of that spirit and the fruits (or works) of that spirit will be manifest in that man. No man who is truly led of the spirit of Christ will also be led of his carnal will or a spirit of AntiChrist. Let no man deceive you concerning this matter. It is clearly settled in the word of God and is not an issue to be debated. If you truly have the spirit of Christ, you WILL SPEAK IN TONGUES at one time and perhaps often times. 1Cor:14:18: I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all: I thank God that I speak in tongues more than YE ALL. Note the Apostle Paul makes it clear to the church of Corinth that they ALL speak in tongues. This is just another confirmation of the scripture concerning the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the exercise of one who is endwelled with the spirit of Christ, and the spiritual baptism of Acts 2:4. Spiritual Tongues (of Angels, and of Men): Tongues of Angels: 1Cor:13:1: Though I speak with the tongues of men and OF ANGELS, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. The Word of God lets us to know that there are two languages manifest in the spirit of Christ. Tongues of Angels, and Tongues of Men. Apostolics world wide will let you know that indeed those who are filled with the spirit of Christ can speak in the tongues of Angels. This is not a language of the earth. It is a heavenly language in which the spirit of the believer is edified through the medium of this heavenly communication with God. It is an experience that lifts a believer above the worries of the world and the concerns of the natural mind. The believer is led further, higher into the will and understanding of God. This is observed in both worship and prayer. Edification through the spirit becomes the medium in which a believer is uplifted and grows in the spirit of Christ. Tongues of Men:
Tongues of men is when a believer speaks
a known language of this world, while not previously knowing or having a
knowledge of that languages dialect. There are over 2,000 languages in this
world today. The spirit of Christ can speak in any of them. Keep in mind,
it was God who created the languages at Babylon. The people of Babylon
transgressed against the will of God, trying to build a tower (the Tower
of Babel) to worship their false Gods. The Lord became angered with the people
and cast a spirit of confusion upon the people. From that point on, men had
different languages. The very name of Babylon depicts exactly the occasion
of the Lord and his judgement upon that nation. Babylon was given its name
because after the judgment was cast upon the people THEY BABBLED. They could
not understand one another any further and the construction of the tower
ceased from that point until it and the city were both destroyed later by
the Persians. From the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4) to this day have believers
have experienced the endwelling of the Spirit of God or (the Holy Ghost)
and have spoken in tongues of men. When this happens, four things may come
of this spiritual experience:
So lets observe the first account of TONGUES OF MEN on the day of Pentecost. Jerusalem, at that time in history, was a place where many devout Jews from all over the world would come as this was the Capitol of the Jewish Nation. These Jewish people spoke in many different languages according to the language of their own land. So, when the multitude stood outside the upper room that those 120 individuals were in, they were amazed because these 120 were Galilaeans and spoke the wonders of God in their native tongues. Some within the crowd mocked them and were rebuked by the Apostle Peter as he reminded them of the prophecy that was written about the tongues issue many centuries earlier. Let's observe what Peter said to them: Acts: 4:5-18: And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day (9:00 am). But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel: Joel: 2:28-29 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: As we can observe the prophecy came true to the 120 in the upper room on the Day of Pentecost. It has also come true for many others who have believed from that day on. These 120 had already repented and had been baptized in the name of Jesus. The scripture promises the Gift of the Holy Ghost to those who Repent and are baptized in the NAME OF JESUS CHRIST, Acts:2:38: 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. Acts:8:16: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Acts:10:48: And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days. Acts:19:5: When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Acts:22:16: And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. Jesus said that a man must be born again of the water and the spirit, John 3:5. Jesus said that the true believers and followers would speak in new tongues, Mark 16:17. Why was there such a spread of revival in that day? The answer is in the Holy Spirit of God. The experience of receiving the Holy Ghost wad and still is so exhilarating, that the word of God's Grace and Mercy spread like wildfire. The Romans and many other civilizations, for their unmoving faith in Jesus Christ, tortured many Christians of the early church to death. The Christians held fast to their faith unto the death. This same Roman civilization later adopted Christianity into their society because the more they tortured the Christians the more the church grew. We will discuss this issue later in the topic link "The Council of Nicea". The Church of Rome is the Roman Catholic Church. It embodies more souls than any other religious body on earth, yet it has laid aside the original method of immersion baptism in Jesus name and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit by means of speaking in Tongues as written in Acts 2:38-39. Seasons, friends, men, women, times, opinions, technologies and civilizations change, but the word of God never changes. His word, as it is written, is sound, unmovable and eternal. We are the ones who create doctrines and laws to comfort ourselves. Think about what I have just said. If we don't like the way something effects our individual comfort zones, we go to extremes to make it to our liking and benefit. Let me say this, God is a righteous judge, and he will impute judgement upon the world according to his word as it is written. If I or anyone else choose not want to walk in his word, as it is written, then it shall be our own responsibility to pay the debt that will be owed on the day of judgement. If we will not walk in the words of grace that God provided, through his manifestation as Christ, unto salvation for all men, then we shall be the losers in the end. How many of us today would stand fast to faith in Jesus unto death on just the mere "accept Jesus and your saved" statement? There are Christians today in many parts of the Globe that are still martyred because of their faith in Christ. One of the main reasons the people at the beginning church age held to their faith unto death was because they had experienced the indwelling power of the Holy Ghost, and they knew where the written promise of God would take them when they left this world. They didn't just say I believe and leave it at that. These people prayed without ceasing until they received the Holy Ghost. They were baptized (totally immersed under water) in Jesus name. They knew that they had received the seal of God upon their souls, unto redemption. They knew that the blood Jesus gave on the cross would atone for the multitude of their sins because they had obeyed his commandments as written. They had walked in those commandments daily. If you have read this far, you may be asking yourself questions like, "What about the mode of baptism spoken of earlier (total emersion, Jesus name)"? "What about the Roman Catholic church"? "Are you belittling my church"? "Are you saying I'm in the wrong church"? "What church are you saying I am supposed to be in"? Friend; far be it for me to judge any denomination. Let the word of God be true and all others be a liar: Rom:3:4: God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. There are more links for you to follow, which will cover these items of concern. However let me leave you with these scriptures as food for thought concerning the questions I just quoted: Hosea: 4:6: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. 2Timothy: 4:3: For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. |