You Will Be Told
What You MUST Do

The church of Christ spends a lot of time on the need for baptism in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit because the world spends little time on it, in fact the world scoffs, ignores clear Bible teaching and says baptism is not necessary for salvation.

The Bible contains a number of salvation examples that include baptism as a necessary ingredient. Not only that, the Bible contains passages that point blank say, if there is no baptism, there is no salvation.

15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15-16)

Believes AND is baptized will be saved.

38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)

Those listening to Peter believed they had crucified the risen Christ and they asked what they should do. Peter told them to repent, change their minds about their sins, and be baptized. Why? For the remission of sins.

I've read Acts 9 numerous times and often used it as an example of God, Jesus, not operating outside of the Word when the Word is sufficient by itself.

Jesus had Saul, later to be Paul, on the ground and Saul asked in Acts 9:6, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

Jesus told him to go into Damascus and there it would be told to him, by a man, what he must do. Couldn't Jesus have told him while he had Saul there? He certainly could have but he told Saul to go hear it from a man. Jesus had already gave the gospel salvation telling responsibility to men when he commanded his disciples to do it in Mark 16. Telling Saul outside of his original command to his disciples was not necessary.

As many times as I have read Acts 9, specifically verse 6, I kind of glossed over a phrase in Jesus answer - "must do."

I knew Saul was going to be told something when he got to Damascus but the question arose, what was he going to be told there that "he must do?"

We read in Acts 9 things that he did in Damacus but nothing that he was "told" to do. Yet, he was told by Jesus he would be told in Damascus what he "must do."

Saul, now called Paul, in Acts 22 tells of his experience in Damascus. In verse 16 he relates what he was told to do, "And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’"

Do you see any connection between Peter's command in Acts 2:38 and Ananias' command in Acts 22:16? Both passages connect baptism with the removal, or remission, of sins. Arising and being baptized is the only thing scripture relates to the "must do" of Acts 9:6.

7 and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. (II Thessalonians 1:7-8)

No question there. One must obey the gospel of Christ or undergo the vengeance of Jesus and his angels.

This is further backed up by Romans 1:16...

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. (Romans 1:16)

Let's go to the Bible to find out what the gospel is.

1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, (I Corinthians 15:1-4)

How do we obey the death, burial and resurrection of Christ? If we obey it literally then there will be no one to carry on Christ's commands.

3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:3-4)

Here is the "born again," "newness of life," Jesus talks about in John 3:3, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” This is how one obeys the death, burial and resurrection of Christ according to the scriptures. This is where one contacts the redeeming blood of Jesus, in his death.

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:1)

Are you in Christ? If so, how did you get there? Romans 6:3 says we're baptized into Christ.

The world scoffs at the necessity of baptism for the remission of sins. They teach baptism into their church, they teach baptism as a show of faith, they even teach baptism after you're "saved" by their lack of baptism. They teach baptism every way under the sun but the Bible way.

21 There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, (I Peter 3:21)

If you were not baptized for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, I Peter 3:21, others) you are still in your sins.

If we can assist you in any way, please call on us any time.

Marv Walker
706 816-7190