1 Thessalonians 2:13]

For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. 

Jesus said: John 14: 15] If ye love me, keep my commandments.

We also need to ask ourselves “How do I become the friend of Jesus?”

John 15: 14] Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Jesus makes it clear if we love Him, and are His friend, we will do what He asks us to do.

John 12: 48] He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

In the day of judgement the Word of God, the Bible, is by what means God will determine if we will go to heaven or not.

His Word is not just the Words He spoke directly, but also what his disciples spoke:

Luke 10: 16] He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.

So we find eternal life and live this life as a child of God by every Word of God.

Luke 4: 4] And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

We live by every Word of God and without it there is no eternal life in heaven. 

The New Testament points to the Old Testament in a variety of ways.  God’s Word through Paul to Timothy, applicable in principle to all mankind, refers here to the Old Testament holy scriptures.  We know this because when Timothy was a child the New Testament scriptures were not yet written.

2 Tim 3: 15] And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
[16] All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

These are powerful reasons for us to make it our business to know what God’s Word says, and no subject is more important than His plan of salvation, what it takes to get to Heaven.  The following are the basic beginnings of His plan of salvation preceded by who Jesus is and what His purpose was.

Jesus Christ asked His disciples who they thought He was:

Matt 16:13] When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
[14] And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
[15] He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
[16] And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

It is very important to Jesus Christ that we know who He is.  It shapes and affects many of our Christian beliefs.

Clearly, Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God.

Jesus Christ is the Son of man:

Mat 16:13]  When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

Jesus Christ is God manifest in flesh:

John 1:1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14] And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

1 Tim 3:16] And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

Matt 1: 23] Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Jesus Christ is fully man and fully God.

Jesus Christ came to this earth to fulfill prophecy, minister to the needy, preach and teach the Word of God, to heal, to show the world the love of God, and give glory to God. 

Luke 4:17] And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
[18] The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
[19] To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

One of the key purposes of Jesus Christ was and is to seek and save lost humanity:

Luke 19:10] For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

▀ Man in his unregenerated state has the sin that came upon all men in the garden of Eden from the transgression of Adam and Eve. 

1 Cor 15:21] For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
[22] For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

With sin came death. 

Rom 5:12] Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Rom 6:23] For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

▀ We are saved by grace, not of anything we of ourselves do, and not of works.

Eph 2: 8] For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
[9] Not of works, lest any man should boast.

We can’t earn our way into Heaven, or ever be good enough or worthy enough on our own.  It’s the unearned favor of God, His grace, that allows us to enter into Heaven.

▀ Faith opens the door of Grace to have everlasting life.

John 3: 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.

▀ Faith without works is dead.

And since faith is required for salvation, then the lack of faith, or dead faith, prevents us from being saved.

James 2:19] Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well:the devils also believe, and tremble.
[20] But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
[21] Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
[22] Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

But if our faith is alive and intact, then there will be evidence of it, part of which is our works unto the Lord and part of which is obedience to His Word.  Without works unto the Lord and obedience to His Word being evidenced in our life, our faith is counted as dead, and without faith we cannot receive His grace.  Hence, we are saved by grace, but that saving grace comes through our faith, which God attributes to us as being alive as evidenced by works (not only), and obedience to His Word.  So while we are not saved by works directly, it is part of the plan of salvation indirectly.  We do not earn our salvation and can do nothing to be worthy of it, but James 2 is very clear that faith alone is dead.

▀ Can we be saved if we believe but don’t obey?

Jesus Christ made it clear that we must obey His Word to be saved.

Matt 19:16] And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
[17] And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

Heb 5:9] And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

▀ Repentance is a matter of salvation

Repentance has two parts.  One part is to ask for forgiveness from God and anyone we have harmed or offended and the other part is to turn from ways that are displeasing to God.

Luke 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

2 Cor 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

▀ Water baptism is a matter of salvation

Because water baptism is often misunderstood, more clarifying scriptures are given in this section.

Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

If we're not saved, we're lost.  If we don't believe, baptism is meaningless; it all starts with belief but it doesn't end there.

1 Pet 3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
[21] The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
[22] Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

So the question we want to answer at this point from the Word of God is how are we to be water baptized?

▀ Why should we be water baptized?

Being water baptized in Jesus name is part of the plan of salvation because it remitts our sins, and no sin will be allowed in heaven.

Rom 6: 23] For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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.

▀ How many ways are there to be water baptized?

There is only one way to be water baptized that’s acceptable to God.

Eph 4:5  "One Lord, one faith, one baptism,"

▀ So, what is the one way to be baptized?

Every example of water baptism for the New Testament plan of salvation was done in one way only: in the name of Jesus Christ (directly and indirectly as we’ll see).  Christ is not His last name.  Christ is what identifies this Jesus as the one and only Son of God. 

EXAMPLE:

Acts 2:37 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?

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."

[39] 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.
[40] And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
[41] Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

When it says “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” they are asking what does it take to be saved?

When it says “Save yourselves from this untoward generation.” It’s saying it’s a matter of salvation.

EXAMPLE:

Acts 8:14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:
[15] Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:
[16] (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 

The whole city of Samaria was baptized in the name of Jesus!

EXAMPLE:

Acts 19:1 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,
[2] He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

19:3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.
[4] Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
[5] When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

- Notice that John the Baptist performed a water baptism which was a baptism of repentance, in ‘making the ways straight’ for the Lord, teaching and preparing them to receive Jesus.  Scripture reveals how incredibly important it is to be baptized in Jesus’ name, that even the disciples of John the Baptist had to be re-baptized!  This indicates how much a matter of salvation being baptized in the name of Jesus is!  These disciples were baptized by John the Baptist, the greatest of all the prophets, but it did not matter; like all of us, they had to be baptized in the name of Jesus! 

▀ More on Water Baptism

(Mat 28:19 KJV)  "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:"

At first glance this scripture seems to be saying to be water baptized in a different way than in Jesus’ name.  But we know there is no schism, or errors in the Word of God.  And we also know that God built His church on the apostles and prophets, and that foundation is sure and forever settled in Heaven!  Notice He said in the name, not names.

No one was ever literally baptized in the titles Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and there is not a single example of this ever being done in the entire Bible.  The apostles and disciples never baptized in the titles because:

They knew the name of the Father was Jesus:

(John 14:8 KJV)  "Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us."

(John 14:9 KJV)  "Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?"

They knew the name of the Son was Jesus:

(Mark 1:1 KJV)  "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;"

They knew the name of the Comforter, who is the Holy Ghost, was Jesus:

(John 14:26 KJV)  "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."

▀ His name is Jesus!

(John 14:16 KJV)  "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;"

(John 14:17 KJV)  "Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."

(John 14:18 KJV)  "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you."

Jesus said this.  He dwelled with them in the flesh.  He said He would be in them.  He was talking about His Spirit being in them, not His human body being in them.  The name of that Spirit, that is the name of the Holy Ghost, is Jesus!

So now, knowing that the Apostles only baptized in the name of Jesus, and that there is only one way, then we see the great revelation of the following scripture: the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of Holy Ghost is Jesus!!!  We are not to literally repeat His titles for baptism; they are not names. 

We must keep His commandments to be one of His; so much the more the apostles who He built the church on and gave the plan of salvation to.  The apostles turned right around after being commanded to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and baptized in Jesus name, because they understood and knew the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is Jesus!

(Col 3:17 KJV)  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

▀ Being filled with the Holy Ghost is a matter of salvation

JOHN 3: 3] Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
[4] Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
[5] 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.
[6] That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
[7] Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
[8] 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.

Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
[9] But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

People often believe that church is to be a quiet, subdued place, which is acceptable to God but the Bible teaches the opposite is acceptable as well.  We praise Him with tears in quiet adoration as well as sometimes loudly and robustly, depending how God is moving in the service. We don’t just do these things “mechanically” because the Bible teaches us to, but it is a scriptural outcome and response to the power of the Holy Ghost that God has filled us with and our love and appreciation for Him! Here’s but a few examples how we praise and worship God followed by the scriptural basis.

▀ We lift our hands to God.

Psa 134: 2] Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD.

1 Tim 2: 8] I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

▀ We clap our hands and shout unto God.

Psa 47: 1] O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

▀ We worship and exalt Him in humility

Psa 46: 10] Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

▀ We dance in the Holy Ghost and our music and praise is often fervent, passionate, and loud.

Psa 150: 3] Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
[4] Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
[5] Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
[6] Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

2 Sam 6: 13] And it was so, that when they that bare the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings.
[14] And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
[15] So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.

And God loves it!  We don’t want a rock to take our place worshipping and praising God!

Luke 19: 37] And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;
[38] Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.
[39] And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.
[40] And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

Not every loud voice is anointed, but when we’re filled with the Holy Ghost He often brings it on!

John 7: 37] In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

Luke 1: 41] And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
[42] And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

There are many more scriptures to support each of the above subjects as well as many more subjects not discussed here.  If you have any questions, please contact us at Contact@apostolictruthtabernaclechurch.org, or call 865-226-9353.  We would also love to have a Bible study with you at your time and place of convenience!