God's Plan with MenMartin, T. T. (Thomas Theodore)
Religion
God's Plan with Men
Martin, T. T. (Thomas Theodore)
Salvation
When Paul said to the Galatians, "we have believed in [into] Jesus
Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ,"--Gal.
2:16, he did not say, we have believed in Jesus Christ and united with
the right church and been baptized the right way, that we might be
justified by faith of Christ and not by the works of the law. Instead
of this, he puts it in simple, plain language.
In all of these cases, these conditions could have been expressed just
as easily by the Saviour and Peter and Paul as they are expressed by
religious teachers to-day. Why did not the Saviour and Peter and Paul
express these conditions? There can be but one answer,--because they
are not conditions of salvation. How could the Saviour and Peter and
Paul have left out these conditions if they are conditions of
salvation?
But the question arises, if being baptized the right way and living
the right kind of a life are not conditions of salvation, why do these
things? Not from fear of Hell; God desires no service from that
motive. Let the Saviour tell why. When He instituted the Lord's
supper, He said, "This is my blood of the new covenant which is shed
for many, for the remission of sins,"--Matt. 26:28; and then before
leaving the upper room He said to His disciples: "if ye love me, keep
my commandments."--John 14:15. Why love Him? Love Him because He shed
His blood for the remission of their sins. Let Paul tell us why serve
Him: "The love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge that
if one died for all, then all died; and he died for all, that they who
live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him who died
for them, and rose again."--2 Cor. 5:14, 15.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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