Ways into Christ – How Many Ways Are There?

It is only human nature to want the way to heaven to be as broad and all-inclusive
as possible thus the more ways into Christ that can be found the better from our
earthly point of view. We have people we want to see saved and yet we are pretty
sure they are not due to either the way they are living or to the beliefs they hold
thus a broad gate and a wide way to heaven would suit us just fine. But it goes
without saying that our love for one who is not walking in the light of truth cannot
change truth itself. No man is saved “unconditionally” which is to say saved
regardless of belief, character, and conduct. God saves sinners true enough but not
while they actively engage in the practice of sin unrepentant.

The fact remains that no matter how much we desire another’s salvation it is up to
them to bring their life into accord with God’s will for neither you nor I can broaden
the gate. “Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life and there
are few who find it.” (Matt. 7:14 NKJV)

Salvation is found only in Christ. “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no
other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts
4:12 NKJV) Jesus said he was “the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me.” (John 14:6 NKJV) Again, he says, “I am the door. If
anyone enters by me, he will be saved.” (John 10:9 NKJV)

The point I want to drive home here is that salvation is found “in Christ” and not
“out of Christ.” Paul speaks of “the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal
glory.” (2 Tim. 2:10 NKJV) Redemption “is in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 3:24 NKJV)
Elsewhere Paul says Christ “is the Savior of the body.” (Eph. 5:23 NKJV) The body of
which he is the Savior is his spiritual body, the church, for the church is his body
(Eph. 1:22-23, Col. 1:18) which makes being “in Christ” essential. We must be in
that which Christ is going to save. “If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation,” (2
Cor. 5:17 NKJV) emphasis on “in Christ” and not out of him. Thus it is essential to be
“in Christ” for that is where “every spiritual blessing” is found (Eph. 1:3 NKJV) which,
of course, includes salvation itself.

Having firmly established that salvation is found “in Christ” how then does one
enter into Christ? How many ways are there? The Bible teaches there are
conditions for entering into Christ, prerequisites if you will, namely faith,
repentance, and confession all of which are absolutely essential to salvation but
none of those things by themselves or even taken collectively will put you “into
Christ.” Only baptism is said to do that - no not baptism by itself (emphasis on that)
but baptism that is built on faith accompanied by repentance with a willingness to
confess Christ. Baptism is the final step one takes to enter Christ and find salvation
in him.

Hear the language Paul uses: “Do you not know that as many of us as were
baptized into Christ Jesus” (Rom. 6:3 NKJV), “as many of you as were baptized into
Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:27 NKJV), “for by one spirit we were all baptized
into one body” (1 Cor. 12:13 NKJV) speaking of the body of Christ.

How does this accord with the examples of conversions as we find them in Acts? In
Acts 2 on the Day of Pentecost when the first gospel sermon was preached that was
ever preached and that by inspiration of the apostle Peter (thus God speaking
through Peter) people were made believers. Were they saved? God did not
consider them saved for his command to them through Peter was “repent, and let
every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.”
(Acts 2:38 NKJV) Denominationalism would say they were saved after faith and
repentance and the rest of God’s command to them that day (be baptized) was not
needed for salvation. Well, who are you going to believe? We each have to make
up our own mind and answer that question and be assured we will each answer
sooner or later one way or another. We ought to believe Peter and the Holy Spirit
and not our denominational pastors.

I discovered something in this passage I had literally overlooked for years until
writing this piece. Peter said, “every one of you.” There were to be and are to be
no exceptions. This brings to mind Paul’s statement to the Corinthians in 1 Cor.
12:13, “for by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.” (NKJV) Note here
again the phrase “we were all” – that is every one of us. No, Paul did not do a lot of
baptizing personally but that it was done as a result of his preaching and by those
working with him there is no doubt for “many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed
and were baptized.” (Acts 18:8 NKJV) No one was considered as “one of them” who
was not baptized either on the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem (Acts 2:38) nor at
Corinth (1 Cor. 12:13).

Paul himself was made a believer and repented when Jesus appeared to him on the
road to Damascus. Was he saved? The Lord sent Ananias to him with a message
indicating God did not consider him to be for Ananias says to Paul, “Now why are
you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins.” (Acts 22:16 NKJV)
When a man’s sins are gone, washed away, he is “in Christ.”

Paul equates baptism into Christ with putting on Christ. “For as many of you as
were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Gal. 3:27 NKJV) When I put on a coat
I am in the coat. When I put on Christ I am in Christ. That is where I need to be for
that is where salvation is found. Can one be in Christ who has not put on Christ?

We need to always remember Jesus himself commanded baptism (Matt. 28:18-20

NKJV) – the Great Commission. Why did he do so if it does not matter to him and is
a non-essential for salvation? Put yourself for a short moment of time into the
apostle’s shoes who received this commission (verse 20 teaches we have received
that commission as well for it has been handed down to us). Jesus tells them to
make disciples (learners, those who will follow one’s teaching) of all nations
baptizing them (Matt. 28:19). That is a command. There is no choice about it.
Question – how do you do that in today’s world where people have swallowed the
denominational line that you need not be baptized? Here I am commanded to
baptize people yet they refuse thinking it unnecessary even though Jesus
commanded it. By definition of what the word disciple means how can one do that
(refuse baptism considering it a non-essential) and still claim discipleship?
Discipleship ends at that point where one bulks at a command and refuses
obedience.

I have said nothing on Mark 16:16, the words of Jesus, “he who believes and is
baptized will be saved” but do I need to? I do not think so. If words mean anything
it is self-explanatory.

I want to deal with some objections. There are many passages in the bible that if
one wants to be a careless scholar he can lead himself astray. For example, take a
passage like Rom. 5:1-2, written by Paul, “Therefore, having been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have
access by faith into this grace in which we stand.” (NKJV) Or, here is another, “even
the righteousness of God which is through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who
believe.” (Rom. 3:22 NKJV) A careless scholar takes these passages and many
similar ones found throughout the New Testament and says “see, here it is,
salvation is by faith and baptism has nothing to do with it.”

There are some things that are obvious about this kind of scholarship. For one thing
it pits the writer, Paul, against himself not only in other books of the bible but in this
very same book itself – the book of Romans. If the reader will just read on to
chapter 6 he will find baptism.

“Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into his death? 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. For if we have been united together in
the likeness of his death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of his
resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of
sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who
has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we
shall also live with him.” (Rom. 6:3-8 NKJV)

How about the person that has not been baptized into Christ’s death? What if you
have not been “united together in the likeness of his death?” (Rom. 6:5) The text
says “if we have.” (Rom. 6:5) It does not say “if we have not.” Baptism is into
Christ (Rom. 6:3) and that being the case it is also into the benefits or blessings of
Christ’s death. You only walk in newness of life, a new creature, a new creation,
when you arise as such from the waters of baptism for “our old man was crucified
with him.” (Rom. 6:6) Crucifixion means death. We were baptized “into death.”
(Rom. 6:4) We arise from the baptismal waters to “walk in newness of life” (Rom.
6:4) because “if anyone is I Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed
away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Cor. 5: 17 NKJV) The text says “if we
died with Christ.” (Rom. 6:8) It does not say “if we do not die with Christ.” We need
to read and reason as we do so.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom
of God.” (Jesus speaking, John 3:3, NKJV) “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one
is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (Jesus, John
3:5 NKJV)

A man is saved by faith, the Bible teaches that, but it is a faith that truly believes
and thus acts. That is why on the Day of Pentecost when God told the people,
speaking through Peter, to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins the
people did it. Why? Because they believed God’s message. That is why Paul, then
known as Saul, was baptized when God speaking through Ananias told him to arise
and be baptized and wash away his sins. Why? Because he believed what God,
speaking through Ananias, told him.

Faith or belief has been perverted today to mean you hear but disbelieve what you
have heard (read). Thus today you cannot read Peter’s sermon as delivered on the
Day of Pentecost and believe it and be accepted as a man of faith because the
consensus is today that you do not have to do what Peter said for the remission of
sins. Thus there can be no faith in what Peter preached as a command to the
people that day. Faith today thus means no faith. Yes, it is strange and hard to
reason out (maybe because there is no reason to it).

In the Bible when it comes to salvation faith and obedience are so linked together
that there can be no saving faith without the obedience that proceeds from it. Here
is a perfect example. Heb. 3:18-19, “And to whom did he swear that they would not
enter his rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter
in because of unbelief.” (NKJV) Why did the children of Israel under Moses’
leadership not enter the land of Canaan, the land of rest? Because they heard
God’s command to go take the land but they did not believe God (did not believe he
would give them the power to overcome the inhabitants) and not believing they
would not obey. That is where most of Christendom is today with baptism. They
know what the Bible clearly says about it but they are unwilling to obey because
they do not believe plain statements of scripture concerning its function and
purpose.

One thing that would help men greatly in understanding faith is if they would learn
what a synecdoche is. A synecdoche is a figure of speech “by which we speak of
the whole by a part, or a part by using a term denoting the whole…This is many
times the case with the salvation of sinners. The whole number of conditions are
indicated by the use of one. Generally the first one is mentioned-that of faith-
because without it nothing else could follow.” (Prof. D. R. Dungan, “Hermeneutics”,
Pages 300-305) We should not read the Bible come across the word faith and think
without giving it thought that it necessarily means mental assent alone. Be a
scholar and study it out and see based on the context and the totality of New
Testament teaching on the subject.

I want to deal with one other passage and that by Peter before closing. In Acts
10:43 Peter is at the house of Cornelius preaching and says this, “to him all the
prophets witness that, through his name, whoever believes in him will receive
remission of sins.” (NKJV) This is the same Peter that preached on the Day of
Pentecost that those there must repent and be baptized for the remission of sins.
Has he now changed his tune in chapter 10 at a later date and is he now preaching
another gospel?

No, for in the New Testament faith and baptism fit together as a unit. It is simple, if
you believe, if you truly believe, you are baptized. Again, did Peter change his tune
here versus what he taught on the Day of Pentecost? Not at all. The text says 5
verses later, speaking of Peter addressing Cornelius and his household, “And he
commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.” (Acts 10:48 NKJV) One
who believes in Jesus is one who believes what Jesus said and what Jesus said was
“he who believes and is baptized will be saved.” (Mark 16:16 NKJV) What Jesus said
was, “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of
God.” (John 3:5 NKJV) Yes, even Cornelius had to be baptized and was
“commanded” to do it.

Baptism is a test of the purity of faith. It is not whether you believe me but whether
you believe Jesus and his apostles. Yes there is only one way into Christ but many
inventions have been sought out to change that all of which being of man’s making
shall fail in the last day.