This is a followup to my earlier thoughts on discipline in the church. While my earlier post were my thoughts prior to meeting with the rest of my church’s leadership group (deaons and ministers), the following is my summary of our collective thoughts. The idea was that we would be able to present something to the church, perhaps this paper, but we haven’t gotten back to it yet, so consider this still my own words and unfinished. However, Shrode at the Thinklings, had a good post on Church Discipline, so I thought I’d post this now.
Sin is all around us, we are confronted with it daily and in fact we commit it daily. We have a hard enough time dealing with our own sin, how are we to deal with the sin we see in the disciples around us? One answer would be not to, and that’s a popular one. “Don’t judge” is a common theme heard in Christian circles. But the Bible paints another picture. Ezekiel 33:1-9 speaks of the responsibility leaders (watchmen) have to warn people of the consequences of their sin. In many ways we are all watchmen over God’s people. I Corinthians 5 speaks directly to our responsibility to protect God’s church and to deal with sin in it, even telling us that it is our role to judge the church, contrary with popular wisdom.
There are two broad categories of sin we will encounter, sins committed against us and sins committed by others against others. Those others sinned against could be God, the church or other people. God, through the Bible, has given us guidelines for dealing with both situations. They are only guidelines, there’s no step by step process to fit every situation. God knew that every situation is unique and the people involved are unique too. So no simple formula could be devised to handle every thing. That’s not to say that there is no guidance in the scriptures on how we should handle sin, there is much. But we much approach each situation with love, humility, wisdom, forgiveness and discernment. All of these are so important; leaving one out can lead to a poor outcome. If we are not going in love, why are we going? If we go with out humility, we will not be open to being wrong about the situation, a very real possibility! We need wisdom and discernment to know what kind of sin we’re dealing with, how serious it is for those potentially exposed to it and if this is something that we can handle or should we get some help. Lastly forgiveness is perhaps our most important tool. With it we can focus on helping the sinner to change and we can overlook leaving out any of the other things.
Sin against us
This is the area where God has been the most specific. The Bible doesn’t say why, but I suspect that it is because this is the area that can get is in the most trouble. It’s personal and we are tempted to seek revenge or retribution rather than reconciliation and healing. Or perhaps we will let it destroy ourselves in bitterness and anger. God has another way, spelled out in Matthew 18:15-17. God says deal with it privately, between the two of you, if you can. If it’s still not resolved, bring in some others. Only if that isn’t effective should the church be involved. God’s way protects the sinner as he or she deals with their sin. Let them do so in private, telling only those they wish to. This shows love and respect for the sinner.
In the past we (corporately) may have been too quick to tell others about someone’s sin. Frankly, it’s gossip and the Bible has much to say against it (Proverbs 11:13, 20:19, 3 John 1:10). This sort of sharing paints a picture of that person that is etched in the mind of the hearer. Does Sam need to know that Fred struggles with pornography, even if your intention is to help Fred by getting advice or soliciting prayer from Sam? Is it beneficial for building up either Sam or Fred (Ephesians 4:29)? Now Sam’s image of Fred is unnecessarily polluted by the words that were spoken. Perhaps you think that Sam can help Fred deal with this sin. That may be, but the respectful and loving thing to do would be to ask Fred if he minds having Sam involved. Perhaps he would rather not tell Sam, but thinks that George might be of help. Then Fred gets help and feels loved and respected. It simply shows that you care.
God is saying here that when the sin is personal, we must deal with it personally. We do not want an environment where my sin, yours or another’s might be broadcast, even with good intentions, to others. There are times when these things cannot be resolved one on one. Then, the Bible says, it is appropriate to bring in another, but whom? It seems appropriate that the second or third brother or sister to be a neutral party, preferably someone each person agrees on. In the past we have treated this as a ‘climb the ladder of authority’ system that can create mistrust. If you won’t listen to me, we’ll get the bible talk leader or the zone leader to deal with you. Instead we should strive to create as neutral an environment as possible where everyone feels that they will be treated fairly. Only if that hasn’t worked, then both persons involved in confronting that person should come together to the church leadership and get them involved.
What if they refuse to listen to us? Matthew 18 says to treat them as a pagan or tax collector. The simple thing is to assume that meant they were shunned. Remembered, however, how Jesus treated the tax collectors. He ate with them (Matthew 9:9-13, Luke 5:27-32). He hung out with them (Matthew 11:19, Luke 15:1). He loved them. He didn’t necessarily call them his disciples, but he did not shun them and in His love, he influenced them (Luke 7:29). The world will abandon the one who sins against them. If we do the same, how will they be saved? If they deliberately refuse to repent, it is entirely appropriate that the church leadership ask them to leave the church for a time. That does not mean that we should shun these people, however. On the contrary, we should encourage the other disciples to serve them and love them, continuing to show them God’s love in spite of their sin. In 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15 Paul says that we are not to associate with men who do not obey, but also says to warn them like a brother, not an enemy. We can exclude them from our fellowship but should encourage people, especially those close to them, to maintain a relationship and love them even more. 1 Peter 4:8 reminds us to love each other above all else, because love covers a multitude of sins.
It’s also important to look at the context of this teaching on dealing with those who sin against us. Just before Jesus teaches the parable of the lost sheep and just after He talks of forgiveness. So this teaching on dealing with sin is within the context of a passionate search for one who is lost to bring him back to safety and the willingness to forgive over and over again. Keeping these things in mind will help us have a Godly mindset as we approach our brother or sister.
Sins against others
The Bible isn’t as specific in telling us how to deal with sin we see in others that is not against us. In these areas we must seek wisdom and discernment to know how to handle it properly. Biblical principles of love, forgiveness, avoiding gossip and respect that we’ve already spoken of should be our guides as we proceed. The guidelines in Matthew 18, though not binding in these situations, can be a good pattern to follow. Confront one on one first, then bring others and as a last resort bring them to the church. But this sort of slow, deliberate process is not always appropriate to the situation. Some sins have an immediate and devastating effect (sexual abuse or violence for example) or may have an impact on the church as a whole. Wisdom and discernment would dictate swift and decisive action in these situations that the pattern of Matthew 18 may not allow. Consider the situation carefully, are you certain that this is a matter of sin and not a ‘disputable matter’ (Romans 14)? Is this something you feel equipped to handle alone or do you need help? Is the situation of a corporate or public nature? Is it serious enough to demand it be dealt with publicly?
We must also remember the warnings of Ezekiel and our responsibility to watch over each other. When we see sin in our brother or sister that doesn’t involve us directly, it is very tempting to do nothing. But to fail to act, to not confront the sin we see in them, is selfish, not loving. It serves our desire for comfort, to avoid conflict and an uncomfortable situation rather than God’s desire for them to repent.
There are examples in the New Testament showing people dealing with the sins of others that we can look at..

Jesus, along with the religious leaders, confronts a woman caught in adultery in John 8:3-11. How humiliating to be publicly confronted on this sin, let alone be caught in the act! The leaders were focused on condemnation and judgment and Jesus reminds them of what they have in common with her, they are sinners too. Ironically, He is the only one to meet His standard of being without sin, yet He does not condemn her either. In this, Jesus reminds us to be humble as we confront the sins of others. Paul speaks of catching some one in sin in Galatians 6:1, urging ‘you who are spiritual’ to ‘restore them gently’. Isn’t that what Jesus did? The leaders were not acting spiritual, but in haste, anger and self righteousness.
In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul reprimands the church for the immorality of some of it’s members. Obviously, someone in the church had reported this in some detail to Paul so that it could be addressed by him, and he does so rather publicly. 2 Thessalonians 3 also refers to sins of the church reported to Paul, and dealt with in a public letter. We do not know the exact circumstances in which this information was presented to Paul, but Paul does not publicly condemn the sharing of it. There are times, when dealing with the sin of others against others, where it is entirely appropriate to bring it to attention of a leader, again in the spirit of love, respect and forgiveness.

What if we confront the sinner and they refuse to repent? Matthew 18, Titus 3:10 and 1 Corinthians 5 imply some sort of isolation from the sinner in extreme cases. Who makes such a call to withhold fellowship from the sinner? In some cases these can be self imposed, if you have a conviction about a person’s sin and lifestyle that will not allow you in good conscience to fellowship with them. In other cases, at the discretion of the appointed leadership of the church, it may be corporately imposed, as in 1 Corinthians 5. The goal there would be twofold, the protection of the church (v. 6) and the ultimate repentance and restoration of the sinner (v. 5). In either case, personal or church imposed, we must enter it in the same atmosphere of love, forgiveness and respect we’ve been talking about all along.
Conclusion
Our Lord told us that loving each other is the most important thing we can do outside of loving Him. We must remember the definitions of love in 1 Corinthians 13 when dealing with sin. It is patient and kind. It keeps no record of wrongs. It rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts and always perseveres. And love never fails. I am convinced that an atmosphere of love, which must be free of hurtful and damaging gossip, will set us up to truly help people be victorious over their sin. That is the goal, isn’t it?

Mark 14:66-72, 15:1-41
You’ll have to bear with me, I have a lot on my heart. Many have left our church in recent months, some as recently as this month. Many of these men and women were my friends, some of my dearest friends. It has hurt to watch them go. In some cases, I even knew that that they believed that they were going to a place that was better for them, but it still hurts. It hurts because I know I’ll miss them. It hurts because I know my church will be less for them not being here. It hurts because I had a dream for this church to be God’s church, a beacon of light for Columbus. With every person that leaves, that dream gets harder and harder to believe in.
I feel so in adequate to change things, to make our church better so no one else will leave. It seems like an overwhelming task, far over my head. Who am I to make a change? Who am I to make a difference? I am not a Biblical scholar, by a long shot. I don’t know how to run a church, to make it the best. Why do I think that I could?
There are times that the urge to run away is great. I simply can’t imagine stemming the tide, making a difference. I can’t accomplish it, so I don’t want the responsibility. I just want to give up.
Sometimes to give up means I want to run and hide. I’ll leave too, go somewhere else. Where? I don’t know, somewhere where I’m not reminded of my inadequacies, my inability to make a change, my lack of influence. Somewhere where it doesn’t hurt to be there.
Sometimes to give up means to really give up. I’m just not cut out for Christianity, or maybe it was all a pipe dream anyway, a foolish fantasy.
Sometimes to give up means to just play church. I’ll be there, I’ll sing the songs, I’ll write my check, I’ll show up, but I won’t give myself. It hurts to give my heart. What am I giving to? Why bother? I want to resign from all responsibility and just fade to the shadows where I can be safe. This is the way that wins at times. I do enough to get by, but no more. This way is so, so easy take.
As I tried to think of a lesson to give, these are the things that are on my heart. I thought I’d just go to Mark 15, the next chapter in the church’s study in Mark and see if I could just do a lesson on that, since what was on my heart did not seem fit to share. As I read about Jesus before Pilate, the soldiers, the chief priests, the crowd it all seemed so foreign to me, so distant from what I was feeling.
Then it hit me. One by one, these folks left Jesus. First the 12 who had stood by him, marveled at him and lived by his side for 3 years fled, nearly denying they even knew his name. The government, never on his side but not totally against him either, turned a blind eye and let the evil intent of the religious leaders have its way. Then the crowd, just a few days earlier welcoming him into the city like the savior and hero he was, now shouted for his death and asked for a murderer instead. The soldiers laughed at him and even one of the criminals with him ridiculed him. Ultimately, even God his father turned his back on Jesus, leaving him all alone to die on a cross.
In all of this Jesus did not flinch from his desire to honor God with his life. He would do God’s will, even if no one cared. He would not be denied His chance to honor God, nothing would stand in his way.
Now, I’m not Jesus nor is our church perfect. And certainly those who left are not Judases, Pilates or criminals. But as I thought about Jesus and what he went through and I thought about my discouragement I found hope. I found I could feel just a little bit of Jesus’ pain as he approached the cross. I could relate to some amount of his sufferings. Certainly his pain was greater. More was at stake and more could be lost. And at least I could count on the fact that God would not be turning his back on me. It was here that I found hope. I also found a little bit of conviction. If our Lord was faced with this kind of hurt on a level far above what I am experiencing and found the determination to do God’s will anyway, so could I. Somehow I can rise above the hurt and live as a Christian should.
Brothers and sisters, that’s what we must do or Satan has won. Frankly, I feel that this is just what we have not done overall as a church. It feels as though we have just been playing church, I know that at times I have. We’ve allowed our hurt, our pain, our disillusionment to distract us from that which we committed ourselves to. We’ve gone about our lives, ignoring the good we could do and our church, God’s church, suffers for it. We’ve all been hurt over this past year and I will not dismiss that or make light of it. We need to be able to grieve and to heal. But if we allow our hurts to make us numb, if our pain keeps us from doing the good we ought to do – as, if we were honest with ourselves, it has – shame on us. Let’s think about Jesus and what he endured on his way to the cross this week as we go through our lives and think about what’s stopping us from doing what good we can.

UPDATE: See my updated thoughts here.
The leadership team at my church is talking about how we can be unified on the idea of church disciplline of sin. The text that we’ve focused on is Matthew 18:15-17. The following is my initial thoughts on the issue. I know that some church members read my blog so I wanted to make it clear: We have not come to any consensus as a group and these thoughts are only my own. However, I thought some of my readers may have some thoughts that would be helpful.
Although Matthew 18:15-17 is directed at sin between two people, I think that it is appropriate for principles to be applied to any sin in the church. I would like to see us practice policies and develop an atmosphere that encourages people to do steps 1 and 2 on their own. We should train the disciples in resolving these issues in this manner. It’s my conviction that, as a leadership team (Deacons and Ministers), we should not be involved in these types of things until verse 17. This is to protect the sinner as he or she deals with their sin. Let them do so in private, telling only those they wish to. This shows love and respect for the sinner.
I believe that in the past we (corporately) have been too quick to tell others about someone’s sin. Frankly, it’s gossip and the Bible has much to say against it (Proverbs 11:13, 20:19, 3 John 1:10). This sort of sharing paints a picture of that person that is etched in the mind of the hearer. Does Sam need to know that Fred struggles with pornography? Is it beneficial for building up either Sam or Fred (Ephesians 4:29)? Now Sam’s image of Fred is unnecessarily polluted by the words that were spoken. Perhaps you think that Sam can help Fred deal with this sin. That may be, but the respectful and loving thing to do would be to ask Fred if he minds having Sam involved. Perhaps he would rather not tell Sam, but thinks that George might be of help. Fred gets help and feels loved and respected. It simply shows that you care.
I want to see us develop and environment with this kind of respect is the norm in our church and is a high priority. I think we can do so if we as the leadership make it our own personal conviction to be determined to avoid gossip and that we reinforce that, one on one, with others. I do not want an environment where my sin, yours or another’s might be broadcast, even with good intentions, to others. I was once in a situation where a married couple was having difficulties. One spouse shared openly about their struggles with the other and their perception of the other’s sin. In concern, that was shared with the leader of the group who shared it with others, with the idea of getting advice or having them pray. It got back to the spouse who was deeply hurt. They felt that the situation was misunderstood and that they were judged without having been heard. They were then reluctant to get together to get help with their marriage because it seemed that they were automatically going to get laid out. Had Matthew 18 been followed and gossip avoided, this could have turned out much better.
So, in terms of how we should, as a leadership team, confront sin, my thoughts are that we turn people to these scriptures first. First we should if at all possible make sure that the person bringing it to our attention does their best to do so anonymously. Cut them off before they say a name out of respect to the accused (what if it is false?). Then go through the steps outlined here. Have they approached the person privately? If not, they should do so first. If the have and it has not gone well, have they brought in someone close to both of them? We should encourage the second or third brother or sister to be a neutral party, preferably someone each person agrees on. In the past we have treated this as a ‘climb the ladder of authority’ system that can create mistrust. If you won’t listen to the bible talk leader, we’ll get the zone leader to deal with you. Instead we should strive to create as neutral an environment as possible where everyone feels that they will be treated fairly. Only if that hasn’t worked, then both persons involved in confronting that person should come together to the leadership team and get us involved.
Our Lord told us that loving each other is the most important thing we can do outside of loving Him. We must remember the definitions of love in 1Corinthians 13 when dealing with sin. It is patient and kind. It keeps no record of wrongs. It rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts and always perseveres. And love never fails. I am convinced that an atmosphere of love, which must be free of hurtful and damaging gossip, will set us up to truly help people be victorious over their sin. That is the goal, isn’t it?
What if they refuse to listen to us? Matthew 18 says to treat them as a pagan or tax collector. I used to assume that meant they were shunned. Then I remembered how Jesus treated the tax collectors. He ate with them (Matthew 9, Luke 5). He hung out with them (Matthew 11:19, Luke 15:1). He loved them. He didn’t necessarily call them his disciples, but he did not shun them and in His love, he influenced them (Luke 7:29). The world will abandon the one who sins against them. If we do the same, how will they be saved? If they deliberately refuse to repent, I think it is entirely appropriate that we ask them to leave the church for a time. We should not encourage or condone the shunning of these people, however. On the contrary, we should encourage the other disciples to serve them and love them, continuing to show them God’s love in spite of their sin. In 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15 Paul say that we are not to associate with men who do not obey, but also says to warn them like a brother, not an enemy. So I believe we can exclude them from our fellowship but should encourage people, especially those close to them, to maintain a relationship and love them even more. In fact, for those who are close I would even challenge them on their lack of love if I saw them abandoning and shunning the sinner. 1 Peter 4:8 reminds us to love each other above all else, because love covers a multitude of sins.

Note: This is a particularly long post, but the subject matter deserves it. I had thought to break it into several different posts, but thought it best to keep it, and any resulting discussion, together in one place. It also serves to answer a series of posts that I have done on Christian fundamentals *. The things enumerated here are the very core of what we, as Christians, ought to stnad united on.
In the process of this long conversation at Virusdoc, the question came up – what is salvation? Sounds simple enough, but it seemed (incorrectly I believe) that some commenters were contending salvation to be the mere forgiveness of sins. Is this all that salvation is? Or is salvation merely the receipt of a ticket to heaven? What does it entail? The conversation is still going on there, but has long drifted away from the question of what salvation is (not even the original topic either.) I have kept that question in the back of my mind since, however. I’m going to make a go at answering it.
Let me start by saying that neither simple explanation above seems adequate for what is described as salvation in the NT. Even the simple term ‘saved’ implies more than that. How can one be saved unless they are in peril? So our salvation implies a sort of rescue. To be rescued one must be in a danger greater that they can handle themselves. After all, if they could handle it they would not need saving, would they? You don’t ‘save’ a mere swimmer, but one who is drowning. It also implies a change of state, from danger to safety. If one is drowning and is then saved, the implication is that they are no longer in the water, or a least have been given some means of support which they lacked before and are therefore out of danger.
Another part of any salvation from danger is the decision to get help. Here the drowning analogy tends to fall apart as most folks who are drowning know it and are desperate for help. However, most of us are familiar with the concept that the first thing an addict needs to do is realize they are one. Without that realization, there is no desire to change and hope for recovery. Of course, realization is only the first step, one must then decide to pursue change. I imagine there are hundreds of drunks and addicts out there who freely admit that is who they are and have no desire to change it.
The question in regards to Christian salvation, then, is this: What sort of danger are we in? If we need to be saved, what do we need saved from? Certainly, a destiny in Hell is part of that, but is this all? Is it only for the afterlife that we are in danger? Jesus said that he came to give us life to the full (John 10:10), implying that our salvation is more than being with God after death. It seems that if all we have been granted is an eternity with God, it makes no sense to leave us here on earth after our salvation. In fact, in Acts 5:20 God describes being a Christian as a new type of life. It’s something new, not seen before. So salvation has implications on who we are and how we live here on Earth as well as after death.
Christian salvation then, it seems to me, has three parts – realization of our peril, a decision to abandon our sinful ways followed by a new life.
Realization of the Problem
So what is the peril that plagues us? Why is it that we need to be saved? Put plainly, it’s sin. Sin is what plagues us all. I’m convinced that it is the root of all of our troubles. Dig to the bottom of any of our struggles, conflicts or problems and you’ll find sin. Sometimes it’s easy to spot, sometimes not so easy, but none the less it is there. Our problem is that we do not take sin seriously. Our society sin is not serious, its funny. When I was a kid I can remember going to barbershop singing events with my father. One of the men attending would frequently wear a shirt that said “Wanna sing?” on the back. Except he thought it was funny to blank out the ‘g’ at the end so it said “Wanna sin?” Jaguar has a new marketing campaign for it’s XJ8L that touts it as so good it’s sinful (see link in lower right of their page). It lists the 7 deadly sins (lust, greed, pride, sloth, envy, wrath and gluttony) and shows how the new car satisfies each one. Sin as a virtue.
But the problem isn’t so much the sin itself, but what that sin produces. The scriptures teach clearly that we are all sinners (Romans 3:23). We can look around and see the obvious effects of sin in each other’s life. But the real problem is that our sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). In our sinful behavior we have not only hurt our lives here on Earth, we have built a wall between us and God. It does not matter how good or loving God is, we have cut ourselves off from Him.
But we, in our pride, are blinded to that reality. We like to think that we are just fine. We are not murderers or rapists, we are Good People. But God does not have that standard, he has a higher one. If we look in passages like Galatians 5:19-21 and Colossians 3:5-10 we quickly see that we are guilty as charged, absolute sinners. We have been angry or drunk, we’ve used filthy language, we’ve lusted and in doing so we’ve separated ourselves from God. Jesus Himself convicts us in Luke 9:23-26 where He tells us that self denial is a requirement in order to follow God. In Luke 14:25-33 He tells us that nothing, not even our closest relationships, can match our love for Him. In fact we must give up everything, complete surrender, in order to be His disciple. If that weren’t enough, we have the admonition in James 4:19 that tells us that we are in sin when we know of good that we could do, but don’t do it. Who can say that they measure up to God’s standards as described in these verses (and others)?
Before we can be saved, we must understand that is us, through our sin, who have built a wall between ourselves and God. We must stand face to face with our extreme shortcomings before God and own up to them. We must absolutely recognize and realize our need for God’s grace, for though we’ve built the wall we cannot tear it down.
Decision Time
Once we have come to the realization of who we truly are before God, we have a decision to make. We can either continue in our sin, blatantly turning from God or we can commit to being different. Do you want to continue to add to that wall between the Almighty and yourself or do want to choose a different path? If we are going to receive salvation God demands repentance. Repentance is simply a decision to take a different path. It’s not a commitment to perfection, it’s a direction change. I was once told that the word sprung from a military term that meant to do an about face. You were going east, turn and go west. You were living your way, now you will live God’s way.
The fact remains that we are not capable of living perfectly from this point on, let alone to make up for our past shortcomings, but that does not change the fact that God expects repentance. The verses mentioned above make it clear that people whose lives are characterized by sin cannot be saved. Jesus said in Luke 13:1-7 that unless we repent, we will perish. In response to the people’s plea of “What shall we do?” when confronted with their sinfulness, Peter replied that they should repent (Acts 2:36-38). Repentance was the expected response to the message of God (Matthew 11:20-24, Luke 3:7-9), in fact it was to produce repentance in sinners that Jesus came (Luke 5:32). God loves it when we repent (Luke 15:1-11). Isn’t that the point of the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32)?
There are many more passages that speak to the necessity of repentance. See Acts 3:19, Acts 5:31, Acts 17:30, Acts 20:21, Acts 26:20; 2 Corinthians 7; 2 Timothy 2:25; 2 Peter 3:9, Revelation 2-3. Repentance is an undeniable part of our salvation. We have wronged God. He created us to be a certain way and we have turned from that and Him, nearly at ever opportunity available. Once we are aware of that, we can remain that way, mocking God, or we can choose to turn away from our sin.
Reconciliation
We’ve realized our problem (separation from God due to our sin) and in light of what we’ve done we have determined to take a new path, God’s path. As important as these first two aspects of salvation are, they cannot save us. Realization of our sinfulness does not bring us closer to God in and of itself; it can only point us toward repentance. And though we repent with all our might, even If we somehow remained perfect from here forward, we cannot earn our way into God’s good graces. We need forgiveness, reconciliation.
Forgiveness, even among men, cannot be earned. Forgiveness cannot be demanded. It cannot be bought. It can only be granted by the one sinned against. The sinner has no power to produce it. It can only come through the grace of the one wronged. In our relationships we try though, don’t we? We act so much nicer and serve and kiss up to the one we’ve wronged, hoping for forgiveness. And when we’ve been wronged, we are tempted to take advantage and squeeze some extra ‘good deeds’ from the sinner before letting them off the hook. Thankfully our God is not like that. He is willing to forgive, more than that, He longs for us (Luke 15:11-32). All he asks from us is to love Him and to completely to surrender to Him (Luke 14:25-33) and turn our lives over to Him.
God, in His amazing love and mercy, has graciously offered us a means to wipe our slate clean. He has sent us Jesus to bring forgiveness to the world (John 3:16, Acts 5:31, 13:38, 26:18, Eph. 1:7). Through Jesus’ death and ultimate sacrifice on the cross, our debt is repaid. God’s demand for justice is satisfied (Romans 3:21-26). Our sins demanded punishment (Eph. 2:3) and God, in His mercy, sent Jesus to take it for us (1 Peter 2:24, Isaiah 53). Make no mistake; it is because of God’s mercy that we have the opportunity to be reconciled to Him.
But how is it accomplished? The book of Hebrews gives us incredible insight into how Jesus’ sacrifice fits into the Old Testament law and sacrifices, both fulfilling them and ending them. That knowledge, however, does not help us to actually connect with God’s grace in Jesus. God has put this out there, but how do we experience it? We simply get baptized.
Today there are many different ideas about baptism, but in the NT church they only had one definition (Eph. 4:4). Hebrews 6:1-2 talks about the NT Christians being taught about baptism, describes it as an ‘elementary teaching’, but it does not go into detail about what was taught. The interesting thing is that there is no single passage in the Bible where we can look to have baptism defined and described for us. We must dig through many passages, piecing the puzzle together, to discover what baptism meant to the NT church. Today people talk of infant baptism or baptism as an outward sign of an inward grace, the Bible never talks about baptism in those terms. It speaks of baptism always at the point of conversion and it is described as providing salvation.
Baptism is the means provided by God for us to receive forgiveness. When Peter preached that first message of the Good News on Pentecost in Acts 2, he told the convicted masses to repent and get baptized ‘for the forgiveness’ of sins. Paul understood baptism to be for our forgiveness when he wrote the book of Romans. In Romans 6:1-10 Paul describes our connection to the saving power of Jesus blood and crucifixion as happening through our baptism. When Paul was baptized he was told to do so to wash his sins away (Acts 22:16). Peter comes right out and says it in 1 Peter 3:20-21: baptism saves us. He takes pains to remind us that it is not due to a physical clean up, no it’s an internal transformation that happens when we are baptized. God is doing the work, not us. Jesus told the twelve in Mark 16:16 that it is our belief and our baptism together that saves.
The early church believed the same thing. For this point I’ll quote from a short paper on baptism by my friend Douglas Jacoby:

References to baptism in the patristic literature abound! It is extremely clear that for the first few centuries everyone was in agreement that baptism was for the forgiveness of sins, and was the only way to be saved. We will limit our survey to the earliest patristic writers.

• Hermas, c. 140-150 AD: … when we went down into the water and received remission of our former sins… (Shepherd, IV.iii.1) Note: Remission is simply another word for forgiveness.
• Justin Martyr, c. 150-165 AD: As many as … believe that the things are true which are taught by us … and decide to live accordingly, are instructed to pray and to entreat God with fasting, for the remission of their past sins, and we pray and fast with them. Then they are brought by us where there is water, and are born again… (Apology, 1.61)
  Then, in discussing John 3:5, Justin continues: In order that we … may obtain the remission of sins … there is pronounced in water over whom who has chosen to be born again, and has repented of his sins, the name of God the Father and the Lord of the universe. (1.61)
  In his discussion of the Eucharist (Lord?s Supper), he says that no one is allowed to partake of the communion except the man who … has been washed with the washing that is for remission of sins and unto a second birth, and is so living as Christ has enjoined (1.66)
• Irenaeus, c.130-200 AD: We have received baptism for the remission of sins … And this baptism is the seal of eternal life and new birth unto God. (Dem. 3.41f., Haer. 5.11.2)
• Creed of the Council of Nicaea, 325 AD This fourth century creed is well known. It is ironic that, although it is cherished by churchgoers the world over, the import of its words is frequently overlooked: … I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins …

Naturally, these affirmations do not stand on a par with the authority of scripture, but they do shed light on the early Christians? understanding of baptism.

So in the Bible, at the founding of the church, and for the first several hundred years baptism was taught and understood as the means of receiving forgiveness of sins. Any other means of connecting with the cross to receive God’s grace has been invented since.
But what of the sinners prayer or simply accepting Jesus into your heart? These are well understood and widely accepted beliefs. There is simply no example of such conversions happening in the Bible. There are verses that can be made to support such a view, taken alone and out of context. (The origins of the sinners prayer have been documented in this article by Steve Staten, teacher and elder in the Chicago Church of Christ.) Yes there are conversions in the Bible where baptism is not mentioned, but it’s not being included is not proof that it did not occur. Yes, it is not mentioned where the apostles got baptized, but that does not infer that they didn’t. Yes, the thief on the cross did not get baptized and was promised salvation, but we re talking about the Lord Himself. If Jesus cannot make exceptions, who can? Besides, baptism is he means of connecting with the saving power of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. Jesus had not yet died, so the man’s baptism would have been meaningless.
Does it seem as thought his post regarding the meaning of salvation has turned into a treatise on baptism? Perhaps. It was, in fact, born out of a discussion on baptism in the comments of another blog. But take a look back over the rest of my words. Is there anything aside from my thoughts on baptism that would offend most Christians? I think the teachings on our own sinfulness and our need to repent are commonly believed and relatively unquestioned. Baptism for salvation, however, is not. It is an idea that is scorned by many Christians as an attempt to ‘earn’ our salvation. A foolish notion indeed. But does an honest examination of the Bible and church history support any other means of connecting with God’s grace? I don’t think so.
So it is my view that salvation, in a nutshell, is restoration of our relationship with God. In order for that to happen, we must first recognize that it is lost. Moreover, we are responsible for that lost relationship with God due to our own sin. We must also make the decision to repent, that we will no longer live that life of sin but will surrender ourselves to God. Lastly we need the forgiveness that comes through baptism into Christ.

Continue reading “What is Salvation?”

More cut and paste blogging. 🙂 This is the second in that series of reports we did in the small group I was in a couple of years ago. This time the assignment was the cross. My favorite book in the Bible is Hebrews because of the insight into the cross it provides. Here’s my take on it, written in outline form.
Hebrews and the Cross
Written 12/15/2001
Hebrews 1:3 – Jesus sat down after he had provided purification. (See also Hebrews 4:9-10, Sabbath rest, rest from the work of achieving salvation, and Hebdrews 8:1)
Hebrews 2:9 – By God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for all of us.
Hebrews 4:15-16 – Because Jesus was just like us, tempted to sin, fighting for relationship with God, dealing with the struggle of life, we can approach God’s throne with confidence. Not meekly, or intimidated by his perfection. But confidently, no BOLDLY, because one of us has made it. He has done the impossible and defeated sin.
Hebrews 5:1-4 – Jesus was in the mold of the priests that went before. Taken from the people, like them and sharing their experiences.
Hebrews 6:19 – Our hope anchors us. What is an anchor for? It is intended to keep a ship from moving, especially when a fierce storm tries to push the boat in all sorts of directions they do not want to go. Where does our hope anchor us? Behind the veil. The Holy of Holies. This is where God was in the temple. What is our hope? Salvation (v.9-11) So our hope in salvation through Jesus death on the cross ties us directly to God.
Hebrews 7:11 – We could not be tied to God this way with the old system.
Hebrews 7:13-18 – Jesus was not qualified to be a priest because he was not a Levite. But he was qualified because of the power of his life. Because Jesus’ priesthood was superior to the former, the old is set aside and the new takes over. A better hope is introduced. What was the old hope? That they might remain in good standing with God by keeping up with the law and the sacrifices. What is the new hope? That we might live eternally with God.
Hebrews 7:23-27 – The old priests had a limitation on their ability to go to God to intercede – they died, But because Jesus can save us completely because of his eternal nature. Jesus meets our need (v.26)
Hebrews 8:1-2 – Jesus sat down next to God in heaven when he was done. For the Hebrew, this was important because the priests never sat down while they were on duty symbolizing that the job of washing away sins was never done. But Jesus sat down, not in the earthly temple but in heaven, the real deal. The temple was only a copy of Gods throne and temple in heaven.
Hebrews 9:6-9 – Year after year after year, this is how the people maintained their relationship with God, through the priest.
Hebrews 9:11-14 – Jesus did the same thing, once and for all and not in the temple, but in heaven.
Hebrews 9:22-26 – Jesus purified heaven itself with his blood, and once for all.
Hebrews 10:14-18 – One sacrifice and we are PERFECT FOREVER! There is no more sacrifice needed.
Hebrews 10:19 – Remember what it said back in 9:7? ONLY the high priest, ONLY once a year and NEVER without blood. Read 10:19 again. Because of Jesus blood on the cross we can walk into God’s private office and sit down with him. That is the nature of the relationship we have gained. It is that intimate. Would George Bush invite you in to the Oval Office? God will.
Hebrews 10:19-25 THIS is how we should live if we truly understand what God has done. We can breathe a deep sigh of contentment, no matter what the situation, and go on, knowing where our anchor is.
Hebrews 12:2 – What was the joy that motivates Jesus to go to the cross? Well, what was set before him? His hope of returning to heaven with God. And that same hope, because of the cross, is what is set before us as well.