comments in red below your statements. I'm not out to ridicule you,

        I just wanted to make some needed clarifications.

 

 

John 3:16 and Salvation:
Faith Only or Obedient Faith?

Have you ever heard someone say, "John 3:16 tells us everything we need to know about salvation"? This verse says, "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." This verse is true in everything it says. - This verse is absolutely true. Whosoever BELIEVETH - (trusts, relies) in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. *It's BELIEF (apart from additions or modifications) that brings eternal life, not BELIEF plus some additional obedience. You are teaching salvation through BELIEVING plus works.  *Obedience may be the fruit of saving faith, but it's the faith (belief, trust, reliance) part of the equation that alone saves as the instrumental means, not the obedience (works) that follow faith. Faith may result in many things, but it is terribly wrong to then make these things (fruit) the requirements of salvation. You are putting the cart before the horse and teaching a sugar coated "works based" false gospel.

Folks who say that John 3:16 is all you need to be saved, however, are really saying that all you have to do to be saved is to just believe on Jesus. They conclude that obedience, especially baptism, is not necessary to salvation. This is the doctrine of "salvation by faith only." But is this doctrinal really what the Bible teaches? - John 3:16 clearly states that all you have to do to be saved is BELIEVE (trust, rely) on Jesus. Obedience, especially baptism, is only the demonstrative evidence of our faith, not the instrumental means of our salvation. John 3:16 does not teach what James 2:24 calls, "faith only." *When you hear a genuine believer say that we are saved by "faith alone," they are not saying that we are saved by the kind of faith that is alone and does not results in some kind of good works. They're saying that we are saved by faith (belief, trust, reliance) in Christ alone. The only thing that's "alone" about saving faith is the object of our faith and that is Christ alone. Works follow saving faith, but they are only the fruit or demonstrative evidence of our faith, not the faith itself. Faith is the instrumental means of receiving eternal life. We are saved at the moment we trust Christ alone for salvation, before any further commands of God are accomplished. "Mental assent" faith plus a "check list" of works done in the flesh (your faith) is not saving faith. We are saved by faith (belief, trust, reliance) in Christ alone, but this kind of faith is not alone. Simple!

Acts 3:22,23 refers to Jesus as a prophet saying: "...Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people." Now this says that we must pay attention to everything Jesus says, yet the Bible says much more about salvation than just John 3:16. How then can John 3:16 be "all we need"? If we need just one verse, why did God give the rest of the Bible? To take only part of what God teaches about a subject, while ignoring other inspired teaching, is to endanger our souls. - John 3:16 is a complete statement, not some partial truth that has to be "patched together" with other misinterpreted verses, taken out of context and then fit into a jig saw puzzle. That is flawed hermeneutics. Acts 3:22,23 does not teach salvation through BELIEVING plus paying attention to everything Jesus says. Your 5 step of salvation just grew to 6 steps. Hearing Jesus in all things represents acceptance of Him as the Messiah. Refusing to hear Him represents rejecting the Messiah. Taking a complete statement of what God teaches about salvation and making it a partial truth, while misinterpreting other inspired teaching and then "patching it together" with John 3:16 and adding "works" to BELIEVING is to endanger your soul.

In Mark 16:15,16 Jesus told His disciples to teach everyone that, "He who believes and is baptized will be saved..." According to Jesus, both faith and baptism are essential in order for one to be saved. - Mark 16:16- He that believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believes not shall be damned. *You will notice that while Mark 16:16 speaks of one who believes and is baptized and of one who believes not, it does not have anything to say about the person who believes but has not as yet been baptized. Can we find the answer to the condition of such a person? Yes, in John 3:18- He that believes on Him (Christ) is not condemned, but he that believes not is condemned already...Also in John 3:36- He that believes on the Son has everlasting life, but he that believes not the Son shall not see life...Where is baptism mentioned in these two verses if it's absolutely necessary for salvation? Now in describing the believer, you can add baptism, prayer, church membership, the Lord's Supper, or any other good work; so long as you are speaking of one who truly trusts Christ as Savior, you can most certainly say of him, "he shall be saved." Surely if he that believes is not condemned, then he that believes and is baptized shall be eternally saved as well! *If water baptism is necessary for salvation, then why did Jesus himself not mention it in the following verses? -(John 3:15-18,36; 5:24; 6:40,47). *Hermeneutics. What is the one condition that Jesus mentioned in each of these complete statements? In Mark 16:16 the word "believe" is an aorist participle referring to one who has believed at some time in the past.  Also, baptistheis, translated "is baptized" is an aorist participle but in the passive voice.  This form referees to an act of outward obedience, in this case, baptism. Therefore the correct translation here should be stated, "He who believed and who was baptized shall be saved."  However the Lord clarifies the statement by adding, "but he who has not believed shall be condemned."  Therefore, the context in the verse itself, makes clear that baptism is not included in salvation by simple omission.  In no way does this verse establish baptism as a condition for salvation; it is merely the declaration that those who believe and are baptized shall be saved.  ***Praise God!

John 3:16 truly teaches us that faith is essential. But when we learn "all things" that Jesus taught, we understand that we have a saving faith only when our faith leads us to be baptized for the purpose of having our sins forgiven (Acts 2:38; 22:16). - Saving faith is a complete trust in the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ as the only means of salvation. Saving faith may lead you to get baptized, but faith in of itself is not baptism. It's belief, trust, reliance in Christ alone for salvation. This belief should result in actions (works) appropriate to the belief, but the actions are not inherent in the belief. We have a saving faith only when our faith TRUSTS IN CHRIST ALONE FOR SALVATION. ***Baptism is only a symbol of salvation in that it depicts Christ's death, burial and resurrection and our identification with Him in these experiences. *Your misinterpretations cause you to confuse the evidence of faith with the ESSENCE of faith.

In Acts 2:38- Repentance is a "change of mind" and the context reveals what is involved in this "change of mind." This change of mind is about Jesus Christ and the new direction of that change of mind is faith in Christ. There is nothing in the text that compels us to see baptism as the instrumental cause. Why not take repentance as the means of receiving forgiveness, and baptism as the sign of true repentance and forgiveness? Repent and be baptized for - (eis) "because of," "with reference to," the sins that were remitted when you repented. Indeed, a short time later the apostle Peter promised forgiveness on the basis of repentance without even mentioning baptism. (Acts 3:19 – Repent, therefore, and be converted, (as a result of repentance) that your sins may be blotted out). Faith in the Messiah (implied in genuine repentance), rather than baptism, receives God's gracious pardon. Repentance (in regards to salvation) is not a totally separate act from faith. It is actually the same coin with two sides. Repentance is on one side, what you turn away from, and faith is on the positive side, what you turn to. *Repentance and faith are two sides of the same experience of being brought to Christ. In Acts 10:43, Peter also mentions that "whosoever believes in Him shall receive remission of sins. *Where's baptism? You have to "shoe horn" it in.  ***In Acts 2:38, what is baptism's reference to remission? Or, in what sense does baptism remit sin? Water baptism only does it in a formal sense. It manifests in ceremony that which really does procure salvation (The blood of Christ Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14). It declares by a means of physical likeness that which redeems. It is the visible likeness (Rom. 6:5) of the actual work of Christ, just as a photograph is the pictorial likeness of some individual, not the actual person.

 Acts 22:16- Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord. Of course you contend that our sins our literally washed away in baptism. From the English rendering, admittedly on the surface it looks as though water baptism washes away sins. However, the English here does not represent the Greek syntax at this point. First, in most English translations, there are two conjunctions (kai [“and”]), but not in the Greek, for there is only one conjunction: anastas baptisai kai apolousai tas hamartias sou, epikalesamenos to onoma autou (lit. “Rising up be baptized, and [kai] wash away the sins of thee invoking the name of Him”). Hence, one conjunction does not indicate two separate clauses being communicated here, but one. Second, the two imperative verbs baptisei (“be baptized”) and apolousai (“wash away”) are in the middle voice. Hence, grammatically a literal reading would be: “Rise, have yourself baptized and allow your sins to be washed away, invoking the name of Him.” The grammatical connection to “washing away your sins” then, is not being water baptized, but rather with the calling on or invoking the name of the Lord (cf. Acts 2:21 and Rom. 10:13). *To call upon the nameof the Lord is a heart felt acknowledgment that a person is appealing to the Lord to save them from their sins and recognizing that they cannot save themselves and thus they are relying wholly on the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation. God “is rich to all who call upon Him. For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him whom they have not believed?”  (Romans 10:12-14). In other words, their faith (manifest in the culmination of their call for mercy) results in salvation. Baptism does not repeat what is already achieved through faith. *Prior to this statement in Acts 22:16 made by Ananias to Paul, what was Paul's condition? Was he saved?:

He had repented;  Acts 9:6- "Lord, what do you want me to do?" Repentance means a "change of mind." Paul once despised Christ; now because of this vision, he has "changed his mind" is now a believer and as a result, is ready to serve Him. 

He had believed;  he had Christ as his Lord;  Acts 9:6- The Bible tells us that "no one can say that Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:3). We receive the Holy Spirit after we believe (John 7:38,39; Acts 11:17; Gal. 3:2,14; Eph. 1:13).

                Well friend,