2 Cents

Well... after a little over a week off from blogging and a very stressful and exciting and rewarding VBS at our church, I'm slowly getting back to "normal" work weeks.  This means more consistent blogging.

Today I'd like to talk a little about interpreting the Bible with integrity.

There are many ways you can interpret the Bible that lack integrity.  For instance you can take verses out of context to make them mean what they were never intended to mean.  Or you can twist a verse to serve your predetermined agenda instead of allowing God to speak for himself and responding to it.

One of the most common ways of interpreting the Bible that lacks integrity is when we refuse to take into account everything the Bible has to say on a certain topic.

If you've ever heard the term "systematic theology" that is the process of harmonizing everything the Bible has to say on a certain topic and then coming up with a summation or system of what God wants us to believe.

However way too often we take one Bible verse and claim that it alone communicate's God's teaching on that topic.  This is certainly easier and lazier than doing the work of systematic theology, which is one reason it lacks integrity.  Another reason is because people will use this method to say the Bible teaches something it actually does not.  Or to say the Bible doesn't teach something it actually does.

Here's a prime example.

It's very important for us to know what the Bible requires us to do if we wish to be saved.  It's very common to hear "faith alone" as the answer (even though the Bible only contains that phrase once, in James 2:24, a verse that ironically says "faith alone" is insufficient).

And you could see how if you took verses like John 3:16 by themselves, believing in Jesus could very well be seen as the only thing required to be saved.

But there are other verses that speak of salvation that need to be taken into account.

When Jesus is preaching in Mark 1:15 he says...

Repent and believe the gospel.

Clearly repentance is required if we are to be saved - a turning away from sin and turning toward God - a change of mind where we decide to no longer live for ourselves but for Jesus.

So we have (1) faith and (2) repentance, both of which are required for salvation.  And you would be hard pressed to find anyone who disagrees with that.

But there are still yet more verses we need to take into account on this subject.

For instance, Romans 10:9...

if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  

This seems to add the fact that a confession is necessary - specifically confessing that Jesus is Lord or master or ruler over your life and over the universe.

But notice how in Romans 10:9 there is no mention of repentance.  Almost every Christian would agree that repentance is necessary if one wants to be saved.  But if you just take Romans 10:9 as your only verse to show what the Bible teaches regarding salvation, that would make it seem like repentance doesn't matter.

Finally, though, we must take into account still more verses on the subject.  Specifically Acts 2:38.

After Peter has preached his famous Pentecost sermon and his hearers are cut to the heart, they cry out asking what they need to do to be saved.  Peter replies...

Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Now this is where many people will disagree with me.  This verse very clearly lays out baptism as a condition for salvation.  The people ask Peter what they should do and he says they need to (1) repent and (2) be baptized.  What happens when they do those things?  Their sins are forgiven and they receive the Holy Spirit.

You have to do some extraordinary interpretive gymnastics to argue that the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit there do not refer to baptism but only repentance.

Often people will quote Romans 10:9 to me as proof that you don't have to be baptized to be saved.  But that's lazy Bible interpretation.  That verse doesn't include repentance either!

So if we take all of the verses mentioned above, it would seem the Bible lays on us 4 things we must do to be saved - or 4 conditions for salvation.  (1) Faith (2) Repentance (3) Confession and (4) Baptism.


For more on the view that baptism is a condition for salvation go here, here, here, and/or here.


If you're reading this and would like to talk more about why I believe the Bible clearly teaches that baptism is required for salvation I would love to speak with you and answer your questions and/or objections.  You may e-mail me anytime at jtd3421@gmail.com or message me on Facebook.