What Does the Bible Say About Why the Bible Was Written #5?

Arnie and Fred continue to discuss why the Bible was written. We pick up where we left off in the last episode by noting that the Bible explains how people become Christians. We look at what Luke says in Acts about when the disciples were first called Christians. We note that there was a prophesy that discussed this in the Old Testament. We move on to look at various passages that tell us how to obey the gospel, that is, how to become a Christian. Jesus and Paul both note why it is important to hear and learn the gospel. Mark records what Jesus said about believing, as did Luke when he wrote Acts 16 verses 30 and 31. Jesus has something to say about repentance and we discuss that. Paul was on Mars Hill and had a lengthy discussion with the intelligentsia of Athens there and talked about the need for repentance. We close out this episode by noting two occasions that Luke recorded in Acts that contained references to baptism. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on our discussions. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. There is a transcript of this Buzzsprout episode provided for your convenience. 

Transcript

Fred Gosnell: 0:00

This is a presentation of the Woodland church of Christ, meeting at 3370 Broad Street in Sumter, South Carolina. We meet for worship on Sunday at ten thirty am and five thirty pm. We meet for bible study at nine thirty am on Sunday and seven pm on Wednesday. If you have questions or comments on this lesson, you may email them to Fred Gosnell at fgosnell@ftc-i.net or to Arnie Granke at agranke440718@twc.com.

Arnie: 0:34

Good afternoon. This is Arnie Granke and Fred Gosnell. This is what does the Bible say, and our little program is brought to you by the church of Christ at Woodland in Sumter, South Carolina. And we certainly would invite you to come and visit with us if you happen to be in the Sumter area. And we would love to study with you as well if you're in in our area. Fred and I last, in our last discussion, we're we're talking about the Bible being the the means of teaching man how to become saved. There were actually a number of reasons why the Bible was written, that was written that we have had looked at, because it reveals the nature of God and the purpose of man and the nature of sin. Certainly the the source of salvation, and it helps to produce faith in in Christ, Jesus, it identifies the church that that he established and and last week we began, toward the end of our of our time we we began to think about it teaching, the Bible, teaching how to become saved. And that's so important, because so many people have so many ideas that are man made ideas, some book that they found, some kind of a, you know, religious work that was that was written by probably people who felt that they meant well, but teaches just how their church thinks that they ought to be saved. There's no thinks about how you ought to be saved. There's only what the Bible teaches and and if we follow any other, any other provisions than that we're on the wrong track. So let's take another, another look a little more in depth, Fred about just what involves the the plan of salvation, and how we how we benefit from that.

Fred Gosnell: 3:03

Yes, and, and of course we find in Acts 11, Luke writes there about Barnabas going to seek Saul. And we begin in verse 25 says, Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus for to seek Saul. When he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. Then came to pass that a whole year, they assembled themselves with the church and taught much people. And the disciples were were called Christians, first in the in Antioch. So so what Paul taught, and what called Barnabas taught the disciples there at the church at Antioch. They were called Christians as a result of that. Of course, you know the word called there God's the one that's doing the calling. He's the one that's naming them. And and, of course, these are, these are Gentiles. This church at at Antioch is primary, primarily Gentiles that had been taught, taught the truth. And Isaiah said something in Isaiah 62 one and two, he said, there he said, For Zion's sake, will I not hold my peace and for Jerusalem's sake, I will not rest until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth, and he says, And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness and all kings thy glory, and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name. So so the Gentiles would be called a new name, and and this new name, it appears to me that it's Christian. And the disciples weren't called Christians until Cornelius and the Gentiles were taught the gospel. Of course, in Acts chapter two, it was just Jews that were taught the gospel in Acts chapter 10, it was, it was Cornelius and his household who were Gentiles. And then here, in Acts 11, was when they were called Christians, first at Antioch. So it would appear to me that that's the new name.

Arnie: 5:01

The word Christian gets thrown around and used in a lot of ways. The Bible only uses it as representative of who are Christians. In other words, you are a Christian if you have obeyed the gospel and are a disciple of Christ, is basically the idea behind the the word. But people use it as a as an adjective. They use it just about every kind of term. You know, it's a it's a Christian society. I've got a Christian car. I'm living in a Christian house. It just the word is used in more nonsensical ways. And by the way, it only appears three times in the entire New Testament, and it's always a noun. It's never an adjective or serve any other use in the in the New Testament, I'm looking Matthew Fred at Matthew chapter 28 and and Jesus had appointed an a mountain in Galilee where he would meet with the apostles after his resurrection. In fact, after Yeah, it would indeed be after his resurrection, and they were to go up there. And we don't know exactly where that mountain is, which one, but it was it at that location the disciples knew and and Matthew 28 tells us that verse eight, in verse 18, that Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power or all authority is given unto me in heaven and in earth, go you therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo or look, I am with you always, even unto the end of the World. And then he ends that, that Matthew ends the book of Matthew with, with the the word Amen. In other words, So, So Be It. Or that's how it is that he's told the whole story there as it needs to be told when he comes it comes to that that Amen. And so there are a couple of things that you you can't help but notice in in this passage, they these apostles were to teach and and they were to teach all nations. There was something essential. It's not like people in America ought to be Christians, and people over in in Europe maybe ought to be something else, or people in Asia might be a different, third religion, or whatever. All men, all nations were to be taught the gospel. When they were taught, and if they believed that they were to be baptized. The word baptized actually means, comes from a word that means to immerse. There's no sprinkling in baptism. There's no pouring in baptism. There's only immersion in in the word baptism. Matter of fact, it, it was a Dyer's word, basically, for for them putting cloth in to be dyed in a vat of some sort. And it was never sprinkled. It wasn't just poured in there, that it was taken pretty in and and then when they reached the color that they wanted, the shade that they wanted, they would remove it. In this case, since it's water, there's no shade or color that's that's necessary just to be immersed and there to be immersed by the authority of or in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And then Then verse 20 tells us that there was something else that was to be done as well. We weren't just to teach them the raw facts, a few facts about about God and and and salvation, but rather they were to learn as well, to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And Jesus makes a promise here, saying, Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of of the world. So three things that I've underlined here in my text, and that's teach all nations, baptizing them, and then observe all things whatsoever I've commanded you. And how many people have we known Fred that at some point said, Yeah, I believe the gospel. I want to be baptized and and we immersed them into in in baptism. And they stayed around for a little while. Decided, you know, we kind of liked what we were doing back in the world. You know, we like drinking. We like to, you know, what other kind of adventures, moral and immoral that they were involved in and they dropped out. And what a shame that that is. They need to observe all things and continue observing them until the end of their life if they want to benefit from the salvation that Christ is provided.

Fred Gosnell: 11:00

yes, exactly. And Paul wrote to Timothy in Second, Timothy, 3, 15, there, he said to Timothy, he said, From a child, thou hast known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith, which is in Christ, Jesus. And of course, Timothy was brought up by his mother, his grandmother, and he was brought up, they taught him primarily the Old Testament. But Paul ends that with wise unto salvation through faith, which is in Christ, Jesus. And of course, then the next verse, he says, All scripture is given the inspiration of God, which includes the New Testament. So it is through the scriptures that we become wise unto salvation. We we learn how it is that we are saved. And of course, Jesus had already the scripture that that you read. He told the apostles what they were to teach, teach all nations and to those that they taught they were to immerse in the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit and then continue to teach them everything that Jesus said. So. So the Bible was written to tell people how to become Christians.

Arnie: 12:15

And and you know, you mentioned the Old Testament, you mentioned Isaiah. Let me just kind of throw in here, the fact that the Old Testament tells volumes of information about the Promised Messiah. It tells where he'd be and what he'd do, and who he was, and and just a tremendous amount of information, and it's and it's so sad that when you see in the New Testament, that all of those things that were foretold in the Old Testament were fulfilled and and in fact, were fulfilled during the lifetime of people who lived at the same time of as Jesus, and how tragic it was that they totally rejected him, or at least by and large they they did most of the hierarchy of of Judaism did rejected Christ, and even today, Jews generally do not obey the gospel. Every once in a while, one will and and that's a wonderful thing, but it's so sad that so much is said in the Old Testament and then it's not observed. It It's hard to say why, perhaps for the same reason that their ancestors crucified Jesus, but that's probably another subject as as well. I'm looking, I'm looking in John chapter six and Fred. I think let's, let's tell all of the things that are involved in obeying the gospel. It's not a long list, but there is a handful of things that that we have to do. And in John six and verse 45 Jesus is speaking, and he says, It is written in the prophets, and they shall all be taught of God. That's the quote that he's making there. And so he comments and says, Everyone that hath heard from the Father and hath learned cometh unto me. So sad that so many people hear, learn and reject.

Fred Gosnell: 14:35

Yes. And of course, you know you, you've got to hear the gospel in order to do anything about it. And and in in Romans, 10, eight through 11, Paul there speaks to the Romans. And again, we're we're looking at the things that the Bible says that one must do to obey the gospel and to become a Christian. And in Romans. 10. Paul begins in verse eight. He says, But what saith it the word is nigh thee in thy mouth and in thy heart. That is the word of faith which we preach. Because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth as Jesus as Lord and shall believe in thy heart that God has raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart, man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be put to shame. So so. So Paul tells the the Romans there they they've got to hear the word of faith that then that's what they were they were preaching. And and then, of course, he talks about confession. We'll, we'll look at that a little bit later. But the the thing that you have to believe there is the fact that God raised Him from the dead. He says, Thou shalt believe in thy heart that God has raised Him from the dead. Thou shalt be saved. Of course, that's the first thing that one must do. They have. One must hear the Gospel. It must be preached to them. And then they part of that is believing and confession. And we'll look at both of those here, as we as we progress on our discussion.

Arnie: 16:25

So so, you know, here are two passages of Scripture that talk about us learning the gospel in one way or another. We could read it in the Bible, or we can hear it from the lips of of somebody else, but we've got to certainly know the gospel we can't, and we need to understand what it requires in in our obedience, otherwise we can't possibly obey the gospel. And I grew up in a denominational church that that didn't, that never talked about hearing the gospel. I was surprised when, when someone showed me that the Bible said you need to hear the gospel. Well, I just, I just thought that, you know, if you were baptized as an infant, that's they don't hear the gospel. You know? Well, of course, they're also not baptized in the New Testament manner. And and when we hear or or read the the gospel, we have to believe it. In other words, have faith. There are people who have read the entire New Testament and never met a preacher or a teacher, never met a Christian who could help them understand anything. They just read it, and they understood that it was that it was clear as a bell, and that's what they needed to follow, and they went and had somebody baptize them. Sometimes it wasn't even a a person who would would call himself a Christian, that would do that for them, a neighbor or friend or whatever, because they felt so seriously that they needed to do that, because that's what they what the Bible said. Here's one passage of scripture that deals with that Fred. Mark 16, and beginning in verse 14, Afterward, he was manifested unto the 11 themselves as they sat at meat, just speaking of Jesus, of course, And he strongly scolded them for their unbelief and hardness of life, of heart, because they believed not them that had seen him after he was risen. and he said unto them, Go you into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. He that disbelieveth shall be condemned. So it's, it's a serious thing. When we're reading the Bible, it's not just like new, reading the newspaper or or a good novel or something along that, that line. It's, it's part of what we need to know in order to become children of God and have salvation.

Fred Gosnell: 19:24

Yes, and and belief is, belief is the first thing after we hear the Gospel, we've got to believe it. And Paul and Silas ended up in a prison because they had been been teaching the gospel, and Paul had cast out a demon from from this woman that these fellows were using to make money from. And everybody got upset with them, and that they were cast into, into prison and and at midnight, they were singing. And, and everybody heard what they were singing. There was an earthquake there, and it opened up the prison and and so the guard there, he was afraid everybody was gone, and so he was going to kill himself. And Paul told him, said, No, don't do that. Everybody's here. And in Acts 16, 30, and 31, so so, After he brought them out. That's Paul and Silas. He said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved. Thou in thy house. So So remember, Jesus says, He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. So belief is the first thing that you have to do after you hear the gospel and and so then they proceeded to then tell him what he needed to believe. They taught him about Jesus. And then, of course, after he learned that, then he was baptized. And then, you know, we'll, we'll talk about repentance. But in, I don't know if we'll use this passage later, but the the guard there of the of the prison, he ended up washing their stripes, tending to the wounds that they had gotten from from the beatings that they had been given which and then He fed them and provided for them. So he showed a certain amount of repentance for what he had done to them. So, so the point is that he said, What must I do to be saved? And then they said, Well, you got to believe on the Lord Jesus. And then then they went and they taught him what it was that they he had to believe.

Arnie: 21:34

And and repentance, of course, is a part of of that, as Luke is is writing. He quotes from Jesus in Luke chapter 13. We'll start at verse 12, where it said that, He, Jesus, answered and said unto them, think he that these Galileans were greater sinners than greater sinners above all other Galileans, because they have suffered these things? I tell you, nay. But except ye repent, ye shall all in like manner, perish. Or those 18 upon whom the tower of Siloam fell and killed them. Think ye that they were worse culprits than all the men that dwell in Jerusalem? Nay, I tell you, but except you repent, you shall all likewise perish. And repentance is is one of the things that has to be done in order to obtain the salvation. Fred, you've got another passage I see over there with regard to repentance.

Fred Gosnell: 22:52

Yes. Paul was in Athens, and he ended up on Mars Hill. They had summoned him up there, and they wanted to know what he was teaching. They they called him a seed picker, and he criticized them for all the gods that they had, he had seen all through the city there, and he said, You're too religious. So in Acts 17, 29, through 31 Paul had noted that that we are the offspring of God, and then he had pointed out that their own philosophers said the same thing. So in verse 29 he says, Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the divine nature is like unto gold or silver or stone, graven by art and thought of man, like the ones that they had in Athens. The times of this ignorance, God winked at or overlooked, but now he commandeth all men everywhere that they must repent inasmuch as he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man which he hath ordained, whereof he had given assurance to all men that he hath raised him from the dead. So Paul points out, we're the offspring of God. So, so we're accountable to God and and so to these Athenians, these very smart people that worship these gods, have made with their own hands. Paul said, You need to repent. Of course, to repent. Repentant is a change of mind. Before you repent, you're doing things based on what you want to do, and that's what they were doing in Athens. But when we repent, then we repent. We're going to do things based on what God tells us, and then he ends up saying that, you know, God has commanded all men everywhere to repent. So it was not just those in Athens, it was those everywhere. And then, then he made the point there that the the reason that this is necessary, God has ordained this. And he gave us assurance that this is necessary when Jesus was raised from the dead. And of course, that's one of the things a person must do. In order to become become a Christian, they have to change their mind, they have to repent, and they have to decide what I'm going to stop doing, the things that I want to do, and I will find out what it is that God wants me to do, and I'll obey him rather than my own will.

Arnie: 25:13

One of the things that that the Bible teaches with regard to obtaining salvation involves confessing your faith. You have to you have to certainly believe in order to be able to tell someone that you that you believe. But there are a lot of people that are supposedly baptized in many, many churches today, who, who can't believe, infants cannot believe that's not only really a legitimate baptism that that they receive there, it's kind of a thing that their parents are taught that, oh, You've got to do this and and so they they accede to that and and think that now we have saved our child from from going to hell when the child wasn't ever headed in that direction at that point in his life at at at all. We need to not only believe the gospel but to and and repent of sin, but profess that faith. And in Matthew, chapter 10 and verse 32 Jesus said, Everyone, therefore who shall confess me before men him I will also confess before My Father, Who is in heaven. and whoso, whosoever shall deny me before men him will I also deny before my Father, Who is in heaven. So, so confession of faith, not necessarily, confession of of sins. Repentance is necessary with regard, with regard to the sins, but the fact that you believed is something that's essential in order to to be baptized. Let me read one other passage, if you don't mind, Fred, Romans, chapter 10, and beginning in in verse eight, Paul's writing, and he said, What saith it, the word is nigh thee in thy mouth and in thy heart. That is the word of faith which we preach. Because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth, Jesus as Lord and shall believe in thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead. Thou shalt be saved. For with the heart, man believeth unto righteousness. With the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. So it's important to understand that these are two of the passages, and there are many, many more beside that, but we won't have time to discuss all of those that are necessary as a part of of salvation. So we've got learning the gospel, believing the Gospel, repenting of sins, and professing our faith or confessing it, however you want to say that as as four essentials.

Fred Gosnell: 28:24

And and the last one that we're going to talk about is baptism, or immersion in water for the remission of sin. Of course, Jesus said that He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. So in Acts chapter two, when Peter preached the first sermon in verse 37 the people that he was preached to, they, When they heard what Peter said, they were pierced in their heart. They said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brethren, what shall we do? And Peter said unto them, Repent, and each one of you be baptized or immersed in the name of Jesus Christ, unto the remission of your sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And for to you is the promise, and to your children and to all that are far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto himself. And with many other words, he testified, he exhorted them, saying, Save yourselves from this crooked generation. They then that received his word were immersed, and there were added unto them in that day, about 3000 souls. So they said, What must we do? And Peter said, well, repent. We already talked about repentance, but then he said, and be baptized or be immersed in the name of the Lord. So that's absolutely necessary in order to be saved. And Jesus had said, said that, and that's what they did.

Arnie: 29:45

Well and, and here's another instance of that. It happens that Philip was travel, was walking out in some deserted area, uh. That's, that's a part of now Israel. And it happened that that a a man rode by on on a chariot and stopped and offered Philip a ride. And and so Philip began to speak with with the man in Acts chapter eight and in verse 35. Turns out, by the way, that this individual was a a high ranking official in the in the nation of Ethiopia, and he was returning back home there in his in his chariot. And it's thought that he was probably the treasurer, actually, of of Ethiopia. And Philip opened his mouth and began from this scripture, preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on the road, they came to a certain water. And the eunuch said Ye see, behold, here is water. What doth hinder me to be baptized? Philip said, If thou believest with all thy heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still. And they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he immersed him. And when they came up out of the water, the eunuch, the Spirit of the Lord, caught away Philip, and the eunuch saw him no more, for he went on his way rejoicing. So it turns out that he did all five of those things that we've been talking about. We hope that that this lesson will be useful to you. If you have questions about the plan of salvation, by all means, let us know. We'll certainly be glad to address those. We hope that you'll be with us next Lord's Day. Have a good week.