"What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?"
-- James 2:14
Lets say you are at home, and your stomach says your hungry. You believe and have faith that there is food in the fridge. Your friend tells you that there is indeed food in the fridge. You know that the food in the fridge would make your stomach feel better, but unless you actually get off the couch and go in to the fridge and get some of the food you will still be hungry.
In the gospel you can believe that Christ is the Savior of the world. You might even read scriptures, and have your friends tell you all about it. But unless you actually do those things which Christ has commanded us to do on your own, you will never be able to gain a testimony, and be saved at the last day.
The first action to take after having a Faith in Christ is Repentance. To Repent is to ask for forgiveness for sin, or something you have done wrong, and to promise that you will do you best to never do it again. Part of the Repentance process also includes making things right with others, or paying them back if you stole something. When we sin we incur spiritual debt, but through Repentance and exercising our Faith in Jesus Christ that debt can be paid.
When Jesus Christ was baptized He walked somewhere around 40 miles to get to John the Baptist. There were people who baptized right in Jerusalem, but He walked to John the Baptist because John had something that the others did not have . . . The Priesthood. The Priesthood is the Authority to act in the name of God. It is required to perform sacred ordinances. While anyone can go to a lake and perform a baptism, only those baptisms done by Priesthood Authority will be recognized by God.
Even after we are Baptized we still need to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. This is much like an upgraded conscience. The Holy Ghost is there to testify of truth, to comfort us(John 14:16), and to help us make good decisions. We can feel the influence of the Holy Ghost before Baptism, but the Gift of the Holy Ghost is when He becomes a constant companion, if we live worthy of His presence.
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| Matthew 24:13 |
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is just that, His Gospel. We have to follow His plan in order to have a part in it. We cannot pick and choose which parts we like and which parts we don't. If we are to live again in the presence of our Eternal Father, we need to Endure to the End of all things.
So in order to truly be 'saved' you must have Faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement, Repent of your sins, be Baptized by someone who holds the Priesthood, Receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Endure to the End.
Where do you get the belief that only a priest can perform baptism?
ReplyDelete"11If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?
ReplyDelete12For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.
13For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar.
14For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.
15And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,
...
21(For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:)"
-- Hebrews 7:11-15,21
There are two Priesthoods, the Aaronic and the Melchizedek. The Law of Moses was under the Aaronic or 'lesser' Priesthood, while the New or Higher Law the Christ taught in the Sermon on the Mount is under the Melchizedek or 'Higher' Priesthood. See also Hebrews 5:4.
"1And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,
2He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
3And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.
4Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
5When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied."
-- Acts 19:1-6
Here Apollos had been baptizing without having the authority, and without giving the Gift of the Holy Ghost. When they learned that there was more to it, they were each Baptized again by the Proper Authority. This was done by Paul, who had that Priesthood Authority.
If Sacred ordinances are not performed by those who God has given the Priesthood, then those ordinances are not recognized by God.
Much like having a Drivers License, you might know how to drive, but without that License that gives you authority to drive you will get a ticket for 'driving without a License'. God works the same way.
James teaches that faith without works is dead, as you have explained. Once you are saved, you will want to do good works because you love Christ, and if there is no evidence of change in your life, you may not be truly saved.
ReplyDeleteBut the Bible clearly teaches that salvation is through faith alone through grace alone, not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9. Adding baptism, communion, or anything else to Christ's perfect, completed work on the cross implies that His sacrifice was not enough. If that's the case, why did He cry, "It is finished!" And how could the repentant thief on the cross who trusted Christ as Lord go to Paradise, as Jesus promised He would, without the time to be baptized, take communion, or do a single good work? I have expanded on this on my blog page, How Can We Know God Exists and If We’ll Go to Heaven?: http://savedbygracebiblestudy.blogspot.com/p/how-can-we-know-god-exists-and-how-can.html
Only when we realize that without Him, we can do nothing, will His light, love, power and wisdom shine through us. Salvation is a free gift -- when we try to add good works, it negates His grace. It's as if a benefactor wanted to give us a Mercedes Benz and we offered him a penny in exchange -- it would be pitiful and insulting. So it is with our "righteousness," which is like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).
Laurie Collett, Saved by Grace
http://savedbygracebiblestudy.blogspot.com/
"Adding baptism, communion, or anything else to Christ's perfect, completed work on the cross implies that His sacrifice was not enough."
ReplyDeleteYou say that you believe that "Faith without Works is Dead", but you contend that Baptism and other 'works' are not needed. Jesus Christ was the Perfect example, He was Baptized, and He also gave a commandment to be Baptized after His resurrection.
"Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works."
-- James 2:18
Thank you,
Elder Barnes