The Gospel Saves Podcast The Gospel Saves

Among the various acts of Christian worship is a meaningful ceremony celebrating the sacrificial death of Jesus. The New Testament calls this ceremony various names – communion, the Lord’s Table, the Lord’s Supper, and breaking bread. Jesus chose bread – a staple in His day – to symbolize His body; the bread symbolizes how we depend on Him and His sacrifice completely. Jesus also chose the wine or the fruit of the vine because it symbolizes blood throughout the Bible, the blood He shed for the forgiveness of our sins. Passages like Acts 20:7 show the early church gathering every first day of the week to remember the death of Jesus by eating bread and drinking the fruit of the vine.

. On his second missionary journey, Paul was asked by a desperate man, “what must I do to be saved?” He told him, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:30-31). We must first believe in Jesus Christ.

But faith, by itself, is not enough.

Romans 10:9-10 also testifies we must confess our belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Jesus sets two options before us in Luke 13:3. Either we repent, or we will perish.

In Mark 16:15-16, Jesus promises to save those who believe and are baptized.

Underneath all of these answers is a final requirement for salvation: we must obey the commands of God.

So what must we do to be saved? We must believe, confess our belief, repent, be baptized, and live obedient lives.

Will the thief on the cross go to heaven?

The thief on the cross went with Jesus to Paradise. But we need to be careful what we conclude about baptism from the example of the thief.

Many people think some things are true because they are repeated repeatedly. For that example, many people believe, "The thief on the cross proves one does not have to be baptized to be saved." But how do we know the thief had never been baptized prior to his crucifixion?

We only know what the Scriptures say about the thief.

Since we live on the other side of the cross, we should bear in mind the death of Jesus changed the meaning and purpose of baptism. And not only did the death of Jesus change baptism, but His crucifixion also changed the covenant; the thief lived under the covenant of Moses, and we live under Christ. So, just because many people repeat something repeatedly does not make it true; it's only true if the facts support it.

So will the thief on the cross go to heaven? Yes! But let's be careful what other conclusions we draw about this man.

When Jesus meets a woman caught in adultery, He tells her to, “go and sin no more.” Jesus forgives us, so we will not repeat the same wrong behavior in the future. When He forgives, He expects us to turn away from sin.

The apostle John recorded the account of the woman caught in adultery. He says in his first epistle, “Whoever abides in (Jesus) does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.”

Peter tells us to adopt the mind of Jesus, to cease sinning, and to fulfill the will of God. 

Paul warns us against taking advantage of the grace of God. He reminds us that we die to sin when we are baptized. God gives us a new life.

Can a Christian live in sin? The Bible’s message could not be more explicit: a Christian SHOULD NOT live in sin.

What is the purpose of the church? Some people don’t see a need for “organized religion” and have abandoned attending church. They believe in God and His Son, Jesus Christ. But they see little need to associate themselves with a church.

The Bible presents a different view – it shows the church fulfilling several vital purposes in the life of a disciple. The book of Ephesians answers, "What is the purpose of the church?"

The church glorifies God through good works.
The church worships God spiritually.
The church strengthens our fellow Christians.
The church upholds the truth
The church preaches the gospel to the lost.

All of these play an important role in the spiritual health of a disciple.

Psychologists coined the term narcissism in the 1800’s. For that reason, you will not find the word in the Bible. However, you will find warnings against symptoms of narcissism. The Bible condemns pride as a sin that God hates. Pride led to Satan’s downfall. Like pride, the Bible condemns selfishness as a work of the flesh and as a source of interpersonal conflicts. Empathy does not appear in the Bible. But Scripture exhorts us to suffer with those who suffer, to be merciful, and to take pity upon those in difficult circumstances. So while you won’t find the words “narcissist” or “narcissism” in the Bible, you will see the symptoms condemned as sins.