doctrinepastor.comdoctrinepastor.com/.../the...Grace_126-150.871519.docx · Web view150 | The Great Truths of Free Grace. The Bible is non-contradictory and over and over again

The Bible is non-contradictory and over and over again it says clearly that salvation (phase one) is to be received as a free gift by faith alone in Christ alone: there no required conditions, rituals, works, or group memberships.

The church is not a boat in which one must be in to receive eternal life; the church is a lighthouse to shine forth the light of the Message of Life.

Salvation is not faith plus commitmentJohn 8:30-32

In John 8:30 “many came to believe in Him” signifying that these people had just received eternal life – that is the promise seen throughout all of the Gospel of John. Then in verses 31-32 He is speaking to those who had already believed and received eternal life Jesus speaks to them about the life of discipleship since they already possessed eternal life.

These people are putting the doctrinal “cart” of discipleship before the “horse” of phase one salvation! To do so perverts the simple free gift into a reward for discipleship. These people ultimately are resting in their own performance for eternal life. And that, beloved, is a false gospel that will end in the Lake of Fire.

These so-called “Lordship salvationists” refuse to submit to the Lord’s demand that they believe in Him and His promise alone for eternal life. Instead they believe that performance is required. They even try to make the word “believe” to include performance which it does not!

126 | T h e G r e a t T r u t h s o f F r e e G r a c e

Discipleship

Salvation

We have already considered this topic earlier in our study; but the popular idea of how one receives eternal life is that one must surrender one’s life to Jesus Christ, promise to follow Him as Lord all your life, and then do so in moral daily living. This is nothing more than the old heresy that eternal life is a reward not a gift.

If one carefully reads their literature and hears their sermons, the following formula would simply state their teachings:

Believe + obedience + service to Christ = salvation phase one

Consider these two quotes from John MacArthur, a leading proponent of this false doctrine:

Salvation isn't the result of an intellectual exercise. It comes from a life lived in obedience and service to Christ as revealed in the Scripture; it's the fruit of actions, not intentions. There's no room for passive spectators: words without actions are empty and futile...The life we live, not the words we speak, determines our eternal destiny (Hard to Believe, p.93).

The Greek word translated 'belief' is not referring merely to intellectual attainment or mental acquiescence but a wholehearted acceptance of everything that is implied in the claims of Christ. You need to believe that Jesus is God and that He died for your sins, committing your whole life to Him in sacrifice and serving Him as Lord (Assurance of Victory--1 John 5, p.12).

His statement about the meaning of the Greek word for “belief” is a grievous error when he says “not…mental acquiescence” and that the meaning includes “committing your whole life in sacrifice and serving Him as Lord.” But by referring to the Greek he makes it seem like he is really being a good exegete of Scripture. In this case he has twisted the Scripture to make it mean what it does not mean – he is being deceptive. Just referring to the original languages does not make something true if the meaning one derives from it contradicts correct doctrine.

It is sad to say that Moody Press in Chicago, at one time a trusted publisher, is the main producer of MacArthur’s commentaries.

On MacArthur’s “Grace to you” website we find the following HERETICAL FALSE statement (among many):

Scripture teaches that Jesus is Lord of all, and the faith He demands involves unconditional surrender (Rom. 6:17-18; 10:9-10). In other words, Christ does not bestow eternal life on those whose hearts remain set against Him (James 4:6). Surrender to Jesus' lordship is not an addendum to the biblical terms of salvation; the summons to submission is at the heart of the gospel invitation throughout Scripture. (www.gty.org)

Beloved, just because someone says, “Scripture teaches” does not mean that in reality “Scripture teaches” what they claim. Just because someone gives a Scripture reference does not mean they are using that Scripture correctly. For example, James 4:6 is written to believers not unbelievers and refers to the spiritual life of believers yet if one did not check the context


one would be confused. And confusion is exactly the result of the teachings of John McArthur and many, many others in the church today.

Those following these ideas are confusing phase one salvation with phase two salvation and saying that without victory in phase two there will be no phase one. No matter how strong the denials, this is nothing more than the old heresy of salvation + works which will not bring eternal life to those who believe it.

Salvation is not faith plus being faithful2 Timothy 2:11-13; John 5:24, 15:8; Luke 8:4-15

Another very popular and prevalent belief is that a person must remain faithful to Christ over their lifetime in order to retain salvation. Others, in a similar vein, would say that “true faith” or “genuine faith” will inevitably result in good works over a lifetime or it proves you never had eternal life in the first place.

Without getting into the details of the differences, these two approaches to phase one salvation once again condition ones entrance into heaven on performance. Again, without going into a lot of detail, just note the following:

1. Jesus only promised unconditional eternal life (once saved always saved) to those who believe in Him alone for that life. He did not offer probation: “he who believes in Me has probation” and “he who performs for Me has everlasting life” are not in the Bible and indeed contradict it! Jesus never said, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever behaves for Him shall not perish, but have eternal life”.

2. 2 Timothy 2:11-13: Salvation is about the faithfulness of Jesus Christ to us not our faithfulness to Him. V.11 refers to the promise in phase one salvation that we will live with Him forever; v.12 refers to the reward of ruling with Him is we are faithful and His denial of our ruling with Him we deny Him in our lives in time by unfaithful living; v.13 states very clearly that even if the believer is faithless in time (not living out his faith in any manner) Jesus still remains faithful to us. Why? “Because He cannot deny Himself.” Jesus will not and cannot break His unconditional promise of eternal life.

3. John 5:24: note the unconditional absolute statements that come from believing:

Has eternal life – present possession, not a possible future possession if some conditions are met in the future. The only condition to receiving eternal life has come first: “believes.”

Does not come into judgment – it does not say “might not”, but does not come into the unbeliever’s judgment because he believed. Failed performance has consequences in the realm of rewards for the believer; it does not have anything to do with eternal life.

Has passed out of death into life – no “if you perform” included! This one permanently “has passed” – no conditions - because of believing in Jesus for eternal life.


4. John 15:8 – “much fruit”: being a maximum productive believer will bring glory to the Father and demonstrate active discipleship. Performance or “fruit” production does not prove “believer-ship.”

5. Luke 8:4-15 – in brief, all but the first soil resulted in life – a picture of a person having possession of true spiritual eternal life. However, vv.13-14 show believers failing in their production in time for various reasons. V.15 shows that even among those that are productive as believers there is a great variety of success – some much more than others. These are all believers but some became “faithless” – or non-productive – while others produced but at various levels. But they all – except the first soil - possess unconditional eternal life.

Conclusion: the believer’s faithfulness is not required.to either retain eternal life or to prove one has eternal life. Here is the danger: if at the moment a person claims to have been saved they believed in faith + faithfulness then they have not believed the true Message of Life and they are still on their way to the Lake of Fire.

If this makes one uncomfortable then we have to ask, “How far from faith alone in Christ alone” properly understood can we drift and God still give a person eternal life? Dare we to think that when Jesus says “believes” he will accept “behaves” as an alternative path to eternal life? I hope not because if we do we are proclaiming a false gospel that will not save.

Salvation is not turning from sins (repentance)The word “repentance” never appears in the Gospel of John. Should that not tell us to be careful about what we say is required to receive eternal life?

We will define “repentance” below but it is also very, very popular to say that one must turn from their sins in order to receive eternal life. “Turn or burn” is one way to put that idea.

Charles Spurgeon, who is famous for his oratory and the large crowds that came to hear him preach, was right on many things (I quoted him earlier in this study about being “in Christ”). However, he was seriously flawed in his presentation of repentance and turning from sins being required to receive eternal life. For example, he said in sermon on December 7, 1856:

Ah! my hearer, it is not thy promise of repentance that can save thee; it is not thy vow, it is not thy solemn declaration, it is not the tear that is dried more easily than the dew-drop by the sun, it is not the transient emotion of the heart which constitutes a real turning to God. There must be a true and actual abandonment of sin, and a turning unto righteousness in real act and deed in every-day life….

All sin must be given up, or else you shall never have Christ: all transgression must be renounced, or else the gates of heaven must be barred against you. Let us remember, then, that for repentance to be sincere it must be entire repentance….

And let us not think it enough to have turned from one vice to another, or from vice to virtue; let us remember, it must be a turning of the whole soul, so that the old man is


made anew in Christ Jesus; otherwise we have not answered the requirement of the text—we have not turned unto God.

And lastly, upon this point, this repentance must be perpetual. It is not my turning to God during to-day that will be a proof that I am a true convert; it is forsaking of my sin throughout the entire of my life, until I sleep in the grave….

But one more hint here. When a man is possessed of true and evangelical repentance—I mean the gospel repentance which saves the soul—he not only hates sin for its own sake, but loathes it so extremely and utterly that he feels that no repentance of his own can avail to wash it out, and he acknowledges that it is only by an act of sovereign grace that his sin can be washed away…. SINNER! TURN OR BURN! (www.spurgeon.org)

Beloved, be honest with what you know – is this a gospel message that will bring eternal life to the one who believes it? This is the formula believe + turn from all sin + hate sin = salvation. It is a false gospel that will not save. Jesus never once conditioned phase one salvation on turning from sin. The Gospel of John, the Gospel of Belief, never uses the word repentance in his Gospel. Not once.

Remember what we determined before about the Gospel of John (John 20:31)

John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, either achieved his purpose or he did not. If he did not the Gospel is not divinely inspired; if it is divinely inspired then John does achieve its purpose. Those are the only two options.

In other words, the entire eternal-life giving message is found clearly in John…. What is found in John is sufficient for the unbeliever to receive eternal life. Specifically, John tells us that to believe in Jesus’ promise of unconditional eternal life in order to receive that unconditional eternal life is what is necessary to be saved (phase one). (Above p.119)

Let’s try this on for size and see if we can accept it:

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless truly and totally turns from all his sins and hates all sin and perpetually all his life keeps turning from sin so that he can be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. Turn or burn!

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever truly and totally turns from all his sins and hates all sin and perpetually turns from all sin all his life and believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Turn or burn!

John 11:26 and everyone who lives and truly and totally turns from all his sins and hates all sin and perpetually all his life keeps turning from sin and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this? Turn or burn!

One almost shudders at the twisting of the words of Jesus that occurs when we add these conditions to the life-giving message of Jesus. Do we dare to think Jesus did not know what it took for a person to receive eternal life? It is blasphemy to say “yes.”


Salvation is not faith plus baptism

Acts 2:37-40 – focus V.38

There are those today who try to use this as a key verse to prove that baptism is necessary to receive eternal life (for example, the Christian Church, the Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ, Oneness Pentecostals, the Apostolic Church, Catholics, Mormons, etc.). Nothing could be further from the truth and, in fact, to believe in salvation + baptism is to believe a non-saving false gospel that will not bring eternal life.

Some groups are erroneously opposed to Christian water baptism; this includes Quakers, the Salvation Army (some of them claim that wearing the S.A. uniform is the same as baptism!), and certain hyper (ultra)-dispensational groups / individuals (like Les Feldick on TV). Again, this is a serious misunderstanding. While such teaching in and of itself does not impact the Message of Life, it does seriously impact the spiritual life of the believer since water baptism is the necessary first step of discipleship.

Many conservative interpreters go to the specific Greek grammar and argue for a meaning that would read something like this for Acts 2:38:

Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for [meaning because of] the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

For example Kenneth Wuest’s translation:

Acts 2:38 (WuestNT) let each one of you be baptized upon the ground of your confession of belief in the sum total of all that Jesus Christ is in His glorious Person, this baptismal testimony being in relation to the fact that your sins have been put away, and you shall receive the gratuitous gift of the Holy Spirit

While this is doctrinally acceptable, many other interpreters point out that this meaning of the original is not the best use of the original words and grammar involved. I believe there is a better, more consistent and logical means of interpretation. That better means is to approach the passage with a clear historical understanding of the situation the nation of Israel was in that time because they had rejected their Messiah, Jesus.

Some (not all!) basic principles of interpretation:

1. The Plenary Inspiration of Scripture: John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16 clearly states that “All Scripture is inspired by God.” Plenary inspiration means that the entire Bible, in all its parts, is “God-breathed” which simply means God is the source of the content of the Bible. 1 Peter 1:21 shows that inspiration was the work of God the Holy Spirit therefor has to be perfect.


2. The Inerrancy of Scripture: meaning it is without error in all its parts. This is also referred to as the “veracity” of Scripture, that it, it is all truth in the absolute sense.

3. The Law of Non-Contradiction: Non-contradiction says there can be no such thing as, for example, dry-water, sunny-night, true-lie, etc. There are no contradictions in the Bible since it is without error. Any supposed contradictions lie with the person making such claim not the Bible itself. With proper interpretation – following the basic rules of interpretation – the supposed contradictions will disappear.

4. The Literal, Historical, Grammatical method of interpretation (exegesis). For this particular study on Acts 2:37-40 the historical, which is also called “isagogics,” is critical. Isagogics requires one to study the historical setting to determine what the people who first heard what was said would have understood it to mean. A little expansion on this is the term ICE: interpret Scripture using Isagogics, Categories, Exegesis. The term “categories” refers to Bible doctrine and requires that doctrine fits into doctrine and follows the Law of non-contradiction (above).

5. The Analogy of Faith: Scripture interprets Scripture - use the clear passages to understand the less clear passages. It is knowing that it is true that Scripture is consistent and non-contradictory (see above). For the understanding of personal reception of eternal life the Gospel of John provides the abundantly clear passages. While there are others, John – the only book in the Bible written to help unbelievers become believers and receive eternal life – is the most important for interpretation of the less clear passages. Using the analogy of faith principle, we understand Acts 2:38 – the less clear – in the light of John where the single condition laid out is “believe” in Jesus alone for eternal life. See 2 Peter 3:16 where it is seen what happens when this interpretive rule is broken – people distort the Scriptures to their own destruction.

In reference to Acts 2:38 (and 22:16) people without a clear understanding of (1) the Messianic ministry of Jesus to Israel, (2) the Messianic Kingdom, (3) covenants and dispensations, (4) the Message of Life, (5) the doctrine of baptisms (yes, plural), (6) the historical way the first century Jews understood and practiced baptism (isagogics), (7) the transitional nature of the book of Acts, and (8) context, context, context they will approach this text wrongly. While a person does not need to know all these things to understand the Message of Life, believe, and receive eternal life, to “correctly handle” this particular Scripture a basic knowledge of each will guide one to the correct interpretation.

The problem lies when people claim that both “repentance” and “baptism” are necessary to receive eternal life – and the “gift of the Holy Spirit” - based in part on this passage. Since this is not such a complete study we can only briefly cover the main issues to understand Acts 2:38 properly. However, it does point out the need the believer has to study many areas of Bible Doctrine in order to fulfill the critical, distorting preventing mandate of “correctly handling the Word of Truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

Using the principle of “the clear to understand the less clear,” we know from multiple statements throughout the Gospel of John and other Scriptures that faith alone in Christ alone is the single


requirement to receive eternal life. Once again keep clear the purpose of John’s Gospel: John 20:31. The conclusion we have already made is that John, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, did achieve his purpose. If it is not in John then it is not something necessary to receive eternal life. Baptism is never mentioned as any requirement for the reception of eternal life and neither is repentance. That is very clear. Therefore, Acts 2:38 cannot be a contradiction to or an addition to John. If it is then John was in error – the violation of another rule of interpretation. So we have to ask, “What does Peter mean when he makes this statement?”

We’ll look at the context: We have to observe several elements to get the proper context. Elements, which if ignored, can lead to wrong interpretation and resulting false doctrine.

The Transitory Nature of the Book of Acts

Arnold Fruchtenbaum writes in “The ministries of the Holy Spirit” (mbs-066):

...The Book of Acts is a transitory book; it marks a transition between the Dispensation of Law and the Dispensation of Grace and, with it, a dispensational change in the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Book of Acts also emphasizes the apostolic authority of Peter and Paul….

The Danger of Deriving Doctrine from Historical Accounts

Another very important point to make is that doctrine must not be developed from historical accounts but from clear, positive, directive statements made in Scripture. The danger of deriving theology from historical accounts is the misconception that, because something happened in a certain way at a certain point in time, it must always happen in the same way.

You can learn more about this topic from the WSBC / FGBI study “Church Age Spiritual Gifts” part one.

Apply the principles to Acts 2:38

So, let’s do some analysis and discover the correct interpretation of this particular passage. Again, we cannot go into all the detail required for that would take several weeks of study for we would have to know all the audience knew and these people were raised up learning certain truths. We will simply cover the highlights but enough, hopefully, to clarify the meaning of Peter’s statement in his message on the Day of Pentecost.

The Messianic Jewish Kingdom

Through the Old Testament the nation of Israel is promised that a Messiah would come who would establish a literal, physical, earthy Kingdom on planet earth. This exactly the kind of Kingdom the Jewish people expected! It is another complete study to demonstrate that Jesus declared by His words and works that he was indeed the promised Messiah of Israel (see Matthew 11:2-5) so for our purposes here we will simply let the statement stand.


Jesus offered this literal, physical, earthly Kingdom to the Jews living at that time, that current generation, in fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. If they had accepted that offer by accepting Jesus as their Messiah then the Kingdom would have been established and Jesus would have begun His rule over the planet in Jerusalem just as promised but they did not accept Him; rather, they rejected Him and called for His death by crucifixion. We could study many things to properly understand all the ramifications of that statement but we will limit ourselves to these basics at this time. Let’s just look at a few verses:

Isaiah 2:2-4; Isaiah 9:6-7; Micah 4:1-5; Jeremiah 23;5-6; Zechariah 14:9; (N.T. referring to Jesus - Luke 1:30-33).

Clearly there was promised a literal Jewish Kingdom and a literal Jewish King. The King was to be a descendant of King David in fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant. The Davidic Covenant flows out of the Abrahamic Covenant and applies only to Jews (although the Gentiles get to share in many of the blessings of the covenants).

The audience

The question to be asked and answered is this: “To whom is Peter speaking?” the answer is in 2:5 and 2:9-10. The audience was mostly ethnic Jews and some Gentile converts to Judaism (“proselytes,” 2:10). In v.22 Peter refers to them as “men of Israel.” What this tells us is that the audience no doubt had an understanding of the Covenants (Abrahamic, Land, Davidic, and Mosaic), the promised literal, earthly Jewish Messianic Kingdom, and the all Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah. This is verified by the term used to describe them as “devout” in v.5 meaning those who had a proper estimation and understanding of the Jewish faith and practiced it. However, these people did not properly interpret many of the Old Testament passages for they followed tradition rather than the Scriptures – but they knew the basic teaching of the doctrines. See John 5:39, 46-47; Luke 24:25, 27; Acts 13:27; 1 Corinthians 2:8

On 1 Corinthians 2:8 Zodhiates observes: “It was in the Sanhedrin that the first decision was taken to put Christ to death. These people had the Old Testament revelation to give them knowledge of the Messiah, but they rejected it.” Zodhiates Corinthians Commentary Series – A Revolutionary Mystery: An Exegetical Commentary on First Corinthians Two.

The following quote also helps confirm this understanding:

They are called devout men or God-fearing (eulabeís). They were people who had accepted God's command that this feast should be kept with every male Israelite required to appear at the sanctuary (Lev. 23:21) fifty days from the offering of the barley sheaf at the beginning of the Passover (Ex. 23:16; 34:22; Lev. 23:10f.; Num. 28:26; Deut. 16:10; 16:9). They were people who rightly and seriously received God's commandments, which is what the word eulabeís means in this context. AMG's Complete Word Study Dictionaries – New Testament.


It must also be stated clearly that the devout Jews were waiting for the coming of the Messiah no doubt due, in no small part, to the ministry of John the Baptist who persistently announced the nearness of the promised Messianic Kingdom: Matthew 3:2-3.

Further, in his sermon in Acts 2, Peter refers to the Old Testament and the promise of the Messiah without any detailed explanation (see the reference to the Davidic Covenant in v.30). Why? Because he knew that they already understood these things. He simply made the forceful connection that Jesus was the promised Messiah of the prophecies and they had killed Him on the cross (v.36) but that God has raised Him from the dead (v.32). This connection between Jesus’ words and works and the Old Testament prophecies should have been made by that specific generation of Jews – including those to whom Peter was preaching – but they had previously rejected applying the doctrine they knew to Jesus so that they would recognize Him as the promised Messiah.

Alberto Valdez, in The Grace New Testament Commentary, volume one, points this out:

Peter did not speak to an uniformed multitude. They knew both the Scriptures and the miraculous ministry of Jesus (cf. v 22). The apostle Peter presented a case for Jesus as Messiah from the OT that they could both follow and correlate with contemporary events and past Jewish history. By the time he clarified the truth of Jesus’ resurrection, and ascension and they correlated it with the events of Pentecost (cf. vv 29-35). They unequivocally identified Jesus as the Messiah – and so believed in Him. Now they wanted to know what to do to reestablish fellowship with Him [in commentary on verse 37]. (493)

When one is teaching and knows that the hearers have a certain level of knowledge, then the teacher builds on that knowledge: knowledge builds on knowledge. It is a simple truth that one cannot say everything every time. This is exactly what Peter does in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost. Peter connects what they knew to a correct application of it to the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is also to be noted – and this is critical – that Peter directly accused those present in front of him as being guilty of crucifying Jesus, their Messiah. He stated that the “miracles and wonders and signs” demonstrated who Jesus was (Acts 2:22) while Jesus was alive; then, a few minutes later, he stated that the resurrection and ascension proved Jesus was the Messiah (Vv. 30-35). In v.23 he says “you nailed {Messiah Jesus} to a cross.” These people listening to Peter should have made the connection between what they knew from Scripture (not the false teaching of the Jewish leaders) and Jesus. They did not and as a result they are guilty of participating in the crucifixion of their Messiah.

If one reads through Peter’s second sermon in 3:11-26 you see the exact same pattern of teaching.

It is also critical to see the phrase in 2:40 where Peter says, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” The generation to which he refers is those Jews alive at that time who had crucified their Messiah Jesus just days before. The people listening to Peter’s sermon, as we have seen,


were part of that “perverse generation.” See also Matthew 12:41-45; Luke 9:41, 13:34-35 where Jesus already identified them as such.

The Jews to whom Peter was speaking were unbelievers in Jesus as the Messiah prior to this day, the Day of Pentecost. Yet, the Godly power demonstrated on this first day of the Church attracted them to come and see what was happening: 2:1-8. And they got a sermon! What a display of God’s grace!

A summary of the learning already and what is to come:

We will learn that they became believers and received eternal life in Acts 3:37; Peter was not telling them how to receive eternal life in Acts 2:38. As we know, the single condition for receiving eternal life is to believe in Jesus alone for that life – Scripture must interpret Scripture and we must interpret the less clear passages by the more clear passages! There cannot be a contradiction in Scripture. In Acts 2:38 Peter is telling them how to be delivered (saved) from that specific generation of Jews who had rejected and crucified their promised Messiah – he is not adding additional conditions for receiving eternal life. They had to be saved (delivered) from that generation because that specific generation was under the judgment of physical destruction that the Lord Jesus had proclaimed in Matthew 23:37 (fulfilled by the Romans under General Titus in A.D. 70). To be separated from that generation and to be in fellowship with God they had to repent and then receive public ritual water baptism. Baptism would thus identify them with Messiah Jesus and break their identification with Judaism and the doomed generation condemned by Jesus. The reception of the Holy Spirit was delayed for these specific believing Jews and does not set a pattern for the Church Age. Acts 2:38 is totally unique to the audience.

In Acts 2:37 these Jewish people had come to the sudden realization that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. They were “pierced to the heart” which is a part of the work of the Holy Spirit and they had already accepted the message as true. When they accepted the message they believed in Jesus and received eternal life. Please note v.22: These people listening knew about the ministry of Jesus, His words and works. It is inescapable that they knew what He repeatedly said about the need for, and way to receive, eternal life: “Believe in Me for eternal life.”

Dr. Harry Ironside states this very well in his Acts commentary:

There was no attempt to deny what Peter said. On the contrary, they accepted the message. Let us be very clear about that. Having accepted the message we can be very sure of this – they were already born of God. The Apostle Peter tells us in the first chapter of his first Epistle, “being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever…And this is the Word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” These people had heard the gospel. They were pricked to the heart, they were deeply exercised; they believed the message, and that implies necessarily they had received divine light and were regenerated. They turned to Peter and the rest of the apostles and cried out in sore distress, “men and brethren, what shall we do?”


Note also v.41: “received his word” has the same meaning as “believed.” V. 44: “All those who had believed…” 4:4: “But many of those who had heard the message believed….” The emphasis is, in accordance with the Gospel of John, on the word “believe.” That is the message for individual reception of eternal life; But why baptism? The baptism for these Jews not only followed the discipleship mandate of Matthew 28:19-20 it also publically separated them from that specific “perverse generation” (v.40).

Even though individually they had eternal life, as Jews they still had the problem: that they had rejected and killed their Messiah – see John19:15. The very Messiah they had been anticipating had indeed come but now had gone back to heaven after His death and resurrection. What now about the Kingdom? What now were they to do? Receiving individual eternal life did not solve the problem of the national sin of crucifying their Messiah. No doubt they had the serious question in their mind about the promised Kingdom.

Remember the main purpose of Matthew’s gospel is to answer this Jewish question: “If Jesus was the Messiah how come the Kingdom did not come?” We would do well to expand that question for believing Jews: “Since Jesus was the Messiah, and we rejected Him, is the Kingdom still going to come? If so, what must we do?” That is the exact meaning of these newly believing Jews in Acts 2:37. Peter’s answer is in 2:38.

That this is true is indicated by two things:

1. V.40: ”be saved [delivered] from this perverse generation!” Their baptism publically identified them with their Messiah, thus reversing their individual rejection of Him, and it separated them from the rest of the rejecting generation. Jesus repeatedly spoke of “this generation” as the one who was rejecting Him. The actual rejection of Jesus as the Messiah by the religious leaders is seen in Matthew 12:24 where they identify the works of Jesus as having their source in Satan. In Matthew 12:41-45 and 23:37 Jesus warns the Jews of that specific generation of the judgment to come (note in Matthew 12:41-45 how many times “this generation” appears. See Matthew 17:17). The judgment of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple was fulfilled forty years later in A.D.70.Their rejection is made complete when the leaders and people alike called for His death by crucifixion and then mock Him as it is carried out. Note Matthew 27:25, 39-44.

2. 3:17-23: the “times of refreshing” refers to the promised Messianic Kingdom. This is verified by vv.20-21. The sending of Jesus back from heaven is obviously the Second Coming, and the “period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time” is the Messianic Kingdom. Jesus will not come back until the rejection is reversed – as it will be at the very end of the seven-year Tribulation period. Then and only then will the Kingdom be established.

The question then of “Brethren, what shall we do?” is one of dismay not a question of how to receive eternal life. The men who had just become believers (2:37) suddenly are confronted with the question that since the Messiah has been rejected then what about the Kingdom? Peter has said just before this question, “The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” This is a quote from Psalm 110 which is a Psalm


predicting the judgment of the Second Coming and the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom. The “until” tells them that Jesus’ sitting at the right hand of the Father has a limit: something is going to happen to initiate His Second Coming and the establishment of the promised Kingdom. Making His enemies His footstool refers to the Lord’s judgment. While the complete judgment that will happen will be the Tribulation period, the judgment Jesus promised in Matthew 23:37 - 39 would be included for that generation.

“What shall we do?” is the perfect question for these new Jewish believers. It carries three questions: (1) What shall we do to be in fellowship with God? (2) What shall we do to be delivered from the judgment coming on this Messiah-rejecting generation? And (3) what shall we do to be able to see the Kingdom come? The answer to the first two is 2:38; the answer to the last is 3:19-21. Note that I think Peter probably answered the last question also on the Day of Pentecost but it is not specifically recorded (see 2:40).

This is in perfect accord with the Zechariah 12:10, Hosea 5:15, and Matthew 23:39. Jewish national repentance will be required to initiate the Second Coming and bring in the Messianic Kingdom. This is exactly the same thing to which Peter refers in his sermons.

For the Messianic Kingdom to come there has to be (1) an acceptance of eternal life by the individuals Jews – John 3:3, and (2) a national acceptance of Jesus as their Messiah that is led by the national leaders. Peter states this in 3:17-21.

Some people claim that Peter is re-offering the Kingdom to the Jews in this passage. However, this cannot be true for they had committed the unpardonable sin of rejecting their Messiah by attributing His works to Satan (Matthew 12:24). When Jesus proclaimed the destruction in Matthew 23:37-39 and Matthew 24:1-2 (see Luke 19:44) it was a final judgment. The nation had passed the point of no return and there was no avoiding the decreed judgment. What Peter is simply doing is laying out the same conditions as those seen in the Old Testament (see above): the Jewish nation and its leaders will have to accept the Messiah for the “times of refreshing” and the “period of restoration” to come. Both of these are references to the Messianic Kingdom. Note that, in v.20, Jesus has to be sent back after the turning of Israel as a nation – it is an obvious and clear reference to the Second Coming.

The assumption of knowledge and baptism

Peter throughout the sermon in Acts 2 (as well as Acts 3) assumes the knowledge we mentioned before as well as the Jewish practices of the day and this assumption includes v.38. One of the critical Jewish practices was ritual water baptism: Judaism practiced it; Gentile proselytes had to undergo water baptism by immersion (they also had to bring a sacrifice and be circumcised); John the Baptist practiced water baptism; Jesus’ disciples practiced water baptism. Under no circumstances was baptism ever associated with the reception of spiritual salvation: it was always identification with some person, group, or a message being proclaimed and a break with a previous identification.

Gentile proselytes through water baptism disassociated themselves from Gentile religion and lifestyle and associated themselves with Judaism.


1 Corinthians 10:2 Paul states that the Israelites were “baptized into Moses” which clearly speaks of the meaning of identification with Moses as their leader as well as with the visible manifestation of God in the Shekinah Glory cloud. They broke with their previous identification as slaves in Egypt. In this case there was no water involved at all except that which was piled up like walls on either side of their dry passage through the sea.

For those not familiar with the Doctrine of Baptisms, I am including the following from the Chafer Annotated Glossary of Biblical Christianity (with a few clarifications):

Baptism – The word indicates an act of dipping, dyeing, staining, or identification. There are seven different kinds of baptism revealed in the Scriptures. Theologically, there are two general types of baptisms—real (dry) and ritual (wet). Ritual Baptisms associate the objects of the baptism with water: In these cases, water is representative of some principle of doctrine in the spiritual realm. And, the object of the baptism is identified with something that the water represents. Real Baptisms are an actual identification with something other than water; they are thus dry baptisms.

(1) Ritual - In the baptisms by John "the Baptist" (during the Age of Israel), the water represented the Kingdom of which the King was being presented and was representative of repentance in preparation for the kingdom (Matthew 3:1-2, 11). The recipients were thus identified with the Kingdom to come.

(2) Ritual - In the baptism of Jesus, the water represented the Plan of God the Father (Matthew 3:13-17); through it, Jesus was declared the beloved Son of God and Messiah. Jesus identified Himself with paying the penalty for the sins of all mankind. No one "follows the Lord in baptism," for this baptism was unique.

(3) Ritual - In the baptisms of early Church Age believers, the water identified new believers with the name (and thus the character) of God (Matthew 28:19), signifying the new life of discipleship in Christ. The early believers were identified with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.

(4) Real - In the baptism of Moses (1 Corinthians 10:2), Moses was identified with the very dry path through the sea, while the Israelites were identified with Moses. The only ones who got wet were the Egyptians.

(5) Real - In the baptism of the Cross ("Cup" of Matthew 20:22), Jesus Christ was identified with our sins.

(6) Real - In the baptism by means of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11; 1 Corinthians 12:13), the believer in the Church Age is identified with his position In Christ. All Church Age believers are baptized by the means of the Holy Spirit immediately upon believing in Jesus and His promise of eternal life.

(7) Real - In the baptism of fire (Matthew 3:11; Matthew 13:25-30; Luke 3:16-17), the unbeliever is identified with everlasting judgment.


The baptism Peter calls for in Acts 2:28 is for the believing Jews to disassociate themselves from their previous rejection of Messiah Jesus by being baptized in His name. Even in modern Judaism believing in Jesus as the Messiah is not so much the issue as is baptism. When a Jewish believer is baptized then the rejection by the unbelieving Jews is practiced. It is public ritual water baptism by immersion that shows the complete break from previous beliefs and the new identification with Christianity.

By the way, total immersion is the only form of baptism the Jews ever practiced. Sprinkling or pouring would never have been considered baptism by any Jew of the time frame. Baptism by any means other than total immersion in water is not biblical baptism.

Repentance

We will do a little more work on this word later in our study as we look at some word definitions; for now, simply note that:

“Repent” is the Greek metanoeo —the preposition meta prefixed to the verb noeo which means to think (nous is the noun for the mind; noeo is the verb to think). Metanoeo, if you broke it down etymologically, would be like an afterthought; you are going to think again, you are going to change your mind—which is what it came to mean, change your mind. It is not always helpful to look Bible words up in a Webster or Oxford English dictionary. They say that “repent” means to have remorse, and metanoeo doesn’t have an emotive connotation. There is another word in the Greek language, metamelomai which Paul uses in 2 Corinthians 5 which as the idea of sorrow, but that is another word. Metanoeo is a thought word meaning to change your mind, and it is also used to translate the Hebrew word shub in the sense of turning to God, turning away from one thing and turning to something else; so that involves a change of direction, a change of thinking. This is the word that Peter uses. (“Repentance and Salvation, part two” Acts 2:38-47 – electronic edition Dean Bible Ministry notes. www.deanbible.com)

“Repentance is changing one’s mind from believing one thing to believing another” (G. Michael Cocoris, Repentance: The Most Misunderstood Word, 79). The context determines exactly what the focus or object of repentance is to be.

For these hearers Peter is stating that they have to change the way they have been thinking about the Jesus and believes in Him not only as their individual Savior but also as the Messiah of Israel. They will demonstrate this mental acceptance publically by rejecting the Judaism that they had previously identified with – turning away from it - and identify with the Messiah through public baptism – a turning to Him. This is why the close connection with “repent and be baptized”: the later demonstrates the former.

Again, this is unique to this specific generation of Jews.

This is critical knowledge: never is repentance connected to something a person must do in order to receive phase one salvation eternal life as if it were a separate step other than believing in Jesus alone for eternal life. Again, we’ll see more on this word later.


Baptism and the forgiveness of sins

This is another issue unique to this specific generation of Jews.

Ephesians 1:7; Colossian 1:14; Acts 10:43 (by Peter!) tell us that the forgiveness of sins occurs at the moment of phase one salvation – this brings instant fellowship. But this baptism of identification with the rejected Messiah gave them a special forgiveness for participating in the national sins of Israel in their rejection and crucifixion of their Messiah.

With their public identification through immersion in water baptism they received forgiveness of their participation in the corporate sin of Israel and now had fellowship with God. They are now a part of the believing remnant. They are thoroughly separated from that perverse (Greek skolias, which means crooked or bent) generation. Why is this generation crooked? Because it has followed the teaching and leadership of the Pharisees in rejecting what Jesus was teaching as He presented Himself to Israel as their Promised Messiah. Being baptized for the forgiveness of sins has nothing to do with anyone today for all the Jews of that crooked generation are long gone. Furthermore, this same thing never was required of Gentiles even though they also were guilty of crucifying the Lord.

Acts 10:34 – 44

Cornelius was a Roman centurion which means he commanded 100 men in the Roman army. It was the Romans – specifically the Roman military under orders from the Roman Pontius Pilate – which actually carried out the crucifixion of Jesus. The Apostle Peter, who, in Acts 2, demands baptism for the forgiveness of sins, simply here says: “…that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”

Why the difference? Because Israel existed (and still does) in a special covenant relationship with God which the Gentiles did not have (and still don’t). The covenants were not canceled because of their rejection of the Messiah, but fulfillment of those covenant promises was now going to be delayed and the nation of Israel was coming under the A.D.70 judgment. In order to avoid participating in that coming judgment, repentance and baptism was required.

J. Dwight Pentecost writes:

It is important to recognize that this sin of rejecting the covenanted Davidic king was not viewed as the sin of an individual but rather as the sin of the nation. It was a sin that was committed by that generation of Israel through its religious leaders, thus bringing the whole under divine judgment. Even this rejection did not nullify God’s covenanted promises to Israel or abrogate the future fulfillment of these biblical covenants – but it did condemn that generation of the nation, as a nation, to a dreadful judgment. The nation had rejected the King, so the King rejected that generation of the nation (Thy Kingdom Come, p. 212)

In Peter’s sermon in Acts 2 and again in Acts 3, he is defining what is required for the nation to experience the covenant blessings with the return of Messiah Jesus (as we saw above). We know that this will indeed happen in the future.


Conclusion on phase one salvation, repentance, and the baptism of Acts 2:38

The requirements of repentance and ritual water baptism in Acts 2:38 were for the specific generation of Jews which had rejected the Messiah and was under the condemnation of the national unpardonable sin. That judgment fell in A.D.70. believing Jews had to separate themselves both mentally (by repentance) and physically (by baptism) from that to-be-judged generation.

While a change of mind (repentance) is a part of believing, it is not a separate “step.” Believing is simply becoming convinced that something is true: believing in Jesus alone for eternal life thus entails a change of mind about anything - if there is anything - that would prevent the person from becoming convinced of that truth. When a person is convinced of the truth of the Message of Life they have already changed their minds. More later!

Eternal life is received by faith alone in Christ alone, specifically His promise of eternal life. To try to apply this verse to the Church Age is not only a serious misunderstanding but it is a death-dealing distortion of the Message of Life. If one believes in the formula “salvation + baptism = eternal life” at the time they claim to have been saved then they are still an unbeliever and on their way to hell.

A Question of Interest:

The offer of the Messianic Kingdom was withdrawn only from that generation of Jews. The offer stands before any other generation after that if a specific generation and its leaders will accept the Messiah. It is like the Exodus event where that specific generation rebelled against God at the very entrance into the Promised Land. That generation had now crossed the point of no return and they were condemned to wander in the desert for forty years and all over the age of twenty died. Yet, the younger generation – a new generation – was offered to go in and they obeyed and entered the Land. The offer had never been rescinded except to that one specific Exodus generation. So it is also with the Messianic Kingdom promise: the offer to Israel still stands, but it was removed from that generation that rejected the Messiah.

We know from Bible prophecy that a future generation, one alive during the coming Tribulation, will, by the end of the Tribulation, accept Jesus as their Messiah and call on Him to return – which He does fulfilling all the covenant promises to Israel.

Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ aloneJohn 3:16, 6:47 and many others in the Gospel of John

After all these “salvation is not” sections, it is good to come back to the basic Message of Life! Remember the message of the Gospel of John: believe in Jesus alone for eternal life and you will receive that unconditional eternal life. When a person is convinced that this is true they have believed and received unconditional eternal life. That Message is simple, uncomplicated, and unconfused – it is clear!


The focus (object) of saving faith John 11:26

This simple statement by the Lord Jesus Christ should be self-explanatory and fully accepted by all those who believe that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. It should be accepted as sufficient content of what must be believed, the core issue, to receive eternal life. Unfortunately, it is not. The discussion surrounds the exact focus of faith or the content of faith necessary to receive phase one salvation. In other words, exactly what is necessary to believe in order to receive the free gift of eternal life?

The question can be very basically summarized as two options:

1. The object or focus of faith that saves (phase one) must be (or include) several Bible doctrines about Jesus;

2. The object or focus of faith is Jesus Himself with His promise of unconditional eternal life

Point one: The object or focus of faith that saves (phase one) must be (or include) several Bible doctrines about Jesus.

Remember: all these to whom I am now referring would affirm salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Most of what is affirmed below is found in those who would, in general, be called “Free Grace.”

Some within this group will state that there are several essential doctrines that must be believed in addition to believing in Jesus for phase one salvation in order to receive this salvation. Some will have three, four, five, or more essentials; the most common are that one must affirm (believe in):

1. The deity of Jesus (some would add the eternality of Jesus along with His possessing the fullness of the divine attributes such as omniscience and immutability)

2. The humanity of Jesus (some add the virgin birth and His sinlessness)

3. That we are sinners (some add the necessity of believing in creation by God, Adam and Eve, and the Fall of man to understand how it is that we are sinners and born spiritually dead).

4. The substitutionary death of Jesus for sin (some would add that this can only be understood in the light of the Old Testament animal blood sacrifices)

5. Some add one must believe He was buried

6. The bodily, physical resurrection of Jesus (some would add His post-resurrection appearances)


7. The ascension of Jesus (and his being seated at the right hand of the Father signifying the completed work of Jesus)

8. I have also seen where it is stated that one must believe in the future New Heavens and New Earth (for how else could one understand eternal life and why you would desire it?)

9. Many add that the unbeliever must believe and admit that they are a sinner and worthy of hell.

This “you-must-believe-a-lot-of-doctrines” approach to witnessing to unbelievers has been – properly, I believe – called “check-list evangelism.” This means that there is a list of doctrines one must go through and believe before one gets to the point of believing in Jesus for salvation phase one. For these individuals, one cannot simply believe in Jesus alone for eternal life.

I am sure more items could be added to the doctrinal check-list if one searched the literature enough, but this will help us understand that these hold to several belief requirements being necessary to receive phase one salvation. The most common is to require at a minimum points 1, 2, 4, and 6 be believed before one can properly believe in Jesus alone for salvation (phase one). Curiously, rarely is the necessary content of what exactly must be believed about these doctrines presented.

For example, the deity of Jesus: That is a very complex topic even from a correct biblical standpoint.

But what about those affirming:

The deity of Jesus by claiming He is now “god” but once was a man who now has achieved godhood. Will that doctrine work as believing in the deity of Jesus?

The deity of Jesus but that there is no Trinity: rather, they believe that God the Father just sometimes manifests Himself as God the Son – this is called “modalism.” Will that doctrine work as believing in the deity of Jesus?

The deity of Jesus in that God joined Jesus at His baptism but then left before the crucifixion. Will that doctrine work as believing in the deity of Jesus?

Or must there be a greater clarification of exactly what is the content of the content that one must believe in the doctrine that Jesus is God?

One could go on into each of the above so-called “essentials” and by asking enough of the right questions establish the fact that when people claim these are doctrines that must be believed or one cannot receive the gift of eternal life, they mean a whole lot more than they are saying. Even worse, there is considerable confusion among those who hold to these doctrines as being essential: what one man calls essential another ignores while adding other doctrines that must


be believed in order to receive salvation. Just compare a few Gospel tracts and see what I mean!

By the way, please be very, very careful as to the tracts you hand to people! If they do not handle the Message of Life correctly then get rid of them! Do not confuse people even more than they already are.

One would almost think that given the “check-list” the best gospel presentation would be either a book of theology or to send the person to seminary so that they could finally understand enough to be “saved”! Even then, how much about all the “essentials-to-be-saved” must one know? Assurance would be impossible for one could never be sure that one has learned and believed all that God requires one to learn and believe in order to – finally – receive eternal life. One finds themselves right back at the “hope-so” salvation of all false teaching.

Now let me rattle your cage: A person can believe in all the above doctrines as listed and still not receive eternal life! For example, one can believe in all the above and more while still believing in a works salvation, or a believe-plus-commitment salvation, or a works-plus-ritual salvation!

Check this statement out from Ken Neff:

I grew up the Mormon Church and before I was born again I believed in Jesus. In fact, I believed in His deity, His virgin birth, His miracles as proof of his deity, His sinless life, His death on the cross for my sins, His burial, His bodily resurrection on the third day, His ascension to heaven, His preparation of a place for His own, and His birth in Bethlehem.

But as Hodges indicated, “one could believe all…of the truths listed above and not yet be born again.” I am proof of that fact. (www.faithalone.org/magazine/y2009/witfgg.html)

This is why it is so critical to understand the focus of faith or the content of faith for if we get this wrong people will miss receiving eternal life. Yes, it is a life-and-death issue, beloved!

A key statementAs we approach this topic of the content of faith, please understand that I am not saying there is no doctrine that must be believed for “faith alone in Christ alone” for His promise of unconditional eternal life is a doctrinal belief. The difference is this: if the doctrine is not found in the Gospel of John as a requirement for receiving eternal life then it not a required doctrine that must be believed to receive eternal life. Period.

The really, really confusing thing about such “check list” claims is that nowhere – and I mean nowhere – in the Bible is any such single list found. Not in John; not in Romans; not in Galatians or Ephesians, or 1 Corinthians. It simply is not there. Even those who believe in such lists admit this basic fact. In reviewing one such “check-list required” book by Thomas Stegall, Robert Wilkin provides this quote from Stegall’s book The Gospel of Christ:


God in His infinite wisdom and sovereignty has chosen, for reasons undisclosed to us, not to provide a whole assortment of “lists” that we would have preferred to see in Scripture (p.282) (http://www.faithalone.org/journal/2010i/1.pdf)

This is absolutely amazing! To think that our God would not leave us any specific way of knowing how to receive eternal life without going from one book to another, one chapter to another, and one verse to another – and then have to understand it all correctly in order to believe the right list of doctrines to receive eternal life. But beloved, He did give us what must be believed: it is found in the Gospel of John!

The Unbelieving Believing DisciplesJohn 2:11; 5:24; 6:40, 47

John 2:11: Eleven of the twelve disciples at this point or sooner (see below on page 149 with John 1:35-50) believed in Him and had received eternal life (excluding Judas who never believed in Him – John 6:64, 70-71). We know this is true because John never uses the word “believe’ in any manner whatsoever except to connect to the reception of eternal life.

Yet, these believing, born-gain possessors of eternal life did not believe several key doctrines until later - after they were saved (phase one):

1. Mark 8:14-21 - there was a real lack of belief in Jesus as the Messiah who could supply all their needs. This is a strong implication that they did not yet recognize Jesus as God in the flesh. In Mark 8:22-26 there is another miracle. Only then does the famous confession of Peter come to the front in verses 27-29 where he and the disciples now recognize Him as the Messiah. Yet, there is no real indication anywhere that they fully believed that He was God in the flesh until after the resurrection and the resurrection appearances and teachings by Jesus.

2. Mark 9:1-8 – even at the transfiguration Peter wants to build three sacred tents (tabernacles – tents or booths used in the Feast of Tabernacles). The statement of wanting to build three equal tabernacles is a horrible blunder on Peter’s part and again indicates he has no clear understanding of the eternal deity of Jesus and the uniqueness of the doctrine of the hypostatic union.

3. John 12:12-16 - Yet, after this they still did not understand all the truths involved.

4. Matthew 16:21-23 – When Jesus was teaching about his coming death and resurrection, Peter not only did not believe this but actively opposed it! Jesus identified that the one behind this unbelieving believer was Satan – Peter, the born-again believer – was believing Satan’s lies and speaking them!

5. Matthew 26:56 – In spite of all that Jesus had taught them about the coming crucifixion, when the process started they all fled. Why? The fear was caused by unbelief in what Jesus had said about what was coming! Obviously they did not understand the doctrine of the substitutionary death of Jesus and that He was going to die in their place to pay the divine penalty for sin.


6. Matthew 26:69-75 – Peter not only does not believe that the crucifixion was necessary for the salvation of man; he actively disassociates himself from Jesus and denies Him three times – while cursing!

7. John 19:25-27 – Of the eleven disciples only John was present at the crucifixion. It seems painfully obvious that the others (and probably John also) did not believe that it was necessary for Jesus to die as a spiritual substitute for them!

8. Luke 24:1-11 – the eleven disciples clearly did not believe in the resurrection; at least, not until later. John 20:9; 24-29 – only now is Jesus fully recognized as God.

For those who would claim that these things must be believed before a person receives eternal life or that these are all part of a “must-believe’ package, the apostles (and others in the Bible) stand in sharp contrast to their claims. Just as it says over and over again in the Bible – especially in the book of John – these men had met the condition of believing in Jesus for eternal life. They had already received eternal life long before they got all these doctrines straight.

They knew enough about Jesus to simply become convinced that He alone could guarantee their eternal life. There was a whole lot more they did not know.

Other believers who demonstrated a lack of doctrinal clarityWhat about a few others who were believers – in John’s use of the term – and yet still had many “issues”:

John 2:23-24 – these were believers but because they were immature and doctrinally deficient believers Jesus did not “entrust Himself to them.” This most likely means that He did not entrust them at that time with more doctrine. Why? No doubt in part because many were secret believers who would not openly acknowledge their faith in Jesus. It was probably many of these same immature believers who responded to more serious advanced doctrine in John 6:60-66 by walking away from following Him.

Writing about these verses in John 2, I like what Robert Wilkin states:

Jesus committing Himself to people is not the same as giving them eternal life. While there are no other references to Jesus committing Himself to people in John’s Gospel, there are two synonymous expressions. Jesus manifested himself (14:21) and made know those things His Father had told Him (15:14-15) to believers who obeyed Him. Both of these passages show that Jesus commits Himself only to believers who are obedient to Him. (The Grace New Testament Commentary, 372)

John 12:42 – some of the religious Jewish leaders believed in Him for eternal life, yet they did not confess this belief publically out of fear.

John 19:38-39 speaks of Joseph of Arimathea who was a believer but secretly because of fear.

To me both of these indicate that they had no clear understanding of a lot of doctrinal truth that we now know about Jesus; yet, they possessed eternal life.


The focus of faith

Point two (from p.43): The object or focus of faith is Jesus Himself with His promise of unconditional eternal life

John 1:12-13; 3:16-18, 36; 5:24; 6:35-40, 47; 11:25-27; Acts 16:31; Romans 4:4-5; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 John 5:9-13a.

It ought to be clear by this time in our discussion that the object or focus of faith is Jesus Himself and not all the doctrines about His person and ministry. The single thing that must be believed about Jesus is that He is the granter and guarantor of eternal life. Remember, believing in facts about who Jesus is and what He did is not what saves: what saves is to believe in Jesus alone for the unconditional eternal life He promises. That, beloved, and that alone, is what brings eternal life. 1 Timothy 1:16

To condition the reception of eternal life on believing certain doctrines correctly only sets up a roadblock for the one who needs to receive the free gift of eternal life. Not all the facts about Jesus and His work are saving facts!

John 4:7-42

Pay attention to verses 13-14, 39-42. Obvious the woman believed and other of the Samaritans believed in the full sense of the words use in the Gospel of John. Using the metaphor of the water and the well Jesus makes the same claim to her that He will give a living water that will bring eternal life. She does not know that this Jewish man before her was God in the flesh, that He would die a substitutionary death on a Roman cross, and then rise again on the third day. She simple believed in Him to keep His promise. His revealing of His knowledge about her was enough to convince her that when Jesus claimed to be the Messiah in v.26 she believed it and thus Jesus promise in v.14. In vv.28-29 she goes to share the news. When she asks the question to others, “…this is not the Christ, is it?” she is not indicating her personal doubt. Rather, she is encouraging others to find out for themselves and believe, which they did: vv.39-42.

Let me quote from Zane Hodges wonderful work Absolutely Free where he speaks of John 11:27:

But to believe that Jesus is the Christ – in John’s sense of the term – is to believe saving truth. It is, in fact, to believe the very truth that Martha of Bethany believed. To put it as simply as possible, Jesus was asking Martha whether she believed that He fully guaranteed the eternal destiny of every believer. That was the same as asking if this great truth applied to her as well! And Martha affirmed that it did by affirming her conviction about who He was. (39)

Who was He as “the Christ”? Simply, He was the only one who could guarantee her eternal life: “will never die.” This is the exact revealed fact about Jesus that must be believed to receive the free gift of unconditional eternal life. This is exactly what John says in his divinely inspired


purpose statement in John 20:31. Martha affirms that she is convinced that it is true that Jesus alone guarantees eternal life to all who will simply believe in Him – His promise – for that life. Look at John 4:42 where the now believing Samaritans state the basic fact of what they believe: “we…know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.”

Revelation 22:17 (NASB) 17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.

John 20:30-31

Some people claim that after the cross there is much more doctrine that must be believed in order to be saved (phase one). But, I take issue with that!

The Gospel of John was written late in the Apostle’s life; most conservative scholars place the date of its composition between A.D 85 – 95. This was long after the crucifixion and the resurrection and yet John does not give a list of doctrines anywhere to be believed to receive eternal life except the promise of Jesus. For example: John does not say anything about the doctrine of the substitutionary atonement of Jesus in his Gospel. He states that there are several “signs” (miracles, works of power) that point to who Jesus actually is – the divine Son of God, the Christ, the one who has the power and authority to grant eternal life, the one who can keep His promise. Why is that critical? So that one “by believing you may have life in His name.”

Just believing that Jesus is God does not save: what saves is to believe that Jesus is the Christ. John’s use of Christ, as we have seen, means He alone is the grantor and guarantor of eternal life. Anyone who believes that saving fact receives unconditional eternal life – he has believed that Jesus is the Christ.

Even without seeing any of the eight “signs” John presents in His Gospel, there were people who believed: John 1:35-50, 4:29, 42 (we looked at the references in John 4 above). Believing in the signs is not the issue; the issue is to believe in the one the signs point to who is Jesus and then to what Jesus promised which was and is eternal life.

So all the presentation of John, and all the references of Jesus to Himself being the one who gives eternal life, point toward one single proposition that must be believed: Jesus’ promise of eternal life.

Answering a potential objectionI can hear someone claim that I, and other free grace teachers, are stating that the presentation of Who Jesus is and what He did on the cross is unnecessary. As a matter of fact, some who believe in “check list” evangelism accuse people like Zane Hodges, Robert Wilkin, and many other biblical free grace men (such as myself) as teaching a “cross-less gospel.”

Again, let me quote Zane Hodges from a different writing:

“In the light of what we have just said, should we preach the cross of Christ? The answer to that is emphatically yes. And the most obvious reason for doing so is that this is what


Paul and the other Apostles did” (emphasis added). (“Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society,” Spring 2009, 112.)

He further writes

Are you ready for this? John never uses either word [euangelion, gospel, or euangelizein, to preach the gospel] in his Gospel. Why? Because, as I have already suggested, John makes the Person of Jesus, not a set of doctrines, the object of the faith that brings eternal life. Fundamentally he is trying to get people to believe in Jesus for their eternal salvation.

But this is precisely where preaching the cross becomes so important. Why should men trust Christ for eternal life? The gospel gives us the wonderful answer. They should do so because Jesus has bought their salvation at the cost of His own precious blood. And God has placed His seal on the work of the cross by raising Jesus from the dead. As Paul states: He “was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification” (Rom 4:25).

The preaching of the cross greatly facilitates the process of bringing men to faith in God’s Son. (112-113)

Students, listen closely: there may be many things a person may have to discuss with an unbeliever to bring them to the point of being convinced it is true that Jesus alone grant and guarantees eternal life. But the bottom line, or as Zane called it the “core issue,” is Jesus’ promise of eternal life. It may be that very little has to be shared if a person already has, as many in America do, some knowledge about Jesus already. Many know about His coming into the world (Christmas), His death on the cross, and His resurrection (Easter). In those cases the usual problem is that they fail to understand the core issue of the promise of unconditional eternal life by simple faith alone in Christ alone without any human effort or church rituals.

The preaching of the deity of Christ, His sinless humanity, His miracles, His going to the cross, the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ as payment for man’s sin, and His resurrection all are doctrines that will help bring a person to faith alone in Christ alone. Many other doctrines may also be of help to accomplish this goal.

However, to state that these things must be fully understood and believed before a person receives eternal life is simply not true.

When we talk to people about eternal life our goal should be to help them work through any issues, if any, that prevent them from believing in that Jesus alone gives eternal life to all who will believe in Him for that life.


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