Nothing Required of Me?

Today there are many preachers in the wider religious world who teach salvation by grace only. They say that I cannot possibly be saved except through the grace of God and that nothing at all is required of me because I am not able to save myself. They proclaim that remission of sins is a gift of grace, given to me “free and clear” by Jesus Christ the Son of God. They conclude by declaring how all I have to do is believe in Jesus’ power to take away my sins.

Wait a minute. If the preacher is urging me to believe in the Lord’s power to take away my sins, then that’s already one thing that is required! The most well-known verse in the Bible records, “whoever believes in Him should not perish” (Jn. 3:16). It is necessary then that I believe to avoid perishing. Soon after, there is another verse pointing to this truth, “he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (Jn. 3:18). God has said in His word that I will be condemned (judged and separated, as those who will not enter Heaven) if I do not believe in Jesus. It is required that I believe. This doesn’t mean I earn salvation through belief, but it cannot be viewed as optional. Belief is mandatory if I want to have eternal life in Christ. This is important information! Is it possible there’s more God requires of me?

In the same way that John 3 teaches concerning some who will be condemned, Luke 13 presents the truth about some who will perish. The term used describes being destroyed utterly, and it is attached to another of God’s conditions. “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Lk. 13:3). It is necessary that I repent (to change). Even while believing in Jesus, if I refuse to repent, I will perish. That is the message of God’s word (Mt. 4:17; Lk. 24:47; Acts 3:19). Repentance cannot earn me my salvation, yet it is clearly something else which God requires me to do in order to go to Heaven.

Matthew 10 details another way in which I could be rejected by God. “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Mt. 10:32-33). These and other verses teach that publicly acknowledging Christ and His authority is required for salvation (Rom. 10:9-10; 1 Jn. 4:2-3). I could believe and repent, but so long as I refuse to confess Christ, I will still die in my sins. The Bible doesn’t teach that I deserve to be cleansed of my sins if I confess Christ, but it does show God demands it of me.

Acts 2 records an inspired answer concerning having my sins taken away. “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). The teaching of God’s grace reveals the importance of baptism (Mk. 16:16; 1 Pet. 3:21). At the point of baptism, I am being united with Christ’s death (Rom. 6:3-5), putting Him on (Gal. 3:27), being raised with Him through faith in the working of God (Col. 2:12), and being added to the one body (1 Cor. 12:13). Biblical baptism is not about working to earn my salvation from God. I don’t deserve remission of sins, even if I am baptized! Rather it is about submission to God’s authority.

Multitudes of preachers may say nothing at all is required of me, but Jesus disagrees. The message of salvation by grace only is not Biblical. Based on what we’ve seen regarding belief, repentance, and confession – is it really such a stretch to say that God requires me to be baptized to be saved?