Ironworks

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned.  Mark 16:16  Diagram           Mark 16:16 is one of many passages that confirm that baptism is one of the five steps in the Gospel Plan of Salvation that is applicable to all men. Some observations in the verse include the fact that both belief and baptism are coequals to be saved. The diagram below shows their correlation as well as the order of both belief and immersion for the purpose of salvation. Belief is an absolute prerequisite of baptism, and this is very well explained in the second section of the verse, for it is by disbelief that one is condemned. As noted before, it certainly takes more to be saved than to be condemned.  He____________________________________________________/shall be saved That______________________    /believeth                       ...

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth him that sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed out of death into life.” John 5:24 Basis of Belief      What do you do when you hear some form of information? You may accept it as factual, or you might not believe it at all. When we are young, we may not believe the stove is hot. In fact, possibly the orange glow of the burner or open flame is appealing to the eye and the warmth is a nice feeling on a cold day. However, if you chose to touch it, you will certainly be burnt and certainly believe what your mother may have warned you about. Belief is established when one is presented with truth and when we hear truth, we have the option to believe it or not.  Continuation of Belief      In matters of faith, belief is an integral part of God's plan for saving man. Last week I wrote about the fact that we must hear the good news. We must hear, but ...