Putting Souls in Danger

admin
August 3, 2023

I was recently talking with one of my denominational friends who told me that I, “was wrong about what I believe.” Now to be fair, he wasn’t being hateful about it. In fact, he was very kind and sort of joking about it, so I smiled and rolled my eyes at him when he said it. He and I have had many religious conversations and he is very aware of where I stand concerning the doctrines of baptism and remaining faithful. But his comment got me thinking about “being wrong.” That’s an important point!

So, how does one determine what doctrine is right or wrong? When it comes to spiritual things, I believe the only way to determine that is by allowing the Bible to provide the answer. In this case, the answer has to do with the salvation of the soul, one’s eternal destiny. Thus, here is an easy way to determine what is right or wrong, simply ask the question, “Which position puts a soul in danger?” The Bible gives us plenty of information on it.

The Necessity of Baptism
My friend believes in baptism, but he doesn’t think it is necessary for salvation (I still don’t really understand how someone gets to that point). I believe what the Bible says, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38, 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21). So, which position puts a soul in danger?

If I get to heaven and find out that baptism wasn’t necessary for salvation, what have I truly lost? Nothing. The Bible clearly says one must be baptized. It also gives us plenty of examples of conversions with baptism. So, I am not adding to or taking away anything from the word of God. If it isn’t necessary to be saved, well then, I just simply got wet because I still believed, repented, and confessed Jesus in the salvation process. In the end, it won’t affect the destiny of the soul nor put it in danger. I have still fulfilled the Lord’s command.

But if my friend is wrong, he has everything to lose because he did not fulfill all the commands of God. He in fact, deducted something from the Bible that it clearly talks about and demonstrates. His position puts one’s soul in danger because they are missing that final step that God commanded. Worse, there will be no way to remedy the problem once we all are standing before the Judgment throne of God! (Revelation 20:12)

Once Saved Always Saved
My friend also believes that one cannot lose their salvation. In other words, he believes you are eternally secure once you have submitted to Christ. I believe that even if you obey the Gospel, you can still “fall from grace” (Gal 5:4; Heb 6:6), and your soul can be in danger if you do not remain faithful (Revelation 2:10).

Again, what danger to the soul have I caused by saying one must remain obedient to God their whole life? I am not saying one is doing works to earn their salvation. I am saying you must simply always love God and your neighbor in obedience to His commands if you want to arrive in heaven. If I get to heaven and God says, “You were eternally secure from the moment you obeyed the Gospel,” what have I lost? Nothing.

If my friend is wrong about “once saved, always saved” and someone didn’t take remaining faithful seriously, what have they lost? They have lost the opportunity of their soul entering heaven (Matt 7:21-23).

So, who is right and who is wrong? How about we let God decide through His inspired word?