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UNION GROVE CHURCH OF CHRIST, CLEVELAND TN. |
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Review of a Tract: "WHAT IS MEANT BY
SALVATION?" A few days ago the church here received a packet
in the mail in which there were a number of tracts and booklets that "The
Tract League" (evidently a denominational publishing company) had sent for
our consideration. We want to make some observations about one particular tract
they sent that is entitled What Is Meant By Salvation? First, the outward appearance of the tract is
itself pleasing to the eye. There was nothing "tacky" about the
quality of the printing, so the tract cannot be faulted for looking shabby. The
Lord’s church, while striving to work as economically as possible and not
waste His money or be extravagant, needs to put out written materials that do
not give the impression of being cheap or second rate. On the other hand, the
outward appearance of an object or activity does not tell the whole story. Eve
seems to have been pleased or impressed with the looks of the fruit of the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil, but look at the horrible mess she found
herself in when she dug into it (Genesis 3)! Second, the tract in question discusses an
important Bible topic. We cannot think of any topic that would be more relevant
than "salvation." God sent His Son for our salvation because it is His
will that all men be saved (1 Timothy 1:15; 2:4). It is certainly commendable
when people are thinking seriously about the salvation of man’s soul. But, we
must be careful to note that not everything men say and write about
"salvation" is in harmony with the Lord’s will. The tract under consideration has twelve
divisions in it. In nine of these there are quotations from the Bible. The
people who mailed this literature to us obviously were not ashamed of quoting
the word of God. They certainly cannot be faulted for quoting from the holy word
of Jehovah. How interesting and flabbergasting that in marked contrast to that,
some of our brethren speak on radio programs or publish bulletins and other
periodicals in which the Bible is rarely, if ever mentioned, let alone quoted!
However, this word of caution is in order: simply to quote the Bible does not
prove that the one who quotes it is saved, nor does it prove that he/she
properly interprets it. Satan quoted the Old Testament scriptures when he
tempted our Lord in the wilderness (Matthew 4:6; Psalm 91:11), but who wants to
credit the tempter with pleasing God or correctly using the word of God?!
Remember, there are some who pervert the gospel (Galatians 1:6-9), twisting or
wresting the scriptures "unto their own destruction" (2 Peter 3:16). Yes, the tract of which we are speaking, What
Is Meant By Salvation, "looks nice" to the physical eye, speaks of
a significant topic, and quotes verses from the Bible. But, there is much with
this tract, yea very much indeed, that is weighed in the balances and
"found wanting" (Daniel 4:27)! One of the quoted passages of Scripture
is 1 John 1:8,9, wherein we read, "If we say that we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness." We cannot argue with these statements, for they are the
words of the living God. However, it is completely out of place to quote them to
a non-Christian and encourage him to confess his sins with the hopes that such
will cause the Lord to blot out his sins. This is the very thing that this tract
does: it indicates that one who is not a child of God can be saved by confessing
his/her sins before the Lord. It is essential that we understand that the book
of 1 John, including the verses which speak of confessing sins, was written to
Christians. We easily see this from 1 John 2:12: "I write unto you, little
children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake." Those
to whom John wrote this epistle were saved, meaning they were already in Christ.
Thus, confession of sins in prayer to God (when coupled with genuine repentance,
Acts 8:21-23) is what God calls upon a Christian to do, not one who is
out of Christ. In view of this, the tract in question is off the mark, way off
the mark, in proposing that one who is unsaved can be cleansed of
unrighteousness simply by prayer and confession of sin. Another problem with this tract is its incomplete
information. For example, we are told, "Salvation is a gift, pure and
simple. God gives us salvation on the basis of what Jesus Christ has done for us
… We receive it by believing." In view of the Scriptures we cannot
dispute the fact that salvation is a gift (Ephesians 2:8,9). Nor can we argue
against the idea that man receives this gift or is justified "by
believing" (Romans 5:1). The tract again states, "Those who believe
are saved." Is salvation by faith? Absolutely (Ephesians 2:8; Acts 16:31).
But here is the problem: this tract, like so many that denominational groups
publish, makes it appear that salvation is by "faith only." The Bible
clearly declares that a person is not justified by faith only (James 2:24), but
by a faith which acts and obeys by love (Galatians 5:6). Now here is a tract entitled What Is Meant By
Salvation, and not one time is repentance mentioned. Of course
faith/believing is emphasized in it, but not one word about repentance! We do
not suggest that every tract on every topic must touch on the theme of
repentance. However, a tract that is supposed to tell one about salvation and
how to be saved from past sins ought to include all the necessary actions, and
repentance is certainly one of them! On the day of Pentecost Peter told the Jews
to repent in order to have the remission of sins (Acts 2:38), and Paul preached
repentance as a command of God (Acts 17:30). Any "appeal" to sinners
that does not include repentance is not complete. We could say the same thing about both confession
of faith in Jesus and water baptism. According to the New Testament these two
are also conditions of salvation for a person who is out of Christ, yet neither
of them is anywhere to be found in this tract on "salvation."
"… with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:10;
cf. Acts 8:37). Who could doubt that confession of faith in God’s Son is
essential? Baptism is also commanded for those who want to have their sins
washed away or be saved (Acts 22:16; Mark 16:16). But again, mention of baptism
in this tract is completely absent. So, once more this tract about salvation
comes up wanting, incomplete and deceptive. It does not tell God’s complete
story about what one must do in order to be saved.
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