first principles - coggc

First PrinciplesTwelve Bible Lessons on the Essential Doctrines of the Church of God by G. E. Marsh

Published by NATIONAL BIBLE INSTITUTION

Oregon, Illinois

Church of God General Conference: McDonough, GA, https://coggc.org/

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LESSON 1

LEARNING ABOUT GOD

Golden Text“That which may be known of God is man

ifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.”—Roni. 1:19.

I. Learning to Know God. The history of mankind begins and ends with God. It is important, then, that we should learn all that we can about Him and about His plans for us. Knowledge is obtained by observation, experience, and testimony. To come to a satisfactory understanding of God we must observe how He works in nature, in the lives of men, and with nations; we must experience within ourselves something of His presence and power ; and we must study the testimony of the inspired writers of the Bible concerning His nature, character, and purpose.

II. Some Things We Cannot Know About God. God is infinite, we are finite; therefore, there are some things we may not hope to know about Him, for our minds are not capable of grasping them. His being, im mortality, and infinite power and knowledge are all beyond our human comprehension. “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.”—Psa. 139:6. Study in this connection the entire passage, Psa. 139:1-13.

III. What We May Know About God Has Been Revealed. As we shall see in another lesson, God created man to be a worker with Him. In order that wo may carry on His work just as He has planned it God has revealed in the Bible much of His wonderful purposes for the world and its people. He has done this in two ways, first, in nature oi* the things He has made (Psa. 19:1-4; Rom. 1:19, 20; 10: 10-18) ; and, second, in the holy Scriptures

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Jesus is the “only

(2 Tim. 3:16, 17). But the revelation of Himself and of His will as it is made in the Bible is the more important because it brings God and His desires before us more clearly and definitely so that there is less possibility of misunderstanding.

Questions on the Subject. What is the first thing we ought to know about religion ? By what three methods may we learn about God? What are some of the things we cannot know about God ? Why can we not learn these things? How much docs God know about us? Why docs God want us to know His will?

LESSON 2THE HEAVENLY FATHER

Golden Text“One God and Father of all.”—Eph. 4:6.I. The One God. There is but one God.

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord thy God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”—Dent. 6:4, 5. Study Ex. 20:2, 3; Matt. 22:37, 38. God is one person, not two, three, or more persons having the same name. He sees, hears, knows, wills, and aits as one person. Study Ex. 3: 6, 15; 6:2, 3; 33:12-23; Isa. 43:10-13; 44: 6; 45:5; Rev. 21:3, 4.

II. Jesus Is Not God.begotten Son” of God (John 3:16); born of Mary by the will of God (Luke 1:30-35). “In all things . . . made like unto his brethren” (Hob. 2:17), He was sometimes hungry (Matt. 4:2); thirsty (John 19:28); tired (John 4: 6); sad, sorrowful, discouraged (John 11:35; Matt. 26:37, 38; 27:46); disappointed (John 1:11; Matt. 23:37); tempted like other men (Heb. 4:15) ; suffered (1 Pet. 4:1) ; died and was buried (1 Cor. 15:3, 4). All of His power, will, teaching, glory, and words came from

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LESSON 3

MORTAL OR IMMORTAL?Golden Text

“This mortal must put on immortality.”— 1 Cor. 15:53.

I. Who Are You? When I meet you and shake your hand, is it really “you” I see and hear and feel in the clasp of hands, or have I but come into contact with the house “you”

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God (John 5:30; 7:16; 8:50; 14:24). He said plainly, “My Father is greater than I.” —John 14:28. The Son of God showed Himself in all these ways to be a mortal man, and not almighty God.

III. Jesus Reveals the Heavenly Father. Men had known God as Creator (Gen. 1:1); Judge (Dcut. 10:17); death (Dan. 4:17) who disposes of heaven earth (Dent. 10:14; Psa. 115:16), and who limits the boundaries of nations (Dent. 32:8). Israel alone knew Him as a Father (Psa. 103: 13), but judged His fatherhood by their own human standards. Jesus alone was able to show men the conpassionate fatherhood of God in a way that they could understand. He who was the “express image” of the “person” (Hob. 1:3) of the “invisible God” (Col. 1:15), in thought and word and action, alone knew the Father so perfectly as to be able to “reveal him” (Luke 10:22) as the God of love (1 John 4:8) to mankind,

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Questions on the Subject. Is God revealed in the Bible as a “force” or as a “person”? What personal characteristics does He show? Is He a unit or a triune being? How do we know Jesus is not God? How does He reveal God?

Master of life and (Dcut. 32:39); universal Sovereign

and


Is this body of flesh and boneslive in?“you,” or is there a “you” within this body whom I cannot see? It all depends upon how God made us. Did He make a house, which we call the body, and then place the real person which is “you” in that house to live for a little while and then when death comes move on to other quarters? When Jesus had been raised from the dead, “alive for evermore” (Rev. 1:18), He declared His “glorious body” (Phil. 3:21) was not a “spirit,” but Himself. To prove that He was still a physical being He took fish and honey “and did cat before them” (Luke 24:36-43). It was “this same” bodily Jesus who later was taken up into heaven (Acts 1:11), and it is with the same physical form that He will return, “and every eye shall see him” (Rev. 1: 7).

II. How God Made Us. Psa. 139:14-16. “God created man in his own imago” (Gen. 1-27), or in harmony with His own design and purpose. The detailed record declares that “the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground” (Gen. 2:7), which names the “substance” which David said God saw. In another place he says that “like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord piticth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust” (Psa. 103: 13, 14). We are not by nature divine beings who cannot die, not that “which is spiritual, but that which is natural,” for “the first man is of the earth, earthy” (1 Cor. 15:46, 47). Pronouncing sentence upon Adam for his sin, God said, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return.”—Gen. 3:19. Such is man’s origin and nature. Study Job 4:17; 7:21; 17:13-16; 34:15; Psa. 22: 29; 104:29; Eccl. 3:20; 9:2-6; Ezek. 18:4,

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think ?

LESSON 4

•20; Rom. 5:12; 6:12, 23; 8:11; 1 Cor. 15: 53, 54.

Questions on the Subject, real person .’ body ’

GOD’S GREATEST GIFTGolden Text

“The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”—Roni. 6:23.

I. The Source of Life. Tn our last lesson we learned that God “formed man”—not what we call the “body” only, as distinguished from what is sometimes called the “soul,” but God formed the entire “man of the dust of the ground” (Gen. 2:7). But the man was without life and had no power to think or act, for “the dead know not anything” (Eccl. 9:5, 6). Though made in the form of a man, “the dust of the ground” was inanimate. In order that the man might live and think and act, God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Gen. 2:7). No new being had been created, but the man made of dust had been changed from a dead to a living soul or person. He was not “given” a “living soul,” but he “became” a living soul. God “who only hath immortality” (1 Tim. 6:16), or life within Himself, is the Source of life in all its forms, and can withdraw this priceless gift at any time, leaving its former possessor to “turn to dust again” (Eccl. 3:20). For the “soul” is not immortal (Ezek. 18:4).

II. L fe Everlasting. It being true that “all are of lie dust, and all turn to dust again”

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Is the body the What did Jesus say about His

Of what was man made’ Where does he go at. death? Can the soul die? Do dead men think? What brought death into the world?


our

LESSON 5THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Golden Text“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in

earth, as it is in heaven.”—Matt. 6:10.I. The Kingdom of God in the Past. From

the beginning of creation God has been the supreme Ruler of the world. “The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.”—Psa. 103:19. His authority extends over nature (Jer. 33:25),

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(Eccl. 3:20), if wc are to have life after death it must be that “the earth shall cast out the dead” (Isa. 26:19). In other words a resurrection must take place, as was the case with Jesus, who said, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore.”—Rev. 1:18. Jesus by His death and resurrection has proved that those who die may live again, for “now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first- fruits of them that slept” (1 Cor. 15:20). Our hope for OAfuture life rests then upon the resurrection of Christ, for when He comes again “all that arc in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:28, 29). Luke 20:35, 36. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ

Lord.”—Rom. 6:23. Study also 1 Cor. 15:1-58; 1 Thcss. 4:13-18; 1 John 5:9-12.

Questions on the Subject. Who is the source of life? How did God make man live? Was man given a soul ? Where do all go when they die? Is the soul immortal? On what does hope of future life depend? How and when will it be obtained


individuals (1 Sam. 16:3), and nations (Dan. 4:17; Rom. 13:1). With the calling of Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3) God laid the foundation of an earthly emp*ire over which lie was to exercise direct control, that should be to Him “a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation’’ (Ex. 19:5, 6). After He “had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he divided their land to them by lot. And after that, he gave unto them judges . . until Samuel the prophet” (Acts 13:19, 20). When they demanded a king “like all the nations” God said to Samuel their judge, “They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that T should not reign over them.”—1 Sam. 8:5-7. In response to their plea “God gave unto them Saul . . . And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king” (Acts 13:21. 22). Tn these appointments God showed Himself to be supreme Ruler, the throne being really “the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel” (1 Chron. 28:5; 29:23). At last when its kings forgot their allegiance to Him, He overturned the kingdom, declaring it should thus remain “until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him” (Ez.ek. 21:24-27).

II. The King Promised. God never forgets, and in fulfillment of a promise made to David (2 Sam. 7:16, 18, 19; Psa. 89:3, 4, 35-37), “when the fulness of the time was come” (Gal. 4:4) God sent an angel to Mary the virgin, saying, “Fear not, Mary.” Announcing the birth of Jesus, he said, “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”—Luke 1:26- 33. When Jesus was born the wise men came, “saying, Where is he that is born king of the Jews?” (Matt. 2:2). It was as “THE KING

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LESSON 6

“to it

OF THE JEWS” (Mark 15:26) that Jesus was crucified. Study Psa. 2:1-12; 72:1-20; Isa. 7:14; 9:6, 7; 11:1-7; Dan. 7:13, 14, 27.

Questions on the Subject. What earthly kingdom did God have in the past? What king has been promised for the future?

GLAD TIDINGS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Golden Text“He went throughout every city and vil

lage, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.”—Luke 8:1.

I. Tidings of Great Joy. The angel said, “Behold, 1 bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”—Luke 2:10, 11. As we have seen in past lessons, God once had a kingdom on the earth, but it was overturned because of the sins of its human rulers. God promised that sometime “I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and 1 will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: that the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called” (Acts 15:16, 17). With the birth of Jesus of the “house of his servant David” (Luke 1:69), the time had come for the fulfilling of that promise. God would establish a kingdom of righteousness (Psa. 72:7; Isa. 11:4; 2 Pct. 3:13) “under the whole heaven” (Dan. 7:27), under “Messiah the Prince” (Dan. 9:25), and shall the Gentiles seek” (Isa. 11:10), that they may be taught the way of righteousness (Isa. 26:9), peace (Isa. 2:2-4), and prosperity (Isa. 65:21-25). See Psa. 72:8; Hob. 2:14.

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LESSON 7THE RESTITUTION

Golden Text“He shall send Jesus Christ, which before

was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.”—Acts 3:20, 21.

I. Man’s Dominion Over the Earth. As has been seen in previous lessons the earth God has “given to the children of men” (Psa. 115: 16) for their everlasting possession (Psa.

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li. The Glad Tidings Demonstrated. The golden text (Luke 8:1) says that Jesus both preached and showed “the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.” See Matt. 4:17; Mark 1: 14, 15. He gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, strength to the cripples, illustrating the way in which disease would be eradicated when the kingdom should come (Isa. 35:3-6). He stilled the storm (Mark 4:39), and killed the fig tree with a word (Matt. 21:19), showing the way in which nature will be controlled in the kingdom (Psa. 72:16; Isa. 35: 1, 2; Joel 2:21-27; Zech. 10:1; 14:16-19). lie fed the hungry (Matt. 14:15-21), showing how none should lack bread in the kingdom of God (Psa. 72:4, 12-14). He drove out the money changers from the temple (Mark 11: 15-17), showing how the world-wide kingdom would be cleansed from all sin (Isa. 11:5-9; Mai. 3:2-4).

Questions on the Subject. Why did Jesus’ birth bring joy to all people? Over what kingdom is He to rule? How extensive will it be? How did Jesus “shew” the nature of the coming kingdom ? When will the kingdom be established?


37:11, 18). It was for this purpose that man was created, that he might have dominion over the earth and its fullness (Gen. 1:26; 2:5, 7, 8, 15). There is no hint in the record of his creation that God intended man for other than an earthly destiny. In order that man might serve Him intelligently God endowed him with reasoning powers that he might comprehend something of the duty that was required of him, and also that he might know what to avoid as being out of harmony with the divine will (Gen. 2:17, 19, 20; 3:9-19).

II. Lost Through Sin. Among the results of the disobedience of Adam and Eve was the loss of a perfect home (Gen. 2:8, 9; 3:23, 24), the cutting off of access to the tree of life (Gen. 2:9) lest sinners should live forever (Gen. 3:22), with the consequent introduction of death into the world (Rom. 5:12), and the appearance of thorns and thistles to make the labor of gaining a livelihood more difficult (Gen. 3: 19, 20).

III. The Great Restoration. Christ is to.be the mighty Restorer of all that was lost through the sin of Adam, and much more than that, He is to bring about a condition in which the disasters wrought by sin can never be repeated. The Eden-like state will bo restored (Ezck. 36:34-36), the curse pronounced upon the ground (Gen. 3:17) removed (Rev. 22:3), the tree of life shall again flourish (Rev. 22:2), sin shall disappear (2 Pet. 3: 13), the fruitfulness of the earth ■wonderfully increase (Psa. 72:16; Isa. 35:1, 2, 7; Amos 9:13, 14), the bloodthirsty character of beasts change (Isa. 11:6-9), security be established (Isa. 65:17-25; Micah 4:4), and all pain, sorrow, and death be no more (Rev. 21:3-5). Study Matt. 8:23-27; Mark 11:12-14, 20-23.

Questions on the Subject. What docs “restitution” mean? For what purpose was man created? Is there anything in the record of

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LESSON 8

his creation that would indicate his final destiny is to be other than on the earth ? What was lost through sin? What will be restored by Christ?

THIS SAME JESUS Golden Text

“This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”—Acts 1:11.

I. The Necessity of the Lord’s Coming. The first coming of the Messiah was in preparation for the second. God is now engaged in taking out from among all nations “a people for his name” (Acts 15:14-17) to assist the King of kings in His work of establishing the kingdom throughout the world. Those who suffer with Him “shall also reign with him” (2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 3:21; 5:9, 10; 20:6; 22:5). He must come to “put all enemies under his feet,” and as “the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:25, 26), one of the great purposes of His return is the con ' quest of death by a resurrection. Study John 5:28, 29; 1 Thess. 4:13-18. Ho must come to regather scattered Israel (Gen. 49: 10); to judge the nations (Matt. 25:31-33; Joel 3:12); “to bring in everlasting righteousness” (Dan. 9:24). Study Isa. 2:2-4.

II. The Coming One. “For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.”—Heb. 10:37. “He that shall come” is the same Jesus who once was here. He “who went about doing good . . . for God was with him” (Acts 10:38). Ho who healed the sick (Matt. 8:5-17), gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, the power to speak to the dumb, and life to the dead (Matt. 11:5; John 11:43, 44), is coming again! The

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LESSON 9

THE MEANING OF FAITHGolden Text

“Wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?”—James 2:20.

same Jesus who loved little children (Mark 10:13-10), and respected motherhood (John 19:25-27), is the One who is to come! One who understands all of the temptations with which men meet (Heb. 4:15), who sympathizes with them in sorrow (John 11:35), whose love for them has been proven beyond any possibility of doubt (John 15:13, 14; Born. 5:8), is coming back to this earth. Those who are His through faith and obedience, whether they arc living (1 Cor. 15:50-53) or dead (1 Thess. 4:15, 16; John 6:39, 40), when lie comes will “be like him” (1 John 3: 2, 3), for He shall change their vile bodies and make them like His own glorious body (Phil. 3:20, 21), and they shall be forever more with Him (1 Thess. 4:17; Col. 3:4; Bev. 22:3).

Questions on the Subject. What are some of the reasons for the Lord’s second coming? What were some of the characteristics of Jesus which He had when He was first here, and which He will have when He comes again?

I. The Power of Faith. The Bible provides the best, definition of faith we have: “Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1, A. R. V.), i. e., faith is the power that makes future rewards present and real to those who believe. Abraham “staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory’ to God; and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform” (Rom. 4:20, 21). Be-

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Study

lieving thus firmly that “with God all things are possible’* (Matt. 19:26), Abraham was moved to immediate and fearless action, and offered up Isaac his son upon the altar (James 2:21-23). It was because he sealed his faith with works that his faith “was imputed to him for righteousness” (Rom. 4:22; Gen. 22:15- 18). It is a similar assurance that God “shall send Jesus Christ” (Acts 3:20) back to earth to reward all who trust in Him (John 11:25, 26) with everlasting life that men and women of faith arc moved to complete obedience in Christian work.

II. Faith Is Belief in Action. “Without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewardcr of them that diligently seek him.”—Hob. 11:6. A confidence in the being and goodness of God, based on knowledge of His past faithfulness aud an intelligent understanding of His promises for the future, constitutes the foundation of acceptable faith, and such knowledge is provided in the gospel of the kingdom of God. Study Rom. 1:16, 17; 10:9-17; Acts 8:5, 12; 13:14-41; 28:23, 24, 30, 31. There is no other basis for saving faith provided in tho Scriptures than that found in the gospel preached by Jesus and the apostles.Gal. 1:6-12. Moved by confidence in the truth of the gospel, we willingly present our bodies with all their forces and powers “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God” (Rom. 12: 1), devoting all our energies to the cultivation of the “fruit of the Spirit” (Gal. 5:22- 25). Study Matt. 12:33; Rom. 6:22; 7:4; Gal. 5:6; Eph. 5:8-11.

Questions on the Subject. In what lies the power of faith? Why docs faith lead to action? Docs the gospel provide an adequate basis for saving faith? Is there more than one gospel of divine power?

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LESSON 10REPENTANCE

Golden Text“Dcspisest thou the riches of his goodness

and forbearance and longsufl’ering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadol h thee to repentance?”—Rom. 2:4.

I. What Is Repentance? Among the many definitions given in the dictionaries for repentance are the following: “To feel such sorrow for sin as leads to amendment of life; to seek forgiveness for sin, with determination to lead a new life.” “Two kinds of repentance arc recognized in the New Testament: ‘godly sorrow (which) worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of,’ and ‘the sorrow of the world (that) worketh death* (2 Cor. 7:9, 10).” The sorrow of the world over sin is produced through no sense of God’s goodness or mercy, but through fear of punishment to follow. See Matt. 27:3-8. True repentance that leads to divine pardon comes through faith in the gospel, which reveals God’s mercy and grace toward the sinner, and causes him to realize the enormity of his transgressions and to humbly seek to change his course of conduct that it may henceforth conform to the standard of righteousness exemplified by Christ. Study John 14:23, 24. True repentance begins with a change of mind toward God, Christ, and the gospel, and leads to a complete change in moral and spiritual conduct.

II. Repentance Necessary to Salvation. Repentance is the second of three steps that lead to union with Christ. The first is faith in the gospel, and the third is baptism into Christ “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). It was the assurance that the “kingdom of heaven is at hand” that caused John the Baptist

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to call upon the .Tews (who already believed in the kingdom and in a coming Messiah) to “repent” (Matt. 3:1, 2). When John’s work as the forerunner of Christ was finished, “Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1: 14, 15). The same appeal was made by the apostles to the Jews on the day of Pentecost when their awful sin of causing the death of Christ was brought home to them (Acts 2:30-40).

Questions on the Subject. What is the difference between worldly sorrow for sin and the repentance required in the Bible? In. what does true repentance consist? Why is repentance necessary to salvation?

LESSON 11BAPTISM

Golden Text“Repent, and be baptized every one of you

in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.”—Acts 2:38.

I. The Symbolical Value of Baptism. Baptism provides an impressive symbol of the essential elements of Christian teaching. It points first of all to Jesus Christ, “the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:2), who bears a name that is above “every name that is named” (Eph. 1:20-23), of whom it is said that “neither is there salvation in any other” (Acts 4:12). Baptism exalts the name of Christ, for it is performed in Ilis name (Acts 2:38; 8:5,12,16; 10:48; 19:5; 22: 16). Baptism pictures the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12), which make one of the most vital facts of the gospel (1 Cor. 15:3,4). Baptism declares that

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Questions on the Subject. What is the symbolical meaning of baptism? To what matters of hope does it point? How does it glorify the name of Christ? Why is baptism necessary?

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“Christ died for our sins,” and “was raised again for our justification” (Rom. 4:25). Tn the act of baptism one professes his death to sin and his resurrection to righteousness (Rom. 6:4-7). Water being a cleansing element, baptism illustrates the purifying power of Christ. Study Eph. 5:25-27; Tit. 3:3-7.

II. The Importance of Baptism. Baptism is important in that it comprises one of the conditions of salvation laid down by Christ (Mark 10:16), who names it as something as necessary as faith in the gospel. One cannot be a Christian and not be obedient to Christ (John 14:23; Matt. 28:20). Christ commanded water baptism; therefore, to be a Christian one must be baptized. To denj’ its importance is to deny the authority of the Lord. Baptism is essential to salvation because Peter declares that ‘baptism doth also now save us” (1 Pet. 3:21). Baptism seals or completes our union with Christ, making us one in Him (Gal. 3:26-28), individual members of His body (1 Cor. 12:12-14, 27; Eph. 5:30), and as such wc are joint heirs with Him of the promises made to Abraham (Gal. 3:29), and inheritors of the riches of God (Rom. 8:17). The union with Christ established in baptism is eternal (1 Thcss. 4:14, 17; 5:9, 10). Tn baptism we confess our complete dependence upon Christ for future life. In a figure we are placed in our graves with Christ, and brought out of our graves with Him.


LESSON 12

THE CONDITIONS OF SALVATION

Golden Text

“When they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.”—Acts 8:12.

I. Faith As a Condition of Salvation. “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”— Eph. 2:8. No man could win for himself by any means the salvation which comes through “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3) in the gospel by Jesus Christ. It is a faith that “cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17, A. R. V.). It is only by the grace of God that it has been made known to mankind. Study John 7:16, 17; 8:28; Gal. 1:11,12. Saving faith is something to be preached, received, believed, and remembered, and is called “the gospel” (1 Cor. 15:1,2). The gospel upon which faith rests includes “the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 8:12). Faith is thus seen to mean that which is believed and the conviction or assurance of the believer of its truth.

II. Baptism As a Condition of Salvation. Baptism, being the seal of faith, must follow an intelligent belief in the gospel to be of any efficacy. Observe the order suggested in Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:15,16; Acts 2:37,38,41; 8:5,12,35-38; 22:10-16. The necessity for baptism to follow faith nullifies the value of infant baptism, for small children cannot exercise an intelligent faith in the gospel.

III. Service As a Condition of Salvation. It is but “a reasonable service” that we should

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present our “bodies a living sacrifice . . . unto God’’ (Boni. 12:1), for such is the purpose of our calling Each one called by the gospel is called to a life of service in harmony with God’s will. Study 1 Cor. .12:1-18; Eph. 4:1-16.

IV. Overcoming As a Condition of Salvation. “He that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: . . . and I will give him the morning star.”—Rev. 2:26-29. The follower of Christ must avoid even the appearance of evil in conduct before the world if ho would reap the reward of the faithful. Study 1 Thess. 5:22; Rom. 14:12-23; 1 Cor. 10:32,33; Gal. 5:22-24; Eph. 2:10; 5:6-11; Titus 2:1-15; 3:8; Matt. 5:16.


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