Salvation

In order to be saved one must believe in Him with all one's heart as Romans 10:9-10 teaches. One must confess Him Sovereign of one's life in sincerity (for what good does it do to call Him "Lord" but not do what He says, Matthew 7:21-23). Then one must be baptized for the remission of sins, as Mark 16:16 and Acts 2:38-41 proclaim (1 Peter 3:21).

This is not simply immersion into a body of water; it is immersion into the Body of Messiah. The German translation of Galatians 3:27 is vivid - we slip into His skin. The Body, or "community of believers" becomes one's residence, one's family, one's entire way of life.

The Holy Spirit must come upon a man to give him faith to believe, for it is by grace that we are saved. This comes about by preaching the good news, which must be obeyed, as the King James plainly says in Romans 10:16. This good news consists of the words Messiah spoke, as found in all four gospels. His words and deeds formed the basis for the initial preaching of the gospel, not the letters of Paul, Peter, John, etc. Those letters were written to correct problems and explain the teachings to churches that were rapidly falling away from their first love.

This salvation and its cost must be clearly explained to anyone who desires it. Its cost is high, including but not limited to one's own possessions, one's good standing among one's friends, and all that makes up one's own life, as Luke 9:23-26, Luke 14:25-33, and parallel passages make clear. We believe the apostles labored to explain all these things in the "many other words" of Acts 2:40. You can tell by how they gave up everything for the sake of love, to bring glory to His name, so that there were no needy in their midst. This was in fulfillment of the words of that great prophet, Moses, in Deuteronomy 15:4.

The man who sees the "pearl" joyfully gives up all the things our Master pointedly mentions in His gospels. Such joy in believing and obeying, even His hardest words, is in fact a sign of true faith. It is not that the life of a disciple is never hard or difficult; the scriptures make it plain that much suffering comes to those who are learning obedience. But to surrender all is joy to him who has found the treasure hidden in the field, the pearl of great price, the Savior of his soul.