Can you please share with me your thoughts (in accordance to scripture) when it comes to some who preach and sometimes don’t mention the Plan of Salvation (H,B,R,C,B) at the end of their sermons? I notice some preachers don’t do it often, or only mention a few steps (which do include Baptism), though I know they believe in all the steps of salvation.
The apostle Peter extended an invitation in the first recorded Gospel sermon (Acts 2:38). Note, though, that the audience to whom he spoke on that occasion was comprised mostly of Jewish, non-Christians, and still Peter did not give the complete plan of salvation discernible from the New Testament. We can say, however, that the apostle gave his audience that day the information about salvation that they specifically needed; Peter took his audience from where they were in their journey to salvation to where they needed to go. It was obvious that those on that Pentecost day who inquired, “…Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37) following the affirmation by Peter that they had crucified the Son of God (Acts 2:36) already believed Jesus to be the Son of God (John 8:24). In addition, the question posed by the audience was itself a public acknowledgement of their confidence that Jesus was the Christ (Romans 10:9-10). Hence, Peter told the audience what they lacked yet: “…Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…” (Acts 2:38). So, in the very first recorded occasion of Gospel preaching on the birthday of the church, a partial explanation of the biblical plan of salvation was uttered rather than the complete plan of salvation.
On another occasion, the apostle Peter spoke to Gentiles, and after preaching Jesus, he commanded them to be baptized (Acts 10:48). Just as on the birthday of the church in Acts 2, the context implies that the auditors of the Gospel message accepted the other parts of the plan of salvation (e.g., faith, repentance, etc.), and they needed to be compelled to render their obedience to the Gospel (Hebrews 5:9; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9) respecting what they lacked yet. Still other occasions on which in the New Testament the plan of salvation is given, it was spoken to individuals rather than to an assembly. Yet, in each instance, the plan of salvation uttered was what the person or persons needed to hear in their journey to salvation (e.g., Acts 8:22, erring Christian).
Accordingly, the 3,000 of Acts 2 were instructed to repent and to be baptized. The Ethiopian treasurer was told to believe, profess Jesus Christ as the Son of God and be baptized (Acts 8:35-39). Saul of Tarsus was commanded to be baptized (Acts 9:17-18; 22:6-16). Cornelius and those with him were told to believe (Acts 10:43), repent (Acts 11:18) and be baptized (Acts 10:48). The Jailer was instructed to believe and be baptized (Acts 16:27-34), whereas Lydia was told to be baptized (Acts 16:13-15). In each case, the candidates for conversion were told what they needed to hear to lead them to be baptized, since Bible baptism (which is immersion or a burial, Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12) is for the remission or forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16), and it is the point in the New Testament’s plan of salvation where a soul passes from being lost in sins to being saved from his or her sins (1 Peter 3:21).
The purpose of preaching is to inform and convince listeners respecting the Word of God (Nehemiah 8:8). As such, usually sermons ought to call upon the audience to act upon the information presented from God, and for non-Christians and erring Christians, there is no more important action than obeying the Gospel of Christ. Still, what the speaker presents by way of invitation on any particular occasion is a personal judgment call based perhaps on his knowledge of those gathered. Personally, few would be the instances in which I would not offer an invitation at the conclusion of a sermon, because since I do not have omniscience, I could not know for sure who needed to obey the Gospel and who was in a saved relationship at that very moment with God. I fear that some preachers do not extend the Lord’s invitation because they are ashamed of the Gospel (Romans 1:16).
