The apostle Paul entered Athens almost nineteen hundred years ago. While preaching the Gospel of God in that Grecian city, many who heard him exclaimed, “…You are bringing some strange things to our ears…” (Acts 17:20). The apostle told them about the one true God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, as well as all that is in them – including man himself. The people of Athens were very religiously inclined. They attempted to worship God, but they were trying to worship God Whom they did not know. They were ignorant of the One True God. Hence, Paul told them, “…Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you” (Acts 17:23). They were sincerely worshipping God Whom they didn’t know. They didn’t know His will. They didn’t know how to worship God acceptably, as He revealed. Their worship was based on their own imaginations; they were following traditions they had learned from their parents or others. So, Paul told them they were worshipping God ignorantly. Hearing Paul preach the truth, they exclaimed, “You are bringing some strange things to our ears.”
Millions of people have the same attitude today for the truth of the Gospel. Today, many religious people, who believe the Bible to be the Word of God and who believe that Christ is the Savior and the Son of God, find it very strange when Gospel teaching is brought to their attention. They are astonished to learn that according to the teaching of the Bible, one is not saved simply by believing in Christ, by accepting Christ as one’s personal savior or by merely praying for salvation. Many preachers throughout the world for many years have been preaching these false doctrines of salvation, and millions of people have been deceived. They are deceived because they are ignorant of what the Bible teaches one must do to be saved from sins. Many people are honest, religious, sincere, God-fearing and Bible believing people. Yet, they have never checked or read from the Bible itself correctly about what the Bible teaches concerning salvation. They have simply heard what preachers or “Pastors” told them, and subsequently, they believed and followed false teaching. Unfortunately, millions are as deceived as those about whom we read in Matthew 7:21-23.
The Lord Jesus Christ taught, “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him – the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day” (John 12:48). The word of Christ or God will judge us all on the last day, rather than what a preacher or a “Pastor” said! Our souls are at stake. When it comes to the salvation of our souls, heed Jesus Christ rather than what some preacher says, which contradicts our Lord. Listen to what the author of salvation, Jesus Christ, has said about who will be saved. He said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). Some think, he who does not believe will be condemned. This is true, but the question is not, “Who will be condemned?” but, “Who will be saved?” “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” This is what the Bible teaches. It does not say that the one who believes only will be saved. If one believes only, the Bible says, “…Even the demons believe – and tremble!” (James 2:19). The next verse reads, “…Faith without works is dead.” The phrase “faith only” is found only once in the Scripture, where it says, “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only” (James 2:24).
A great multitude of people in Jerusalem came to believe the Gospel message of Christ when it was preached to them. Consequently, they asked the apostles, “…Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). They were told to “Repent, and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…” (Acts 2:38). If they had to repent and to be baptized for the remission of sins to be saved, why would anyone today expect any less to obtain salvation?
Does it sound strange to you? The Bible’s plan of salvation has not changed. It still reads the same as it did almost two thousand years ago. Men have changed God’s plan for salvation, as they have changed many other teachings of the Bible. Yet, Christ warned, “The word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.”
