Are Works Essential for Christian Salvation

One of the great dangers we all face in Bible study is taking a passage, isolating it from all the rest of scripture, and making it teach a doctrine it was never meant to teach.  One such passage is Eph. 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (NKJV)  We read that and immediately conclude that works are not essential for Christian salvation.  The only problem with that is that it is incorrect.

There is a vast difference between saying we are not saved by works (which is true as stated in the passage--one cannot earn his way to heaven) and saying works are not essential to salvation (saying one can sit back in his easy chair, sip tea, never raise a finger of obedience, and be saved).  The very next verse coming after the Eph. 2:8-9 passage, verse 10, reads, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (NKJV)

The individual who takes Eph. 2:8-9 as eliminating the need for good works is saying that even though we were "created in Christ Jesus for good works" we do not need to do them.  God will save us without them.  That is like saying in the parable of the vine and the branches (John 15) that one can be a branch that does not bear fruit and still be saved yet Jesus said, "every branch in me that does not bear fruit he (God--DS) takes away." (John 15:2 NKJV)  It is like saying in the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30) that one need not use his talent for God will not "cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness" (Matt. 25:30 NKJV) contrary to what Jesus said.

I was recently reading Matt. 25 talking about the judgment scene to come on the last day, the Day of Judgment.  The reading begins in Matt. 25:31 and continues through verse 46, the end of the chapter.  While it is too long to quote here I will summarize it for you.  Jesus is separating the sheep from the goats, the righteous from the unrighteous.  What are the criteria being used to make the judgment?  Works!

Did you feed the hungry?  Did you give a drink to the thirsty?  Did you take in the stranger who needed a place to go?  Did you clothe the naked?  Did you visit the sick and the imprisoned?  The righteous did these things and entered into eternal life.  The unrighteous did not do these works and their place of abode is described as "everlasting punishment" (Matt. 25:46 NKJV).  They are called "cursed" and told to depart "into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels." (Matt. 25:41 NKJV)

In the book of Romans, a book that talks much about justification by faith, we are told that on the Day of Judgment God "'will render to each one according to his deeds':  eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality." (Rom. 2:6-7 NKJV)  "Glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good." (Rom. 2:10 NKJV)  Are works involved in one's salvation?  Sounds like it to me.

James says, "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (James 2:26 NKJV)  Is a man saved, can a man be saved by dead faith?  To ask is to answer.

Has God not given us works to do?  Was Jesus the only one required to work the works of God?  Peter said while at Cornelius' house, "In every nation whoever fears him (God--DS) and works righteousness is accepted by him." (Acts 10:35 NKJV)  Christianity is not just what you believe but also what you do and/or fail to do as the case may be.

In Matt. 7 we have Jesus speaking and making a contrast between the one who "hears these sayings of mine and does them" (Matt. 7:24 NKJV) and the one or ones "who hears these sayings of mine and does not do them" (Matt. 7:26 NKJV).  The difference is between a house that stands and one that falls, "And great was its fall." (Matt. 7:27 NKJV)  The difference between standing versus a great fall was doing.

Christianity is not just about what one believes.  Many have been led astray, swallowed false doctrine, and have become convinced that salvation is all about what they believe and very little about what they do or don't do.  Obedience is called into question by some as being salvation by works.  They are convinced they can disobey God or ignore his commands without consequence and receive salvation as long as they mentally believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

What James wrote ought to dispel that notion, "You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only." (James 2:24 NKJV)  James goes so far as to say, "Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." (James 4:17 NKJV)  Sin is the thing that condemns us and keeps us out of heaven.  To do good (James 4:17) is to do works.  The faith that saves is a very active faith involved in the continual doing of good.  It is by works that faith is made perfect (James 2:22).  "Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." (James 2:17 NKJV)

The faith that saves is the faith that avails which is “faith working through love.” (Gal. 5:6 NKJV)  Are Christians to be servants?  If so does that involve service or works?  Do you think a Christian who will not serve or be a servant will be saved? 

We all know we cannot work our way to heaven, "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration (baptism--DS) and renewing of the Holy Spirit," (Titus 3:5 NKJV) but when the faith we hold is a faith that leads us to disobedience rather than to obedience we ought to realize this is not the same faith held by Peter, James, John, Paul, and the other writers of the New Testament.

It is possible to "have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge." (Rom. 10:2 NKJV)  A person who believes he can and will be saved by faith alone, pure mental assent alone, with no need to concern oneself with obeying commandments, is just as deeply in error as the man who believes he can do enough good works and obey perfectly enough to be saved.  Both hold and believe error.

I know as well as you that we are saved by the grace of God, the blood of Jesus, by faith, by gospel obedience, etc., but I also know we cannot be saved without works, works of obedience.  If so, if we can, Jesus was unjust in his judgment of those in Matthew 25 who failed to provide food, drink, clothing, etc. for those in need.  If one can be saved without works then Jesus did not judge justly in Matthew 25 and James is a false teacher.  It is really that simple.

I close with this, Jesus is “the author of eternal salvation to all who obey him.” (Heb. 5:9 NKJV)  We cannot obey him without doing the works he set out for us to do.  

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Keep Your Heart with all Diligence

If you are like me you were always a little fearful in your youth, in your immaturity, that you were perhaps not normal.  That is to say, you struggled being the person you ought to be and like Eve desired forbidden things from time to time and the thought came to your mind that is not normal, not normal for those who want to do what is right and be a good person.  Perhaps you got to the point where you questioned your heart.  Maybe you just had a bad heart.  Maybe you were just a little more depraved than others.  Since it is not possible to look inside another individual and see what they are inside (“For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?” 1 Cor. 2:11 NKJV) you doubted yourself.

As I grew older in life I came to realize we are all pretty much the same.  “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” (Gal. 5:17 NKJV)  I think the TEV translation of the last phrase of this verse nails the meaning.  It says, “This means that you cannot do what you want to do.”  So, I have not been the only one.  You must have had the same problem.

Yes, life is a struggle to do what is right and refrain from sin.  Perhaps this is why I get upset with Christians of a liberal bent.  They come across to me as saying “You go ahead and struggle, I am depending on God’s grace.”  Translated that means I will do in my life what I want and let God’s grace cover me in the end.  We are supposed to “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Tim. 6:12 NKJV) and have been given a sword (the word of God--Eph. 6:17) and a shield (faith--Eph. 6:16).  Where is the fight in liberal Christianity (a misnomer)?  Paul said he had “fought the good fight.” (2 Tim. 4:7 NKJV)  It is a cop-out to live as you want, not being overly concerned about doing wrong (sinning), feeling that grace will take care of it all.  It is a bad attitude toward God.  But, I digress. 

In the book of Proverbs, chapter 23 verse 7, we read of man, “As he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (NKJV)  Make no mistake about it--our struggle is with our hearts within.  “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.  These are the things which defile a man.” (Matt. 15:19-20 NKJV)  Take special care here to notice that the first sin Jesus lists is “evil thoughts.”  Paul says we are to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Cor. 10:5 NKJV) 

We are even told what to think about.  “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.” (Philippians 4:8 NKJV)

No wonder Solomon wrote, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” (Prov. 4:23 NKJV)  The TEV translates this in a way that makes it even clearer, “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.”  How true it is.  How many times in our lives have we heard the words “If you think you can, you can?”  Everything we do in life first begins with a tiny thought that grows and matures.  A seed is sown in our hearts by something we have seen, heard, read, or experienced and a thought begins to take shape as we begin the thought process.  That eventually leads to action.  I do not know of anything we do where there has not first been the thought that then led us to act.  Yes, we sometimes act instinctively but I think the reader realizes I am not talking about those kinds of things.

We say, myself included, it is so hard to control our thoughts and I agree it is but God would not give a command if we could not do it, do it at least to a major degree.  The thought comes to mind from the book of James (James 3:1-10) where we are instructed to control our tongue but it is also said that no man can tame it.  I believe James is telling us we are commanded to give it our very best shot.  The same is likely true with our thoughts.

It is hard to see how a person could be tempted without going through a thought process.  What is the difference between an evil thought and a temptation?  James says, “Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.  Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” (James 1:14-15 NKJV)  Paul, like James, in 1 Cor. 10:13 teaches that temptation itself is not a sin.  “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (NKJV)  Please note that Paul says temptation is “common to man.”  That means, of course, that you and I are not alone when it comes to being tempted by evil.

Temptation while not a sin can lead to sin.  On the other hand, evil thoughts are sinful in themselves (Matt. 15:19-20).  The difference seems to be what we do with the negative or evil thought that enters our mind (heart).  If it is transient it would seem to fall into the category of being only a temptation.  If it remains in the heart and we mull it around in our minds and do not let go of it but entertain it finding some satisfaction in doing so then it would seem to pass into the realm of sinful thought.  At least that is the only explanation I can see.  You will have to decide for yourself.

Perhaps a few Bible examples would help us out.  I was recently reading of the account of Achan’s sin in Joshua 7:20-21.  The Bible says, “And Achan answered Joshua and said, ‘Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done:  When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them.” (NKJV)  We are aware of temptation when it occurs.  Achan knew he was being tempted but rather than immediately running away from the temptation what did he do?  He entertained the thought in his heart, gave it thought as to taking the items, and ended up doing so.

David’s sin with Bathsheba is another example.  David’s adultery began when he saw the naked Bathsheba and began to think about it in his heart, to dwell on it.  He was not keeping his heart with all diligence nor did Achan.  One who did keep his heart and reacted properly was Joseph.  Joseph like David was tempted to engage in sexual sin.  We find the account in Gen. 39.  His master’s wife was after Joseph day after day to lie with her as Gen. 39:7 and 10 puts it.  Joseph, however, unlike David, did not entertain the thought in his heart. 

One who kept his heart with all diligence as did Joseph was Daniel.  The Bible says of Daniel in Daniel 1:8, “Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies … ". (NKJV)  Later it is said to Daniel, by a heavenly visitor in a vision, “O Daniel, man greatly beloved … Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard.” (Dan. 10:11-12 NKJV)  A man has some control over his heart.  We are not forced to be what our fleshly nature leads us to be.

How a man reacts to a situation where he is tempted depends on how he has prepared his heart.  David was at heart a good man but he let his guard down.  One must use all diligence in keeping his heart where it ought to be.  This does not come naturally.  Sin, other than sins of ignorance, originates in the heart.  Of the Jews who came out of Egypt with Moses God said, “They always go astray in their heart.” (Heb. 3:10 NKJV)

I used to hear it said that heaven was a prepared place for a prepared people.  I believe that is true.  Our preparation must begin within.  We must gain control of our thoughts which is just another way of saying we must gain control of our hearts for as a man thinketh in his heart so is he (Prov. 23:7).  Gaining that control begins first with a desire to do so.  It then takes self-discipline.  We need to give it our best effort making heaven our treasure for “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12:34 NKJV)  Our heart determines not only how our life here on earth will be lived and where we will be led (led by it) but also how our life in eternity will be lived and where.  Keep your heart with all diligence is some of the best advice you or I will ever be given.   

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Repentance--How Can I Be Sure?

The words repent and repentance are Bible words, words hardly ever used outside of a religious context.  In reading one’s New Testament, beginning with the gospel accounts, the first preaching that is recorded is that of John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 3:2 NKJV)  In Matt. 4:17 we see Jesus preaching the same message.  The call to men from inspiration from the very beginning of the unfolding of the New Testament was a call to repentance.  Jesus said it was a matter so important that it was repent or perish, an either-or proposition. (Luke 13:3, 5) 

Repentance is a command to all men everywhere in all time to come as long as the earth shall stand.  You and I are not exempt.  Paul, in his speech in the Areopagus in Athens, made this statement:

“Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained.  He has given assurance of this to all by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30-31 NKJV)

After his resurrection, while meeting with his apostles, Jesus said, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:46-47 NKJV)  It was thus essential then and essential now that repentance be preached.  We see the beginning of such preaching shortly thereafter.

In the very first gospel sermon ever preached, after Christ’s ascension back to heaven and the Holy Spirit’s descending upon the apostles on the Day of Pentecost, in Acts 2, the conclusion of Peter’s inspired sermon was, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.” (Acts 2:38 NKJV)  Repentance was made essential to salvation (as was baptism).

Who must repent?  Sinners.  “For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.  As it is written:  ‘There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Rom. 3:9-10 NKJV)  “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23 NKJV)  Repentance is repentance of sin against God.  God “commands all men everywhere to repent.” (Acts 17:30)

Well, if I am commanded to repent on the penalty of repent or perish what must I do?  What does it mean to repent?  It is very common to find people who do not understand and who simply think to repent means to be sorry. 

If sorrow was repentance then Judas, the betrayer of the Lord, was a saved man.  The Bible says, “Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that he had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.” (Matt. 27:3 NKJV)  His sorrow was so great he went out and hung himself.

All of that be as it may Jesus said of Judas, “The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!   It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.” (Matt. 26:24 NKJV)  That could not have been said if Judas was to be saved.

Besides this statement we have Paul’s comment in 2 Cor. 7:10 that “the sorrow of the world produces death.” (NKJV)  Since we know assuredly that the sorrow Judas had led to death (spiritual death for he was not saved according to Jesus) we know his sorrow was of the world.  A lesson we ought to learn from this fact is that a man or woman can be as sorry as sorry can be and yet not repent nor be pleasing to God.

Paul speaks of another kind of sorrow in the same passage in 2 Cor. 7, a sorrow that leads to repentance.  He says, “Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance.  For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.” (2 Cor. 7:9 NKJV)  From this, we learn that there is a type of sorrow that leads to repentance.

In 2 Cor. 7:10 it is called “godly sorrow.”  “For godly sorrow produces repentance to salvation, not to be regretted.” (NKJV)  Peter is an example of a man who experienced godly sorrow.  He denied Jesus three times when Jesus was in the custody of those who would be responsible for his death.  Peter had deep regret and sorrow and went away and “wept bitterly.” (Matt. 26:75 NKJV)

What then is the difference between the two types of sorrow, say the sorrow of Judas versus the sorrow of Peter?  Namely this, godly sorrow leads one back to God.  Judas fled from God.  That was not something he had to do.  Peter said on the Day of Pentecost to those assembled there that day, “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:36 NKJV)  See also Acts 2:23.  They were guilty of crucifying the Lord as much as Judas was and yet we see later in that same chapter 3,000 of them repenting of that sin that very day, being baptized, and becoming Christians.  Judas could have repented also but he chose another course.  Peter, while he had denied the Lord after the Lord’s arrest, came back to the Lord.

There are a couple of lessons here for us.  (1) Do not underestimate God’s love and willingness to forgive.  Did Judas do that?  (2) Do not destroy yourself by despair.  I speak of destroying yourself spiritually as did Judas (although, admittedly, he destroyed himself physically as well).  There are men and women who are sorry for the things they have done but will not turn to God for forgiveness thinking they have been too evil to be forgiven.  They despair.  This is a worldly sorrow.  It shows a lack of faith in God’s love and willingness to forgive and thus a lack of faith in God and his word.

Others are also sorry for their sins but it is because they have been caught in them and have suffered as a result (adulterers, those having affairs, are often an example of this type).  They are sorry for a reason but it is not a sorrow that has anything to do with God or God’s laws. They are sorry because they were caught.   This is another type of worldly sorrow.

Godly sorrow on the other hand leads one to throw himself upon God and his mercy and grace.  Godly sorrow is not repentance but is the thing that leads to it.  If you are being led to a thing then you have not yet arrived there although you will in due time by continuing the course.

Repentance is the actual surrendering of one’s will to God’s will.  It is a determination to turn from sin to God, from unrighteousness to righteousness; it is a matter of the human mind and will.  The idea is that I will cease being my lord in life.  Jesus will now be my Lord.  His will will be my will.  It is a determination to follow God.  It is the determination to make Jesus my Lord and Savior with all that implies.

It is not yet reformation of life for reformation is the fruit of repentance.  John the Baptist commanded “bear fruits worthy of repentance.” (Matt. 3:8 NKJV)  Reformation is, to a degree, a measure of repentance.  A man who truly repents reforms his life.

Let me clarify that last statement.  There are sincere people who truly have repented who come to doubt their conversion at this very point.  When we obey the gospel we have it in our minds that we are going to live an almost perfect life thereafter.  We are committed as we ought to be.  Unfortunately, we never live the perfect life.  When we next sin we begin doubting our conversion.  Did I really repent?  If I did why did I commit this sin?  Doubts arise about our conversion.  We begin to wonder am I doomed to just live my life a hopeless sinner.

There is no such thing as living a sin-free life after conversion unless of course you die almost immediately upon being converted.  The apostle John in speaking to Christians says, “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.” (1 John 1:8-9 NKJV)

Repentance, unlike baptism, is not just a one-time act.  While there is no true conversion without repentance we are unable to live sin-free over any extended period of time.  David Lipscomb once made the comment that he doubted that any man ever lived a single day without sin.  Whether or not that is true I do not know but my suspicion is that if not true it is not far from it.  There are sins of commission, sins of omission, sins of ignorance, sins of the mind, of heart, and attitude.  We are what we are and none of us will live without sin after our conversion.

We must also bear in mind that if we could be perfect law keepers we could be saved by law, by works, and that is clearly not the case.  All who are sincere in their Christian life will readily bear witness to the fact that despite their best efforts they fail in keeping the law of Christ from time to time.  We can bear witness for we can name our sins.  We know our failures.

The Law of Moses was designed to bring the Jews to Christ by showing them this very thing; namely, you cannot keep God’s law perfectly and thus the road to salvation cannot be found in perfect obedience. (Gal. 3:24, Gal. 3:10)  That was true under the Law of Moses and under the law of God under which we live today (the New Testament).  The need for God’s grace is obvious.

The New Testament is full of admonitions to those who are already Christians but who are involved in sin to repent.  Read First and Second Corinthians.  Even the apostle Peter needed to repent (read Gal. 2:11-13).  In the books of First and Second Corinthians Paul does not raise the question whether or not those brethren who were caught up in sin were genuinely converted.  They were true Christians but they had nevertheless sinned after their conversion and needed to repent.  Let me list a few examples.

There was the man who had his father’s wife in a sexually immoral relationship (1 Cor. 5:1); there were those he wrote of in 2 Cor. 12:21 who he feared might not have “repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and licentiousness which they have practiced.” (NKJV)  They were also taking one another to courts of law (not an act of love). (1 Cor. 6:7) 

We could also read about various churches in the Book of Revelation chapters two and three who needed to repent in one way or another.  We could talk about the Galatians.

But my point is this--if you were sincere in heart when you obeyed the gospel with regards to your repentance and you then followed through and completed your obedience of faith as per Acts 2:38 being baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16), baptized into Christ (Gal. 3:27, Rom. 6:3), then there is no reason down the road to look back and wonder if you were truly converted, to doubt your conversion.  Many have done that and we need more teaching about it so minds can be set at ease on that point.

You will never live perfectly.  If you are a human being you will sin again after your conversion (dare I say many times?).  That does not mean you were never converted.  It does mean you need to repent just as Peter needed to in Gal. 2.  Having repented, confess your sin and pray and ask for God’s forgiveness and ask for the forgiveness of any you may have personally sinned against. (1 John 1:9, James 5:16)  God will forgive if we will repent and ask his forgiveness.

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Cornelius' Conversion and Holy Spirit Baptism

The idea is in vogue in some quarters that Cornelius was saved when the Holy Spirit fell upon him (Acts 10:44) without any further action on his part.  One of the verses used to support this idea is 1 John 4:13, "By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit." (NKJV)  So, it is said, that settles it. 

Go take a look at that verse and read it in context.  Verse 12 just before it reads, "If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us." (NKJV)  Two verses down I read this, "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God." (1 John 4:15 NKJV)  In a broader context, but still in the book of 1 John, it is said if we keep his word we abide in him and he in us. (1 John 2:5, 1 John 3:24)  Thus we have a series of items being listed by which we can measure whether or not we are in a faithful relationship with God.  John is writing to fellow Christians thus he uses the word “we.” 

In the passage, 1 John 4:13, John is not talking about initial obedience to God, gospel obedience.  It is speaking to those who are already Christians as are the other verses in context round about it. 

There can be no obedience to what is cast upon you, the Holy Spirit.  Cornelius and his household obeyed nothing when they miraculously received the Holy Spirit.  They were passive in that. 

Receiving the Holy Spirit is not equivalent to obeying the gospel.  If receiving the Holy Spirit is equivalent to obeying the gospel for salvation then there is nothing to obey.  Why say that?  Only Jesus could baptize one with the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is a gift, a gift from God.  The individual is passive in the matter.  The giving of the gift is up to God, not to the individual.  Had Cornelius obeyed the gospel?  No! 

Paul said, concerning the matter of salvation in Rom. 6:17-18, "But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you ­obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness." (NKJV)  There is then something to obey, not something to just passively receive.  The gospel must be obeyed. 

The Bible says when Jesus returns he will be “taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thess. 1:8 NKJV)  So, we see again the gospel is something to be obeyed. 

What is the nature of that obedience?  The answer is to be found in the command of Peter to Cornelius and those gathered with him, "And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord." (Acts 10:48 NKJV)  

Let the reader note that obedience from the heart spoken of above (Rom. 6:17) necessarily implies faith or else how can it be from the heart, thus the obedience being spoken of is in addition to faith and it is something they must do for themselves--not God do for them or to them. 

I do not know of a case in the Bible where it is said or implied that the Holy Spirit was ever said to be given to a man for the purpose of saving him.  Do you?  Yes, a person has the Spirit if he is saved but is that the reason it was given to him--to save him?  That is what needs to be shown. 

There is an interesting passage in 1 Cor. 14:22 about the very thing Cornelius received.  It reads as follows:  "Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophesying is not for unbelievers but for those who believe." (1 Cor. 14:22 NKJV)  This has an application to the case of Cornelius.  Remember the evidence that Cornelius and those with him received the Holy Spirit was their speaking in tongues. 

Without convincing the Jews that God was willing and desirous of saving the Gentiles, as well as themselves, the gospel never would have been preached to the Gentiles.  The Jews were so biased against the Gentiles it was going to take something special and unusual to convince them that God had any interest in Gentiles.  Ten years had gone by since Jesus' ascension back into heaven and yet there had been no preaching to the Gentiles.  The Jews up to this point in time did not believe God had an interest in the salvation of Gentiles. 

It took a miracle to convince the Jewish Christians otherwise.  "And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also." (Acts 10:45 NKJV)  This was the event that convinced the Jews that it was not only okay but the will of God that the Gentiles also have access to eternal life through the gospel.  "When they (the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem--DS) heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, 'Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.' " (Acts 11:18 NKJV)  Tongues served for a sign to the Jewish Christians with regards to the Gentile Cornelius and thus to all Gentiles concerning God's will for them. 

This whole episode at the house of Cornelius of being baptized in the Holy Spirit had nothing to do with gospel obedience or conversion.  Let us say the Holy Spirit had not fallen upon Cornelius that day.  Do you think Cornelius would have been disobedient to, and an unbeliever of, the things Peter was teaching him?  Do you think Peter would have left Cornelius as an unsaved man?  You know better.  With or without the baptism of the Holy Spirit Cornelius was going to obey the gospel that day and be saved.  Remember his conversion began with an appearance of an angel in a vision telling him to send for Peter and in doing so he would be told “words by which you and all your household will be saved.” (Acts 11:14 NKJV)  It was the message believed and obeyed that saved them, not the miracle that happened to them. 

One needs to be careful lest he take the exception to the rule and make it the general rule.  We do not do that in life and we should not do it in Bible study.  We do not say that the Lord appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus therefore unless the Lord appears to you personally you cannot be converted.  There was a reason Jesus appeared to Saul and that reason is not applicable to either you or me.  We understand this.  We need to understand the same principle as it relates to the conversion of Cornelius and his household.  It was a one-time event for a special purpose. 

It is the gospel that saves people “for it is the power of God to salvation.” (Rom. 1:16 NKJV)  It must be believed and obeyed. 

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