Beyond Belief Ministries
About Us
Sowing The Seeds Of Love
When I look around and see how many different groups "believe" in Jesus, I realized that the bible verses in James 2:14-26 ring true to two different arguments. The first being the "you only have to believe in Jesus to go to Heaven" crowd. This is whittled all the way down to having only given our savior a gratuitous nod in passing through this life. Not ever following, praying, meditating, witnessing or even giving others the remotest idea that Jesus meant something to them. This crowd totally ignores all scripture that commands our obedience to the Word of God and our full dedication to the turning away from a life of sin to a life in newness of Christ. This crowd also "believes" that they are somehow entitled to an eternity in God's presence. Read Matthew 7:21-23 and really see that Jesus is insisting on us turning to the Gospel as our way of doing the Fathers will. The way that leads to life is narrow (Matt. 7:13-14). Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by Him (John 14:6). Self-righteous people are on the wrong path. They are on the broad way that leads to destruction (Matt. 7:13). Jesus came to save those who know that they are sick and lost and in absolute need of His deliverance (Matt. 9:12-13; Mark 2:17; Luke 5:31-32; 18:9-14). Of course, that is all of us, all of mankind. However, some people are unwilling to own up to the truth. The cross of Christ is a stumbling block to those who think that they are good enough to deserve kingdom entrance. Those who throughout the course of their lives reject the free gift of salvation and refuse to trust in Christ alone will find out that in reality they are sinners, those who "practice lawlessness" (Matt. 7:23). Only then it will be too late.
The second crowd is the "you don't have to be baptized crowd". Acts 2 gives us Peters first sermon and undoubtedly the worlds first "alter call". We are told to Repent, and be baptized. Later on Peter commands those in Acts 10:48 to be baptized. A command is a true game changer in any arena folks. It is not a suggestion anymore, there is a certain importance placed on it now. Does it save you? According to James 2, it would seem to be true as baptism is definitely a work of righteousness, just as Abraham believing and then bringing Isaac to the alter and Noah believing and then building the Ark. Faith and works together in concert is the way God intended His plan to be carried out. It is true that water itself does not contain any saving virtue, but God has chosen to include it in His plan of salvation. Therefore, in true obedience to the scripture, we follow God's plan of salvation and not man's tradition or we are lost.
There is one more group here also. It's the "Jesus (Cross) plus anything is nothing" group. These people believe that by works, baptism, tithing..ect.... you are adding to the finished work of Christ on the cross. I also believe this to a point. That point is Romans 6:3-8. Read below and you will get an idea of what God is saying and not the man standing on the podium at your church.
Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him in his death. We will certainly be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. --Romans 6:3-8
The second crowd is the "you don't have to be baptized crowd". Acts 2 gives us Peters first sermon and undoubtedly the worlds first "alter call". We are told to Repent, and be baptized. Later on Peter commands those in Acts 10:48 to be baptized. A command is a true game changer in any arena folks. It is not a suggestion anymore, there is a certain importance placed on it now. Does it save you? According to James 2, it would seem to be true as baptism is definitely a work of righteousness, just as Abraham believing and then bringing Isaac to the alter and Noah believing and then building the Ark. Faith and works together in concert is the way God intended His plan to be carried out. It is true that water itself does not contain any saving virtue, but God has chosen to include it in His plan of salvation. Therefore, in true obedience to the scripture, we follow God's plan of salvation and not man's tradition or we are lost.
There is one more group here also. It's the "Jesus (Cross) plus anything is nothing" group. These people believe that by works, baptism, tithing..ect.... you are adding to the finished work of Christ on the cross. I also believe this to a point. That point is Romans 6:3-8. Read below and you will get an idea of what God is saying and not the man standing on the podium at your church.
Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him in his death. We will certainly be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. --Romans 6:3-8
Q: Where did Jesus die?
A: Christ died on a cross!
Baptism is when we become united with Christ and are crucified with Him. And those that resist the Scriptural teaching of baptism, resist the message of the cross:
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. –1Corinthians 1:18
And it is impossible to separate the message of the cross from the biblical teaching of baptism. The two go hand in hand. The message of the cross is gut wrenching enough, let alone it now becoming when WE, ourselves must personally decide to be crucified with Christ and become unified with Him in His death—which was on the cross! Consider what Jesus went through on the cross. And then consider that all we have to do to be saved is believe, repent of our sins and be immersed in water for the forgiveness of our sins. This is nothing considering what He did for us that day on that cross two millenniums ago…
