No one is ever saved by asking Jesus into their hearts. They're saved, as she unknowingly demonstrated, through being baptized into Christ to wash away sin as Ananias told Paul!
Many of us know someone who has said, “If I could just get my money (or my health) under control, everything would change.”
They listen to Dave Ramsey or Warren Buffett and hear the same simple plan: make a budget, spend less than you earn, pay off debt, invest the difference in solid companies, and let compounding do the rest. They watch the testimonials, see the debt-free celebrations, get fired up, and say, “I believe this can work!”
Or they discover a doctor on a podcast who says, “Cut out sugar, seed oils, and processed junk. Eat meat, eggs, and real food.” They scroll through the before-and-after photos, feel that surge of hope, and declare, “I believe this will fix me!”
But here’s the hard question: what good is excitement and belief if you never actually do the plan?
The same is true with God’s plan of salvation. Jesus said it plainly:
“The one who believes and is baptized will be saved,
but the one who has not believed will be condemned.”
Believe what, exactly?
That Jesus is the Messiah who died for our sins, that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures—and that He was seen alive by hundreds of witnesses.
Paul says if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is empty, your faith is empty, and we Christians are of all people most to be pitied.
But Christ has been raised—the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. And because He lives, everyone who has been baptized into His death and raised with Him now walks in newness of life.
So, what people today are most to be pitied?
The people who have heard the good news, felt the tug, maybe even said, “I believe this is true”… but have never obeyed it in baptism and risen to walk in that new life. Baptism doesn’t mean that Salvation is based on merit. Salvation has always been based on grace, motivated by love.
So then, what good is excitement about a plan you never follow?
Every Sunday Christians gather to remember the price He paid and to proclaim His death until He comes. We cannot eat and drink this Supper worthily if we are still dead in our sins.
So, before you move on from this post, I want to ask—in love and with urgency:
Is there anyone reading this morning who believes that Jesus is the risen Lord, but has never been buried with Him in baptism and raised to new life?
Don’t let another day pass. Don’t let the devil rob you of the salvation that is yours the moment you obey the Gospel.