​By Wayne Jackson
“If baptism is an essential requirement within the plan of salvation, why did Paul dismiss it as NOT being a part of the gospel (1 Cor. 1:17)?”
This is a common argument employed by certain denominational folks in an effort to negate the several compelling passages that associate baptism with the remission of sins. In 1 Corinthians 1:17, the inspired apostle wrote:
“For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel.”
For example, two modern writers have argued in this vein. We are saved by the gospel (Rom. 1:16). Paul, however,
“separates baptism from the Gospel, saying, ‘Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel.’ Therefore, baptism is not a part of what saves us” (Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe, When Critics Ask. Wheaton, IL: Victor, 1992, p. 428).
This view reflects a total misunderstanding or misrepresentation of Paul’s instruction in this important passage. Note, please, the immediate context.
The apostle addressed the problem of factionalism in the church at Corinth. Some of those Christians were inordinately enamored with the person who had immersed them — even to the point of adopting the baptizer’s name as a religious title (see vv. 12-13) — a practice not dissimilar to the common habit of wearing human titles in the modern world of “Christendom.”
In view of such a perversion, Paul expressed thanksgiving that he had personally immersed only a few of these people (cf. vv. 14-16). It was within this context that he wrote: “For Christ sent me not to baptize.” Baptism was not the problem; it was the perverted practice of certain Corinthians that warranted rebuke. W.E. Vine noted that “in abstaining from baptizing all the converts the Apostle had not given occasion for undue adherence to himself” (First Corinthians — Local Church Problems. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1951, p. 20).
The word “baptize” here denotes “to administer the rite” of baptism (see J.H. Thayer, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T.&T. Clark, 1958, p. 94). Paul had not been commissioned to be primarily an administrator of baptism. The fact that he could remember only three names (cf. 1 Cor. 1:14-16) of those whom he had baptized, during an eighteen-month stay in the city (Acts 18:11), is clear evidence of that. His main function had been to proclaim the gospel.
The apostle was not disassociating himself from the importance of baptism as a component in the sacred plan of redemption (Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Gal. 3:27; 1 Pet. 3:21); rather, he was contending that no special adoration was to be attached to the person administering the rite.
Since Paul himself was immersed in order to have his sins “washed away” (Acts 22:16), and inasmuch as he taught that by means of baptism one enters “into Christ” (Rom. 6:3-4; Gal. 3:27), he certainly is not about to disavow the divine command as an element apart from the gospel.
It is an egregious fallacy to employ 1 Corinthians 1:17 in an attempt to nullify God’s holy commandment.
Scripture References
1 Corinthians 1:17; Romans 1:16; Acts 18:11; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38, 22:16; Galatians 3:27; 1 Peter 3:21; Acts 22:16; Romans 6:3-4

​By Wayne Jackson
Is the doctrine of “baptismal regeneration” scriptural? In order to answer such a question, one first must define precisely what he means by that designation.
Exactly what is “baptismal regeneration”? The phrase connotes different things to different people. For some, the expression is merely a bit of inflammatory rhetoric designed to intimidate those who affirm that baptism is a part of the regeneration process. To others, it is the notion that baptism is a “sacrament” which has a sort of mysterious, innate power to remove the contamination of sin — independent of personal faith and a volitional submission to God’s plan of redemption.
The doctrine of baptism’s essentiality has the support of the Bible; the “sacramental” ideology does not. Let us reflect upon this latter concept.
Baptism As a Mystical Sacrament
“Baptism,” as administered by the Roman Catholic Church, reflects a form of “baptismal regeneration” that is wholly at variance with the New Testament. A leading Catholic authority defines “baptism” in the following fashion:
“A sacrament of the New Law instituted by Jesus Christ, in which, as a result of washing with water accompanied by the words ‘I baptize thee in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost,’ a human being is spiritually regenerated, and made capable of receiving the other sacraments” (Attwater, 45).
This view involves the idea that “baptism” need not be accompanied by faith, or personal surrender to the Lord. Note these additional citations from the same page of this volume.
“Baptism of the insane may be lawfully performed if such a desire has been expressed in a lucid interval, or in imminent danger of death if, before losing reason, a desire had been manifested. Those who have been insane from birth, or since before attaining the use of reason, may at any time be baptized as infants.”
“Baptism of the unborn. If there is not a probable hope that a child can be baptized after birth, Baptism may be administered in the womb: in the case of a head presentation, on the head; in other presentations on the part presented, but then it has to be again baptized conditionally if it is living on complete delivery. Should the mother die in labour, the child is to be extracted from the womb and, if certainly living, baptized absolutely; if life is doubtful, conditionally. An aborted fetus must also be baptized, unconditionally or conditionally according to the circumstances.”
The sentiments expressed by Attwater (whose book, incidentally, has the Imprimatur of the Roman Church) are wholly foreign to New Testament doctrine.
But how does the teaching of the New Testament differ from this concept of “baptismal regeneration”?
New Testament Baptism
First, there is nothing in the teaching of the Scriptures which would even remotely suggest that there is some magical essence inherent in the water of baptism that can effect forgiveness of sin. Rather, baptism, i.e., immersion in water, is a rite that is accompanied by both faith (Mark 16:16) and repentance (Acts 2:38). Void of those prerequisites, it has no validity whatever.
Second, baptism is an act of obedience wherein one expresses his confidence in the power of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection to produce pardon. Paul makes it quite clear that when one is buried with Christ through baptism, it is into the Lord’s death, i.e., the benefits of his death, that the sinner comes.
And, just as the Son of God was raised from the dead to the glory of Father, even so, when one is raised from the burial of baptism, he passes into a state characterized as “newness of life” (Rom. 6:4).
The power to save is in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Penitent believers access that power when they humbly submit to the Lord’s requirement to replicate the Savior’s burial and resurrection in the action of baptism (cf. Col. 2:12-13).
Third, though we readily acknowledge that there is no “sacramental” power intrinsic to the water of baptism, that does not give us leave to repudiate the sacred connection between the rite of baptism and forgiveness. To do so, is to ignore numerous passages of the plainest import.
Salvation is preceded by both faith and baptism, according to the precise language of Mark 16:16. The Greek text literally suggests: “He who has believed, and who has been immersed, shall be saved.” In a parallel passage, baptism is viewed as the culminating act by which one is acknowledged as a disciple (Mt. 28:19 – ASV).
Jesus informed Nicodemas that one does not enter the kingdom of God except by the new birth process (Jn. 3:5), which involves “water,” i.e., baptism. Not many would deny that the new birth and “regeneration” are equivalents. Hence, there is a solid connection between regeneration and the birth that involves water. For fifteen centuries it was conceded that the “water” of this passage is an allusion to baptism.
John Calvin introduced the novel view that the “water” must be spiritualized, and he has been followed by numerous advocates of the doctrine of salvation by “faith alone.” The historian Philip Schaff observed that Calvin’s view was an excessive reaction to the dogma of Catholicism, and that it is impossible to disassociate the “water” in this verse from the rite of baptism (Lange, p. 127).
When asked: “What shall we do?” by sincere folks who had been convicted of their sin guilt, Peter informed them that they must repent and be baptized “for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38). No sectarian quibble can evade the force of this transparent command and the design associated with it.
Paul of Tarsus, who had been praying for days — and still was lost, was instructed to: “Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name” (Acts 22:16). This was not “baptismal regeneration” in a mystical sense; rather, it was merely submission to an inspired ordinance.
It is by baptism that one is said to enter “into Christ” (Rom. 6:4; Gal. 3:27), wherein salvation is located (2 Timothy 2:10).
Paul describes baptism as a “washing of water,” or a “washing of regeneration,” in connection with which the sinner is “cleansed” or “saved” (Eph. 5:26; Tit. 3:5). A.T. Robertson, a Baptist scholar, concedes that both of these passages allude to water baptism (p. 607). And so, while the Roman Catholic dogma of “baptismal regeneration” is false, there is a perfectly legitimate nexus between baptism and regeneration.
Peter unequivocally affirms that baptism is involved in our salvation. Just as Noah and his family were transported from an environment of corruption into a realm of deliverance, so, similarly, in baptism we are moved from the world of defilement into a redeemed relationship with the Lord (1 Pet. 3:21).
One does not have to believe in the Catholic concept of “baptismal regeneration” in order to acknowledge that there is a relationship between water immersion and forgiveness, in the passages cited above.
The Principle Involved
Perhaps it would be helpful if we would illustrate, by other cases in the Scriptures, the principle that is involved in this relationship.
The Case of Naaman
Naaman was an officer in the Syrian army, but he was woefully afflicted with the dreaded disease leprosy. The prophet Elisha bade him go “wash” in the Jordan river, promising that he would be “clean.” Finally, after some equivocation, the captain thus did, and his flesh was restored (2 Kgs. 5:14).
Certainly there was no merit in Jordan’s water, and there is no textual suggestion that Namaan was disposed to trust in the efficacy of the river; he simply came to a state of confidence in the prophet’s message. There was no “water healing” in this case. But who, thinking rationally, could deny that his restoration was dependent upon submission to the divine command?
The Man Born Blind
Jesus once encountered a man who had been blind since birth. The Lord spat upon the ground and made a clay potion, anointing the man’s eyes. He then commissioned the gentleman to: “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (Jn. 9:7). The man obeyed; he washed, and came away seeing.
Was there medicinal value in Siloam’s water? Of course not. Should the blind man have refused the Savior’s command? What if he had reasoned in this fashion: “If I go and wash, that will suggest that I am trusting in water. I do not believe in ‘washing restoration.’ I do not wish to ‘merit’ my sight. Therefore, I will simply trust in Jesus’ power to heal, and refrain from going to Siloam.” Just what would have been the result?
Perhaps the following chart will help to put things in focus with reference to the connection between baptism and salvation, and the order of their occurrence, in the scriptural plan.
The Biblical Order
Baptism
Salvation (Mk. 16:16)
Born of Water
Enter Kingdom (Jn. 3:5)
Baptism
Remission of Sins (Acts 2:38)
Baptism
Washing (Acts 22:16)
Baptism
Death of Christ (Rom. 6:3)
Washed
Justified (1 Cor. 6:11)
Baptism
Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13)
Baptism
Clothed With Christ (Gal. 3:27)
Washing of Water
Cleansed (Eph. 5:26)
Baptism
Working of God (Col. 2:12)
Washing of Regeneration
Saved (Tit. 3:5)
Baptism
Saved (1 Pet. 3:21)
Conclusion
Even when one has done precisely as the Lord commands, he has merited nothing; he has earned nothing. The fact that we are saved by God’s grace does not negate human responsibility in accepting Heaven’s gift, and one’s refusal to do what is clearly commanded by the Son of God, or to assign it a subordinate status, is not justified.
Those who speak in opposition to New Testament baptism, contradicting the sacred writings, will have a heavy judgment to bear.
Scripture References
Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12-13; Matthew 28:19; John 3:5; Acts 22:16; Galatians 3:27; 2 Timothy 2:10; Ephesians 5:26; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 3:21; 2 Kings 5:14; John 9:7; Romans 6:3; 1 Corinthians 6:11; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Colossians 2:12

​
By Samuel Matthews
“36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. 37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:36-37). KJV
Loved ones, are you S. A. V. E. D? Is Jesus your SAVIOUR? Has Christ ATONED for your sins? Do you have the VICTORY in Jesus? Are you assured of ETERNAL life in heaven? Are you DELIVERED from Spiritual death?
In this brief series, we have with love been discussing the Bible’s teaching as to how one becomes just a Christian. The question should now be asked, “What must I do to be added to the ONE faith and ONE body of Christ”; in other words, “What Must I Do To Be Saved?" (Acts 16:30).
Friends, the Bible says there is “ONE BAPTISM" (Eph. 4:5). Jesus commanded His disciples to go and teach all the world the saving Gospel or good news of His death, burial, and resurrection for our sins (1 Cor. 15:1-4; Mark 16:15-16). Jesus said to teach them, baptize them, and keep on teaching them... everything else that He's commanded (Matt. 28:19-20).
The one baptism must then be something man administers! Man cannot baptize you with the Holy Spirit or with fire, both of which were given as a promise, NOT as a command to be obeyed (Matt. 3:11; Luke 24:49). Man can only baptize with water! Therefore, the one baptism spoken of in Eph. 4:5 and Matthew 28:19 is water baptism.
In keeping with the Lord's command, Philip baptized the eunuch with water (Acts 8:35-39), and Peter commanded the household of Cornelius to be baptized with water (Acts 10:46-47). You too as a penitent believer must be immersed in water to be born again… saved from your past sins (John 3:5; 1 Pet. 3:21).
My friends, the blood of Jesus frees us from sin (Matt. 26:28; Rev. 1:5), and Jesus shed His blood in His death (John 19:34). But how do we get into the death of Jesus so that the merits of His shed blood might be ours? The Bible says, “we are buried with him (Christ) by baptism into death” (Rom. 6:3-4).
Therefore, the one baptism is a burial or total immersion in water into the death of Christ (Col. 2:12). You have NOT been baptized if you were only sprinkled with water while an infant, or had a little water poured on your head. A person must be totally immersed (buried) under the water in baptism.
The one baptism puts you into Christ (Gal. 3:27; Rom. 6:3). Notice the powerful thought contained in Rom. 3:24: “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” In Christ we are: saints (Phil. 4:21), new creatures (2 Cor. 5:17), fellow workers (Rom. 16:3-9), one body... not 300 different denominational bodies (Rom. 12:5). In Christ we have SALVATION (2 Tim. 2:10), all spiritual blessings (Eph. 1:3), and the love of God (Rom. 8:38-39).
The Bible says we get into Christ by grace through faith as we do God's will (Eph. 2:4-8; 1 Cor. 1:30; John 6:65). God's grace teaches us (Tit. 2:11-12). We are taught to believe in the name of Jesus (John 2:23; 3:16; 8:24; Acts 4:12), love and obey Jesus (John 14:15), repent of our sins (Acts 2:38; Luke 13:3), confess Jesus as Lord, the Son of God (Matt. 10:32-33; Rom. 10:9-10), and be immersed (buried, baptized) into Christ (Rom. 6:3-4; Gal. 3:27)... where salvation is found (2 Tim. 2:10).
Baptism into Christ is God's plan for man's new birth (John 3:3-5). Baptism washes away our sins by the blood of Jesus (Acts 22:16; Matt. 26:28). Baptism saves us NOW (1 Pet. 3:21; Mark 16:16). Baptism puts us into the one body, the church (1 Cor. 12:13; Acts 2:47), the kingdom of God’s dear Son (Col. 1:13).
Loved ones, for believers to be one we must teach, believe, and obey only the Bible. We receive the remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit when we are immersed in water (Acts 2:38; 5:32), after having repented of our sins and confessed our belief that Jesus is the Son of God (Acts 17:30; Matt. 10:32-33). We arise from the watery grave of baptism IN CHRIST... a new creature... a Christian... a child of God (Rom. 6:4-7; Gal. 3:26).
In the days of the great flood, God used only one Ark to save the people... all who were saved were inside that one Ark (1 Pet. 3:20; Gen. 6). When the Israelites crossed the Jordan and fought against the walled city of Jericho, God used only one house to save Rahab's family... all who were saved were inside that one house (Joshua 2:12-14; 6:25).
Today, if you desire to have eternal life; to be saved from the wrath of God to come; to escape the burning fires of hell; then you must get inside God's spiritual Ark... the house of the Lord (Heb. 3:1-6)… the church of Christ.
The churches of Christ are a fellowship of Christians who believe the Bible to be God's communication to man (2 Tim. 3:16), and therefore have responded to its teachings (Luke 24:46-47).
We acknowledge Jesus as the only head (ruler, monarch, sovereign) of the church (Eph. 5:23). We are organized according to the biblical example with elders (bishops) and deacons (Phil. 1:1), and we worship God according to biblical instructions (John 4:22-24).
As Christians, we are approved of God and not ashamed to do His work because we study His word diligently (2 Tim. 2:15); grow spiritually (Phil. 1:9); pray always (1 Thess. 5:17; Luke 18:1); assemble with the saints (other Christians) whenever possible (Heb. 10:25), but always on the first day of the week – Sunday (1 Cor. 16:1-2); sing without mechanical instruments, making melody in our hearts (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16); partake of the Lord's Supper every Sunday (Acts 20:7, Matt. 26:26-29); cheerfully give as we purpose in our heart (2 Cor. 9:6-8); become living sacrifices to God (Rom. 12:1-2); continue in good works (Gal. 6:9-10; 2 Tim. 3:17); and are faithful unto death (Rev. 2:10).
Our plea is that all mankind might become, “fellow-heirs, and of the same body” of Christ (Eph. 3:6), according to the eternal purpose of God which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord (Eph. 3:11). We pray that you will choose the truth of God's word as you work out your salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12).
Please humble yourself and visit a congregation of the churches of Christ at your next opportunity (Rom. 16:16), and remember, you can be JUST A CHRISTIAN (Acts 26:27-29)! To the God of heaven be the Glory as His Will is done (1 Corinthians 10:31). Please pray for wisdom, for me and my wife, Cynthia, and for the Liberty NW church of Christ meeting in Portland, Oregon, USA. We are praying for you, and we love you all so much. Samuel.

​By Samuel Matthews
"4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, ONE FAITH, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Eph. 4:4-6). KJV
Loved ones, in our above text, the Bible speaks of seven "ones." These seven "ones" represent God's Divine Plan of Unity (vs. 3)... One Body; One Spirit; One Hope; One Lord; One Faith; One Baptism; and One God.
Now most believers will agree that the ONE GOD is the Father; the ONE LORD is Jesus, the Christ; the ONE SPIRIT is the Holy Spirit; and the ONE HOPE is our hope of Eternal Life in Heaven through Jesus. Believers should also agree concerning the other three "ones" ...the ONE FAITH, the ONE BODY, and the ONE BAPTISM! In this post we will speak plainly about the one faith and the one body.
The Bible says there is one faith, and Christians must earnestly contend for it (Jude 3)! In Part 1 of this series, we named more than 25 different “faiths” from the Adventist to the Universalists. We know they are all different because you can't become one by obeying the teachings of another.
You get the Baptist faith by attending a Baptist church and hearing and obeying the Baptist word (whatever they teach). You get the Catholic faith by attending a Catholic church and hearing and obeying the Catholic word (whatever they teach), etc.
You cannot become a Baptist by attending the Catholic church. WHY NOT? Because the Catholics do not teach the same thing that the Baptists teach. Neither do the Mormons teach the same thing that the Adventists teach, etc.
The Bible, however, does NOT teach believers to be in different “faiths” (1 Cor. 1:10; 2 Cor. 13:11). Including the cults, these 25+ different “faiths” are looked upon in the eyes of the world as “Christianity.” The Bible says nothing about “Christianity”; i.e., different faiths. The Bible teaches that God has ONLY one Faith – the faith of the Son of God (Galatians 2:20) – the Christian faith (1 Peter 4:16).
Hopefully, you are now asking, "How can one obtain God's one faith?" Well, we know how to obtain any one of the “faiths” of so-called “Christianity”… simply attend their worship service, hear what they preach, and obey what they teach!
To obtain God’s one Faith, the Bible says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). Since the Bible (66 books) is the only written word of God, we must study, hear, believe, and obey what it teaches (2 Tim. 2:15; John 6:44-45; Matt. 7:21; Luke 6:46), especially the 27 books of the New Testament.
If you have not heard (believed and obeyed) God's word, you do not have God's one faith, and you are NOT pleasing to HIM (Heb. 11:6). God wills to “gather together in one all things in Christ” (Eph. 1:10). Therefore, God wants all who believe that Jesus is the Son of God to be ONE (John 17:20-23; 20:30-31).
The question should now be asked, "Since most denominations claim to teach the Bible, why do we have so many different faiths?" Well, the Holy Spirit said in 1 Tim. 4:1, that some would depart or leave “the faith”; i.e., the faith that comes by hearing and obeying the word of Christ (Heb. 5:8-9).
After departing from the word of God they would begin “giving heed to” (listening to and obeying) the “doctrines” or teachings of Satan. These hypocritical doctrines would be teaching lies because the conscience of those who advocate them are “seared with a hot iron” (1 Tim. 4:2).
Unfortunately, many believers and some of their leaders (reverends, fathers, apostles, etc.) are blind to the fact they are following the creeds of men (Acts 17:23; Matt. 15:7-9; 2 Cor. 4:3-4). Being raised from birth in a particular faith, they take for granted that their "church" was built by the Lord... when in fact, they are following a man-made faith organization which one day will be rooted up (Matt. 15:13-14). [Please take a moment and Google the history of your particular faith. Except for the Catholics, it may surprise you to learn that it is less than 600 years old].
This naturally leads into a discussion of the ONE BODY (Eph. 4:4). The Bible says there is one body (1 Cor. 12:12, 20, 27; Eph. 4:4)! Whose or what body is it? The church of Christ is the body of Christ! Jesus established only one spiritual body, or one church, of which He is the Head (Col. 1:18). God has given Jesus, “22 To be the head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body” (Eph. 1:22-23).
There is only one body; therefore, there is only one church... the body of Christ (the church of Christ). Jesus didn't say He would build His “churches” (plural), but He did promised to build His church (Matt. 16:18). Friends, only the church of God belongs to Christ (Acts 20:28).
Thus, being uncontented with what the Lord has established, men have formed many different “religious bodies” and have encouraged people to, "Join the church of your choice." There are too many “religious bodies” in the world to count; however, these man-made bodies are not the ONE body of Christ.
Rather than calling people into the many different “religious bodies” founded by men, the Lord calls all people into the one body He established (Col. 3:15; 2 Thess. 2:14). Rather than directing people to be baptized into one of the many different “religious bodies,” the Holy Spirit instructs all people to be baptized into Christ’s one body (1 Cor. 12:12-13; Gal. 3:27). Rather than directing people to try and be reconciled to God in the church of their choice, the Bible places reconciliation to God in the one body of Christ (Eph. 2:16).
History proves that all denominational and world religion churches were built and named by man. Most western denominational bodies claim they teach and follow the Bible! Well my loved ones, that just can't be true. The fact is (as we have already discussed above in speaking about God’s one faith), denominational doctrines teach you how to follow their particular faith... whether it be Methodist, Lutheran, Nazarene, or whatever... they all teach you how to follow their particular faith; and thus, become a member of their particular body, their church.
Knowing these things would come about, the Holy Spirit warns the deceived members of man-made churches that they are following the doctrines and commandments of men, and worshipping God in vain (Matt. 15:8-9). The Psalmist said, “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it” (Ps. 127:1).
Friends, Jesus built only one church... His church... His body (Col. 1:24). Jesus has first place (preeminence) in only one church (Col. 1:18). Jesus purchased with His blood only one church (Acts 20:28). Jesus adds the saved to only one church (Acts 2:47; 1 Cor. 12:13; Mark 16:16). Jesus will return one day for only one church... His church... the church of God – the church of Christ (Acts 1:11; 1 Corinthians 15:24; 2 Thess. 1:7-10; Rom. 16:16). To be continued… “God has ONE Baptism.”
To the God of heaven be the Glory as His Will is done (1 Corinthians 10:31). Please pray for wisdom, for me and my wife, Cynthia, and for the Liberty NW church of Christ meeting in Portland, Oregon, USA. We are praying for you, and we love you all so much. Samuel.

​By Wayne Jackson
There are many strange ideas in the religious world regarding salvation. Some contend that all people will be saved (Universalism). That notion is contradicted by dozens of passages (see Matthew 7:13,14). Others, like the Calvinists, argue that before the world was created God chose some, the elect, to be saved, and others He predetermined to be lost. That notion is plainly refuted by 1 Timothy 2:4. God “would have all men to be saved.” Note also verse 6 which affirms that Jesus gave Himself a ransom for all (which conflicts with the Calvinistic theory of limited atonement, i.e., that Christ died only for the elect). Underline this phrase and note: contradicts Calvinistic doctrine of predestination. See also verse 6.
Additionally, there are yet others (an even larger number probably) who subscribe to the notion that God will save all sincere people, whether they ever know and obey the truth or not. Such a concept is not in harmony with the divine teaching here set forth.
G.B. Winer, in his Grammar of New Testament Greek, has an interesting discussion of this passage. He notes that Paul first states the “general ultimate end,” that God desires salvation for all men. Then, the apostle gives the “means toward attaining the former,” which is — coming to a knowledge of the truth (p. 692).
This is in perfect harmony with John 8:32 — you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. One does not obtain redemption through a knowledge of error, but by means of knowing the truth. How does this relate, for example, to the idea (advocated by some) that one may go through the process of being immersed, and yet never even understand the truth regarding the purpose of the ordinance, and God will honor the “obedience” anyhow? Does that notion really harmonize with the principle of this passage? Underscore the phrase “knowledge of the truth,” and marginally note: Knowledge of truth essential to valid obedience.
Scripture References
Matthew 7:13, 14; 1 Timothy 2:4; John 8:32