Chapter III: Conditions of Membership

Let us see what the Bible actually teaches concerning the doctrine and practice of the church. Then we shall know which is right so far as these items are concerned. I want to say now, and repeat many times as we go along, that a church may be right on one point and wrong on another. A church may follow the Bible on one point and not follow it on another, and a church is right to the extent that it follows the Bible. It’s wrong to the extent that it fails to do so. No church is _all_ right until it follows the Bible on _all_ points.

First of all, let’s look at the conditions of membership in the church we read about in the Bible. Acts 2:47 shows that the conditions of membership in God’s church are identical with the conditions of salvation. “The Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” Since the Lord adds to His church all saved people, the conditions of membership and the conditions of salvation are exactly the same.

We learn from the Scriptures listed here (speaker points to the board) that the first thing one must do in order to be saved is to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. The Philippian jailor said to Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all of his, straightway” (Acts 16:20-33). In answer to the jailor’s question then, the inspired preacher said first of all, “Believe”; then he taught him the word of the Lord, which led to his repentance, evidenced by the fact that, whereas he had a few minutes ago placed stripes across their backs with a heavy whip, he now washed those stripes.

Then Paul taught him and his household to be baptized, and taught them that baptism was urgent, because they were baptized the same hour of the night. They did not put it off a month or a week or even until daylight, but were baptized immediately, or straightway, even the very same hour of the night.

Faith is emphasized also by Acts 2:36 where Peter concluded his great Pentecost sermon by saying, “Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?” (Rom. 10:13-14). “Without faith it’s impossible to be well pleasing unto God” (Heb. 11:6). Therefore, the first condition of salvation is faith.

The second one is repentance. Acts 2:38 says, “Repent”; Acts 3:19 says, “Repent”; and Acts 17:30 says “Repent.” You can go home and read these Scriptures and you’ll find the commandment to repent in each of them, and it’s given as a condition of salvation.

Furthermore, we are taught that “with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Rom. 10:10). And in the eighth chapter of Acts we read that when the Ethiopian eunuch said, “See, here is water, what doth hinder me to be baptized? and Philip said, If thou believest with all of thine heart, thou mayest, and he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” Therefore, confession is a condition of salvation.

When the Pentecostians inquired what they must do to be saved, the inspired apostle Peter said, “Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). Ananias told Paul, “And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 3:21). No one, who knows the Bible, can have a good conscience toward the Lord until he has been baptized. Baptism is the answer to the quest for a good conscience.

“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16). Friends, there are a thousand ways to go to hell; one of them is to disbelieve. But suppose I ask you who will be saved. You cannot give me a Bible answer to save your life without mentioning baptism. For Mark 16:16, the word of Jesus Christ, says, “He that believeth _and is baptized_ shall be saved.” To leave out baptism would be to omit part of the Lord’s answer. No sane person ought to take the responsibility of taking away part of God’s word. You cannot give a Bible answer to the question without mentioning baptism!

According to the Bible, therefore, faith, repentance, confession, and baptism are the conditions of salvation. Since all saved people are added to the Lord’s church by the Lord, then these are also the conditions of membership in God’s church. The church, which teaches this, is right on this point. It might be wrong somewhere else, but the church which teaches these facts is the right church as far as the conditions of membership are concerned. Any church which leaves off any one of them or adds something to them just lacks that much, at least, being right.