CONDITIONS OF SALVATION.
By M. E. S.
As intelligent, accountable beings, passing through a probationary season, it becomes us to fully understand the duties assigned us, and the promises attached to faithfulness in their performance. We will show in the course of this investigation, that the promises are immortality and eternal life in the kingdom of God. Having learned what these are, it next becomes us to inquire into the means of securing them; and for brevity's sake, we will immediately proceed to the latter, the conditions of salvation, which Christ and the apostles have made plain to us. Notice first, Mark xvi, 15, 16: "Go ye into all the world," &c. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved," &c. Here we perceive faith is one essential condition of salvation. But there are multitudes of faiths abroad in the world, quite as many as there are subjects of any kind which receive belief. Let us therefore endeavor to ascertain what the faith is here spoken of, as it is of infinite importance for us to understand fully a belief upon which our salvation is to depend, "He that believeth not shall be damned." Let us read carefully the text to which we referred, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth"—what? why, believeth the gospel, the message the disciples were to deliver. Has that commission run out, as some teach, thus making these conditions no longer obligatory upon us? Says Jesus, (see corresponding passage in Matt. xxviii, 20,) "And lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." The disciples to whom this commission was personally given died long since, consequently it must have been designed for all who should go forth "to the end of the world."122Now it is evident we cannot exercise faith with regard to any subject which we do not and cannot comprehend; hence the gospel must be so plain a proposition that every accountable creature is capable of comprehending it; otherwise God himself, (and we would speak reverently of him who is perfection,) would be chargeable with injustice in requiring faith respecting a thing which is so mysterious as to make it incomprehensible. Let us refer to the sacred scriptures, which Paul tells us are able to make us wise unto salvation, and see if he has not vindicated his own character, in giving us an explanation which is simple, concise, and easily understood. 1st, Notice in the commission Jesus speaks of it as the (or one) gospel; consequently the same gospel which they were to preach to one individual, or nation, was to be preached to another and all persons or nations, Jew or Gentile, bond or free. Paul also informs us there is but one gospel. Gal. i, 6-8. "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ, unto another gospel; which is not another, (correcting himself) but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." (We shall presently see what it was Paul preached.) We can now understand the origin of the great number of faiths abroad in the land, at the present time, amounting to nearly "the number" 666. Rev. xiii, 18. It is plain a perverted gospel, when proclaimed and believed, will produce a perverted faith; but since there is but one true gospel, there can be but one true gospel faith. Eph. iv, 3. "One Lord, one faith," &c. The Bible defines the word gospel as good tidings. Luke iv, 18. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor." As Christ was here applying to himself a prophecy, let us read where he read. Isa. lxi, 1. "The spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek." &c. Webster says godspel is the original of gospel, god signifying good, and spel history. From what has been said, regarding the unity of the gospel, we must conclude that this "good tidings" relates to some particular subject. Matthew informs us (iv, 23) that "Jesus went about . . . preaching the gospel of the kingdom." Then the gospel is good news of the kingdom. It now remains for us to investigate the kingdom, before we can perfectly understand the gospel, the basis of our faith; but before proceeding to the kingdom proper, we will examine another feature of the one gospel. Gal. iii, 8. "And the Scripture foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham saying, (hear the gospel,) In thee shall all nations be blessed." Let us turn to this promise as given to the worthy patriarch. Gen. xii, 1-4. "Now the Lord had said unto Abram, get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee." Verse 3. "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." How was Abraham to become a blessing to all nations? Let us read farther. Chap. xiii, 14-18. "And the Lord said unto Abraham, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever." Also xxii, 1-9. Verse 8. "And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession," &c. (It seems that Paul understood this promise to include the entire earth. See Rom. iv, 13. "For the promise that he should be the heir of the world," &c.) In Gen. xxii, 18 we read, "And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." So it was through his seed that Abraham was to become a blessing to all nations. The same promise which was made to Abraham, was renewed to Isaac and Jacob. Gen. xxvi, 3-6; xxviii, 13-15. Were they or their fleshly descendants the seed spoken of above? Gal. iii, 16. "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ." We are now led to inquire whether this promise has ever been fulfilled. It is evident that Abraham, being dead, does not now possess the land; did he while living? See in answer, Acts vii, 2-6. Verse 4. "Then came he (Abraham) out of the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell." Verse 5. "And he gave him none inheritance in it, no not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him when as yet he had no child." (Lest the "promise" in verse 17 should be confounded with the one we have been investigating, we will notice that a moment. Stephen is tracing down the history of Abraham's literal descendants. He notices them in Egypt, and then speaking of the promise, says in connection, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt. Did God make a promise to Abraham regarding the Egyptian bondage? He did. See Gen. xv, 13, 14. Which promise Stephen repeated in verses 6, 7.) Paul's testimony harmonizes with that of Stephen. Heb. xi. After noticing righteous persons who lived previous to Abraham's time, he says, [verses 8, 9] "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, (note, he was not to receive it then,) obeyed; and he went out not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise." This does not look much like receiving the land forever, for an everlasting possession; but it may be thought their seed received it after their return from Egypt under Moses. Let us read farther. Verses 11, 12. "Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and the sand which is by the seashore innumerable. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off and were persuaded of them and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." They did not receive the land for an "everlasting possession," which was the promise made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their seed. God "promised," says Stephen. Says Isaiah, "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand forever." But how can God fulfill his word in this instance? Manifestly, in no other way than by giving them a resurrection from the dead. Has the Lord proposed to do this? Jno. v, 25. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live." This was fulfilled when Christ at that time spoke and the dead came forth. A Lazarus at "the voice of the Son of God" burst the cold fetters of death and the grave, and he that heard, lived. Verse 28. "Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth," &c. The apostles also preached the resurrection of the dead. See Acts iv, 2; xxiii, 6. "Of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question." Chap. xxvi, 8. "Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?" Verse 27. "King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest." Believing the prophets, he must have believed the gospel promises made therein; hence why should he think it an incredible thing that God should raise the dead in order to verify those promises? The prophets had likewise plainly taught a resurrection. See Eze. xxxvii, 1-15. We might adduce farther proof on this point; but deeming it already established, we forbear. We are now led to inquire whether we have any share in the promise we have been considering. Paul assures us, [Gal. iii, 29.] "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."