Today’s Monday Bible Meme is Two-for-One opportunity. Both of the memes discuss the necessity of belief and action for salvation.

The caption reads: “God is in control, but he doesn’t expect you to lean on a shovel and pray for a hole.”

This is the epitome of “Faith only” salvation. No work is required, just believe that Jesus died on the cross for you and you’re are automatically a saved individual. Going back to the meme, does anyone actually think that just by praying to God a dug hole will just appear? No! One must actually do the work and, using the shovel, dig the hole. That’s why baptism is essential to salvation. Although considered a work, you must do something to prove your faith.

Of course, to some, the notion of baptism is an after affect. In other words, they say, “Baptism is an outward sign of an inward grace.” If this is true, then where does the scripture teach that?

The proof text given is Romans 10:9-10, that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Clearly, this phrase is not found here, nor is it found anywhere in scripture. But it doesn’t stop them from using that phrase or referring to this passage of scripture.

First, the letter of Romans was written to the church in Rome (in other word, Christians). They were already saved individuals and so telling to confess with your mouth is acceptable. They have already been baptized and added to the universal church (Acts 2:38, 41).

To prove your faith, you must do something and that leads us to our second meme…

The caption here says, Faith is not just believing God, but obeying God to prove that you believe Him.

How often have you heard people say that they believe in God? More often than not is the case. However, if you ask those same people, “Do you believe God?” They might automatically say yes thinking you’re asking the exact same question, but it isn’t.

Believing in God means that you believe He exists, believing God means that you agree with what He says. Now, if they answer, “Yes” to this explanation, then why don’t they believe that baptism is necessary for salvation?

Jesus said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16) This can’t be any simpler. That word, “and” is a conjunction linking to words together signifying they are both utilized together. Any elementary student should know this and yet, those who hold to the “Faith only” concept have to disagree with it.

The perfect example of “obeying God to prove that you believe him, can be found in the conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:26-39). Philip preached Jesus to the eunuch (vs. 35) and got him to believe (vs. 37). However, the eunuch knew that he must do something because in verse 36 he asked, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”

The eunuch wouldn’t have asked this question if the subject wasn’t brought up by Philip while he preached to him. This shows that both belief and baptism are essential for salvation.