Apologetics - The Problem of Suffering and Evil

Have you ever asked yourself why there is so much pain, senseless violence, cruelty, and corruption in the world?  

Where is God in all this?  

Does He care?  

Why doesn’t He fix it?

For centuries, philosophers have pondered this question: If God exists, why is there suffering and evil everywhere?

We as ambassadors of Christ have to address this question – complaint really – when it is made by our co-workers, neighbors, friends and even family members.  People make judgments about the nature of God and what Christians believe by getting bad information, using faulty reasoning and listening to their emotions instead of reason. 

  

Theologian J. Gresham Machen wrote in his essay, “Christianity and Culture” in 1913, that: 

“False ideas are the greatest obstacles to the reception of the gospel”

We Christians are instructed by Peter to be apologists for God by and give a good testimony about our faith:  

1 Peter 3:15 …but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect…

That word “defense” in Greek is Apologia - the root for apologist.  Being an apologist doesn’t mean saying we’re sorry we are Christians  We are also instructed to “be prepared” to give a defense.  

In Addition, Paul instructs us to oppose false ideas (polemic):

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ…

I want to give you some tools to help you recognize false ideas and know how to respond to them with wisdom and compassion.

Deductive Reasoning

One way people discover “truth” and form opinions is by using deductive reasoning.  They take facts they already accept, apply them to a new situation and come to a “new” conclusion.  

The formal way to describe a deductive argument is in a syllogism. You link 2 or more “accepted facts”, or premises, and form a conclusion or a “truth claim” that logically follows from these facts.  People rarely do this deliberately, but they do it subconsciously all the time.  

Let me give you an example:

Premise 1: All unicorns have golden horns  (accepted fact)
Premise 2: Bob has a golden horn  (accepted fact)
Conclusion:  Bob is a unicorn  (new "truth" claim)

But is this new truth claim correct?  Were any unspoken assumptions made in the premises?  Notice horn here means two different things.  This is a logical fallacy called equivocation. 

Deductive reasoning is a way people take seemingly obvious truths to come to conclusions; but it can be misused to make conclusions that make absolutely no sense.  Flat Earthers are a perfect example.

 

Let’s apply this thought process to the problem of Evil and Suffering.

Premise 1:  An All Powerful, All Loving God would not permit a world filled with Suffering and Evil to exist.

Premise 2: Suffering and evil exists in abundance.

False Conclusion: An All Powerful, All Loving God does not exist.

Let me first say this syllogism is semantically and logically “valid”.  Are there any problems with the premises? 

Many who are hostile to Christ and Christianity think this is a “gotcha” unbeatable argument.  Many believers get trapped into thinking this must be true and it undermines their faith. 

Assumption 1:  If God was all powerful, He COULD create a perfect world, free of suffering and evil.

Well, God did do this once before in the Garden of Eden -- and even 

heaven was absent evil until Lucifer fell

It almost seems like evil and some suffering is inevitable if God allows moral creatures some level of genuine freedom.  The assumption is God somehow is “powerful” enough to force free will to “act right”.

How much POWER does it take to FORCE someone to do something FREELY?

Assumption 2: If God was all benevolent, He WOULD create a perfect world, free of suffering and evil.

The argument assumes there is no justifiable reason for God to allow suffering and evil, not even for a moment.

Much of the evil and suffering in the world does appear to be pointless.  From our vantage point we can’t fully measure the reasons for why God allows terrible things to happen.  Most of us have wrestled with this.  

So, why doesn’t God simply remove free agency from people and heavenly beings to solve this problem?   

Would a “perfect” world absent all natural and moral evils be superior to what we have now?

Would this “perfect”  world maximize “goodness”?

Thought Experiment

 

Let’s create a world free of all suffering and evil!  What would this “perfect world” look like?  

A world where there is no possibility of physical harm:

• No fire or electricity (no grilling or bbq!)
• No fishing or boating or swimming (especially running at the pool!)
• No sharp objects (no knives or forks or scissors!)
• No cars, motorbikes, bicycles, roller blades, skiing
• No small objects for babies to put in their mouths, oh…
• No babies – pregnancy and childbirth is painful and dangerous.

  

Now remove all potential for emotional distress or sadness:

• No dating or romantic relationships
• No friends or exclusive groups
• No families or marriages 
• No speech or thought that might offend someone

Now remove all failure and regret

• No competitions with “winners and losers”
• No decisions that might have negative consequences

Now remove all potential for sin

• No personal belongings or ownership – “haves and haves nots” can cause envy (sin)
• No physical affection (might turn into adultery)
• No personal opinions or disputes or anger (sin)

And absolutely No Golf - you can injure yourself, get frustrated, sin, and regret you went

Our “perfect world” is now free of all suffering and harm:

• No deep personal relationships that might end badly
• No negative thoughts    
• No learning the consequences for good or bad decisions
• No deep loving relationships
• No opportunities to try something and fail
• No actions that might have consequences you may regret later
• No way to learn or be tested or to mature
• No knowledge of hurtful things like sad memories
• No freedom to make choices AT ALL

Could you even live in a world like this?  Oh, and it has to be eternal so no one ever suffers the loss caused by death.  (Twilight Zone).

Is there a Purpose for Suffering and Evil?

Is there any justification for God allowing pain, suffering and evil at this time?   What about God’s perspective?

What is the chief aim of life?  Is it to be in perpetual pleasure? Are we meant to be God’s “pets”, to be coddled and in a cage?

No.  Our chief aim is to know God and grow in faith. 

What helps us know and depend on God more - pleasure or troubles?  

CS Lewis wrote in his book The Problem of Pain, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world…”

If God permits trouble to bring people to the saving knowledge of Christ is that a good bargain?  God's purposes are focused on eternity.

Romans 8:16-18 ESV  The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

In a fallen world, God allows us to mature in faith:

• To have opinions
• To build character in suffering
• To learn from our mistakes
• To overcome challenges
• To experience true love

God wants us to freely choose to love Him.  

1 Timothy 2:3-4  This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 

 

Luke 19:10  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

The Greater Good

God's desire is to share eternity with those who have freely chosen to be with Him:

           

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

God seeks us with eternity in view.

2 Cor 4:16-18 Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.   

We have hope this will all end.  It will be worth it.  We will see the wisdom of it and thank God He fulfilled His purposes.

Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Does everyone choose willingly to love God?  No.  Is this God’s fault?

For more articles related to Christian Apologetics, see:

Why Engage in Apologetics?

Is Something Right Because It's Legal?

Faith or Materialism: Which is More Rational?

The Contingency Argument for the Existence of God

The Design Argument for the Existence of God

The Axiological (Moral) Argument for the Existence of God

The Kalam Cosmological Argument for the Existence of God

The Failure of the Materialist Worldview

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[1] Matt Slick,  http://carm.org/euthyphro-dilemma

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Scripture citations are from:   New King James Version®. (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson

Materialism or Faith - Which is More Rational?

What is more rational: to accept the truth claims of the "new atheists," or of Christian apologists?  The answer rests with the logical proposition that it is more rational to believe something that is true than to believe something that is false.

Atheist claims to the contrary, the question whether God exists or not[1], has not yet been answered using scientific methods, in spite of some interesting attempts to do so.[2]  One way to settle this issue is to test truth claims of the atheistic worldview and to weigh the logical conclusions derived from that system of thought.  Two logical tests we can apply to the atheist worldview are the "Problem of Evil" and the "Design Argument."

First, in examining the pervasiveness and persistence of evil, we note that "...while atheists deny God's existence, they affirm the reality of evil.  They think the existence of evil is one of the primary evidences that there is no God."[3]  Yet the very idea of evil presents a self-defeating obstacle for atheists.  Where does the idea of evil originate if the universe is only material?  Nietzsche, an icon of the atheistic movement, explained that "...morality is merely an interpretation of certain phenomena ─ more precisely, a misinterpretation....  Moral judgments are...never to be taken literally: so understood, they always contain mere absurdity." [4]  

Atheists must accept moral relativism because they deny an absolute moral Lawgiver.  "If relativism is true, the objection against God based on evil vanishes.  There is no true evil to discuss, only differing opinions about what is pleasant or unpleasant, desired or not desired."[5]  Those who sincerely reject absolute standards of right and wrong are "a homicide detective's worst nightmare.  The quintessential relativist is a sociopath, one with no conscience."[6]  The "problem of evil" argument actually supports the existence of God because whenever atheists complain about evil, they are making an appeal to an absolute standard, which must come from a transcendent Lawgiver.

Atheists claim materialistic explanations for mysteries of life and the universe are rationally superior to Theistic explanations.  Yet they insist no evidence exists pointing to supernatural explanations.  This is akin to losing your keys in the driveway, but because it is raining outside, you only look for your keys in the garage.  Carl Sagan of Cosmos fame opined that scientists must always 'go where the evidence leads them.'  "We wish to pursue the truth no matter where it leads.  But to find the truth, we need imagination and skepticism both."[7]  Yet when atheists seriously examine the evidence for design and a Creator, they face a dilemma between the facts and their worldview. 

World famous atheist philosopher Antony Flew, after arguing five decades in defense of atheism, became convinced God must exist.  "In his fascinating 2007 book There is a God, Flew explains his reasons for recanting atheism and affirming the reality of God...He highlights three main considerations: the laws of nature, the existence of the cosmos, and the presence of life."[8]  On the regularity and dependability of nature, "...renowned physicist Paul Davies has remarked that "even the most atheistic scientist accepts as an act of faith that...there is a rational basis to physical existence manifested as a law like order in nature....So science can proceed only if the scientist adopts an essentially theological worldview."[9]  To be faithful to the scientific method puts atheists in an untenable position:  they must deny obvious conclusions from their own data.

 

Evidence is mounting that the universe was designed and created.  "The fine tuning argument for God is strong and getting stronger, as the astonishingly precise balance of physical constants is continually clarified by science.  For many folks, such as Antony Flew, the inference to God has become irresistible."[10]  To the dedicated scientist, the statistically impossible fine-tuning of the universe demands an explanation.  "...It is valid science to look for intelligent primary causes to events that show signs of intelligence.  Archeologists do it all the time.  When they find pottery or arrowheads, they rightly conclude that some intelligent being produced it."[11] 

However, this line of inquiry is fiercely resisted, and atheists cannot give a rational explanation why the evidence should not be pursued 'where it leads.'  As Ben Stein, producer of the documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed explained, "We are losing our freedom in one of the most important sectors of society: science.  I have always assumed that scientists were free to ask any question, to pursue any line of inquiry, without fear of reprisal.  But recently I've been alarmed to discover that this is not the case.  Academic freedom and scientific research has been stifled due to ideological worldviews, not where the evidence leads..."[12]  "If the evidence falls so clearly on the side of theism, then how does one explain the phenomenon of atheism?"[13]  "The atheist's problem is rebellion against the plain truth of God, as clearly revealed in nature...This is not a loss of intelligence so much as a selective intellectual obtuseness or imperviousness to truths related to God, ethics, and human nature." [14]

"Alvin Plantinga has developed an ingenious argument showing why belief in naturalism can never be reasonable."[15]  If Darwinian evolution were true, no feature of natural selection requires our species to believe actual truth, so long as we survived to continue the gene pool.  In fact, if a false belief helped an organism to survive, then the practicality of that belief does not ensure its truth.[16]  "Nor does the practicality of an entire cognitive system guarantee that it is aimed at forming true beliefs.  This means that...if naturalism is true, we have no reason to believe it is true.  If ever there was a self-defeating worldview, this is it."[17]

Whether atheism is true or not, it is not logically self-consistent.  First, the atheist must reject that we can know intellectual absolutes, since we are only products of blind operations of chance, and our minds are not provably reliable.  Second, the atheist must restrict the search for truth only to places where a Creator may not be proven to exist.  Based on the irrational behavior and logical contortions atheists must use to defend their worldview, it appears belief in God is the more rational proposition because it is more likely to be true.

For more articles related to Christian Apologetics, see:

Why Engage in Apologetics? 

Is Something Right Because It's Legal 

The Problem of Suffering and Evil 

The Contingency Argument for the Existence of God 

The Design Argument for the Existence of God 

The Axiological (Moral) Argument for the Existence of Go 

The Kalam Cosmological Argument for the Existence of God 

The Failure of the Materialist Worldview

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[1] Norman L. Geisler and Ronald M. Brooks, When Skeptics Ask: A Handbook on Christian Evidences, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2013), p. 284  [Authors define the Principle of the Excluded Middle, where there is nothing between being and non-being, and obeying the Law of Non-contradiction, God cannot both "be" and "not be" at the same time and in the same sense.]

[2] http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/computer-scientists-prove-god-exists/story?id=20678984

[3]Geisler and Brooks, p. 33

[4] Friedrich Nietzsche, The Portable Nietzsche, trans. Walter Kaufman (New York: Penguin, 1982), p. 501

[5] Francis Beckwith and Greg Koukl, Relativism: Feet Firmly Planted in Mid-Air (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998) p. 63

[6] Beckwith and Koukl, p. 31 [the authors explain

[7] Cosmos, episode 1, Carl Sagan, Producer (Los Angeles, CA: Cosmos Studios, 1980)

[8] James S. Spiegel, "The Making of an Atheist: How Immorality Leads to Unbelief," (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2010), p. 42

[9] Paul Davies, "Physics and the Mind of God: The Templeton Prize Address," First Things 55 (August/September 1995), p. 32

[10] James S. Spiegel, "The Making of an Atheist: How Immorality Leads to Unbelief," (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2010), p. 47

[11] Geisler and Brooks, p. 236

[12] Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, directed by Nathan Frankowski, Screenplay by Kevin Miller and Ben Stein (Vivendi Entertainment, 2008)
[13] Spiegel, p. 50

[14] Spiegel, p. 56

[15] Spiegel, p. 58

[16] Alvin Plantinga, Warrant and Proper Function, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993), chapter 12

[17] Spiegel, p. 59

Why Baptism?

One thing my children have asked is "why be baptized? Isn't it enough to just believe? As a parent concerned with fulfilling the obligation and blessing granted to us, we try to formulate an answer to that question based on prayer for wisdom and earnest searching of the Word. The conclusion of that effort is this response, which we leave for our children for their edification and spiritual growth....

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Before a study of the purpose of baptism, it is important first to decide to take the Scriptures seriously. Thoughtful consideration must be given to the Holy Word of God; opinions, teachings from men, and preconceived notions must be laid aside, to let the clear meaning of the Word be understood. God’s will is for us to listen for His voice calling to His sheep.

► Scripture is to be taken seriously

We are specifically cautioned to be diligent students of the Word by Peter:

II Peter 3:14-18 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.  You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  NKJV

Paul explains to Timothy the power of the Scripture for salvation:

II Timothy 3:14-17 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.  NKJV

Scripture is to be taken seriously, and it is to be studied and understood in order that doctrine is settled, that salvation is obtained, and that Christians mature in faith.

To this end, the Scriptures point the way to salvation, effected by the sacrifice (payment) for sins made on our behalf by Jesus. Peter explains in his first epistle:

I Peter 3:18-22 For Christ also suffered once for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.  And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you – not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience – through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him. NKJV

► Jesus teaches His disciples to perform baptism

John 3:3-7 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ NKJV

Mark 16:5, 16 And Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature... He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. NKJV

Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. NKJV

John 3:22 After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. NKJV

John 4:1-2 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples)  NKJV

After Jesus’ resurrection, the disciples took Jesus instructions literally and seriously and performed baptisms for those who joined the church.

Acts 2:8, 39-41 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.... For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. NKJV

Acts 8:12-13 But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done. NKJV

Acts 18:8 Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized. NKJV

Acts 22:12-16 “Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there, came to me; and he stood and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that same hour I looked up at him.  Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth.  For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.  And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’ NKJV

Baptism was preached and practiced in the Gospels so that we might live:

I Peter 4:5-6 They (sinners) will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.  For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. NKJV

► How does one “live” according to God in the spirit?

We live in the Spirit by first “dying” to self, to allow Christ to resurrect us into the newness of life. But to live, we must first die… Jesus explains with a metaphor in John’s gospel:

John 13:23-26 But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.  Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.  He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.  NKJV

Baptism is a death we share with Christ to become a part of His body.

Luke 12:49-51 “I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!  But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!  Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division.  NKJV

Paul explains this concept that we share in the death and burial of Christ (to then share in His resurrection) in several texts, beginning with a letter to the Colossians:

Colossians 2:8-14 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.  In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.  And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.  NKJV

And again in Romans, the definitive book on doctrine, Paul explains why we are baptized:

Romans 6:1-7 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?  Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.  For he who has died has been freed from sin.  NKJV

► Joined with Christ into the Body

By participating in the burial and death of Christ, we participate in His resurrection and life, and become part of the body of Christ, a believer joined to the church and an heir to salvation.

Galatians 3:26-29 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.  NKJV

There is only one way to enter the body. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians states:

Ephesians 4:4-6 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.  NKJV

And again in I Corinthians, baptism unifies us into one body and one Spirit:

I Corinthias 12:11-14 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.  NKJV

► Why can't you just “believe” and be saved?

There are several steps to salvation; they are:

Hear

Believe

Repent

Confess

Be Baptized

Some verses simply focus on one or two of the steps. Here are several verses all within the same chapter of Romans that each focuses on a different aspect of the entire process:

1 - Hear

Romans 10:16-17 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.  NKJV

2 - Believe

Romans 10:10-11 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”  NKJV

3 - Repent

Romans 10:3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.  NKJV

4 - Confess

Romans 10:8-9 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 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.  NKJV

…And be baptized. These four concepts are tied to baptism:

Belief + Baptism

Acts 16:31-33 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.  NKJV

Repentance + Baptism

Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance.  NKJV

Confession + Baptism

Matthew 3:6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.  NKJV

Mark 1:5 Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.  NKJV

► But, isn’t baptism just a “work”?

Jesus commanded us to do many things – obedience is not a “work”.

Luke 3:12-14 Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what is appointed for you.” Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?” So he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”  NKJV

Lastly, it is important to remember for whatever reasons that are His alone to fully comprehend, this is the Will of God – to refuse is to reject the will of God…

Luke 7:30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.  NKJV

Pharisees were the ultimate legalists, yet ironically they refused to follow one simple rule.  None of the other "rules" the Pharisees followed saved them.  It really boils down to submitting to the authority of God and being willing to try to obey.  None of us are "good" and none of us deserve the gift of salvation - it seems strange so many people reject that opportunity and invent thousands of rules to make themselves holy but won't submit to this simple command.  

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All scripture citations are from:  New King James Version®. (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson