What Do We Need?

Bulletins

Brian Nielsen
12/10/23 - General

Far from a mechanic -- in fact I am mechanically inept -- I do know some things essential for a car to run.

Until recent days, a car had to have gasoline. Now some run on electricity or whatever. Still, one or the other is needed. But I was never foolish enough to think all I ever had to do was pump gas into the car for it to move.

A car needs a motor. I don’t know much about the engine, but I know I need one. Just as a motor without gas wasn’t good, gas without a motor is useless.

You can have those, but if your battery is dead or you don’t have a battery your car won’t start.

As obvious or silly as this might sound, sometimes in what is infinitely more important some have suggested we only need one essential for our salvation. Just as an auto’s instruction manual tells us of things needed for a car to drive, the Bible instructs us on essentials to reach heaven. I am just going to note one or two passages for each essential.

We are told, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

While we can be so thankful and humbled Ephesians 2:8-9 is true, our gracious God did not just give us that passage but other instructions for salvation.

We are told in Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

But just as an engine won’t by itself move a car, we are warned the same about faith alone in James 2:20, “But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?”

Rather than just going through the motions, we must believe that God’s Son is Jesus Christ, who said in John 8:24, “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

But if believing was all that is needed, why would Jesus say in Luke 13:3 and repeat in verse 5, “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

So we MUST repent. But just as fuel and a fuel pump need each other in a car, repentance alone does not work either as we see in Acts 2:38 -- “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.”

One source I read says baptism is mentioned 84 times in the Bible. That is too many for me to ignore. Once would be too much to ignore. Usually our departing words to a friend or loved one are very important. Jesus, just before His ascension from earth, said in Mark 16:16, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”

While Jesus says baptism is necessary, He does not say that is the end of our journey. In the last part of Revelation 2:10, our Savior said, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

Please ponder all of these instructions from God’s words and leave nothing undone on our checklist. A stalled car can be aggravating at least temporarily. Not following the plan of our God can strand us in hell for eternity.

(Scripture quotes are from the NKJV)