by Bobby L. Graham
I have tried to teach my friend, who is a Baptist, about the plan of salvation; but so far she has not agreed with my teaching. What do you suggest as a way of helping her?
I commend you for making an effort to teach anyone the gospel of Christ. Souls are at stake, and the gospel of Christ is God's only means for saving them (Rom. 1:16). People must first understand the gospel before they can believe and obey it (Acts 8:30-35).
Generally speaking, Baptists are among the strongest believers in the inspiration of the Scriptures and the reliability of God's word. Another advantage enjoyed in teaching them is their faith in the deity of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, they already recognize the importance of believing in Jesus Christ as God's Son and as the Savior of the world. You'll have some work ahead of you, however, in teaching them what the book of Acts shows to be necessary for salvation.
From the beginning, it might be helpful to point out that we stress nothing as essential that was not first stressed in the Great Commission given by our Lord. The book of Acts of the Apostles is the record of the apostles' executing the Great Commission. For this reason, there is a direct correspondence between the requirements to be saved in the Commission and the requirements in Acts.
Another line of information which would possibly help all who are seeking to teach Baptists is a comparison of some of the major groups among them in their beliefs on salvation. At one end of the spectrum are the Primitive Baptists, who believe that God has determined who can be saved and that none of the saved can be lost. At the other end of the spectrum sit the Free Will Baptists, who affirm that humans have free will in the decision about being saved and also staying saved. Situated in the middle of the spectrum are the Missionary Baptists, who believe that man's free will works in conjunction with the preaching of the gospel in obtaining salvation, but still argue that none of the saved can ever be lost. If you know the kind of Baptists with whom you're working, you have a head start in deciding how to approach them.
The approach that we briefly outline here is one that I have repeatedly used with some success in teaching Baptists. Before beginning, I ask the person to write out how he was saved. This written record will be highly useful several times throughout the study. The study itself is the study of the book of Acts, which we read entirely. I do not personally stress every detail in each chapter, but those relating to the person of Jesus Christ and the response of obedient believers to His will. It is essential to emphasize Christ's authority as well as man's submission to that authority. We carefully study each example of conversion recorded in the book of Acts. It is important for the student to notice what the requirements were in each case of conversion so that he can compare what he did to be saved, as recorded in his own words, with what is taught in Acts. Do not be afraid to stress that each person heard the gospel, believed it and obeyed it in repentance and baptism. Even in cases where repentance is not specifically mentioned, it is necessarily implied by the person's willingness to submit to baptism. It is also taught in the Great Commission (Luke 24:46-47).
In most of my efforts, the person with whom I was studying was usually able to see the differences between his conversion and those cases of conversion recorded in the book of Acts. It is especially helpful for the teacher to lead the student to see the differences when studying each case of conversion.
In all cases of conversion, there are two aspects that need to be stressed. In every instance, the person heard the gospel and was later baptized into Christ. Other requirements, such as faith, repentance, and confession are mentioned in some of the accounts of conversion; but their necessity is seen wherever they are mentioned and also reflected in other passages. God does not require one thing of one person and other things of different people!
Will this approach reach all people? Of course not! Some have hardened hearts and wish to remain in ignorance. Others are unconcerned about salvation. For various other reasons as well, people will not accept the teaching of the Bible. Do your best. Pray that God will help you and that the person's heart will be softened through the Word that is being taught. Plant and water the seed, but leave the increase to God (1 Cor. 3:6).
Author Bio: Bobby actively participates in fill-in preaching, Belize trips, teaching an hour each day at Athens Bible School, and in gospel meeting work. He and his wife, Karen, have three children: Richard, Mary Katherine Winland (Darren), and Laura Paschall (Jeremy). He can be reached at bobbylgraham@pclnet.
