By: Zach Collins Jesus said, in Mark 16:16, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”  It is an immutable law of salvation. It is one of the most irrefutable instructions ever recorded in the Bible. It is one of the most beautiful promises that ever passed through the lips of our infinitely gracious Savior. But the denominational world has treated this single instruction of salvation as disputable.  For a moment, I will provide you with four views of this one command and allow you to choose which version we ought to obey.  1.     The Universalist teaches, “He who does not believe and is not baptized will be saved”, as the universalist believes that all are going to Heaven, whether they are saved or lost.    2.     The Catholic teaches, “He who does not believe and is baptized will be saved”, as they teach that the “sacrament” of baptism is completed with the expectation that, one day, you will believe.   3.     The Protestant teaches, “He who believes, and is not baptized, will be saved”, as they believe that salvation is by faith only or grace only, and obedience to the commands of Jesus are not required.  4.     The Lord taught, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” Let me provide you with an English teacher’s interpretation of this instruction. This verse is composed of two independent clauses, “He will be saved who believes and is baptized”, and, “He will be condemned who does not believe.” The construction of the latter clause in …

By: Zach Collins I want to engage your imagination for a moment. Imagine with me that you have been tasked with picking up a person from the train station. Her name is Maggie Smith. It is a seemingly simple task, but there is a small issue that complicates this task: You have never met Maggie Smith. If you are going to pick up the right person from the train station, what would you need? A description. You would need to know pertinent details of this person’s physical appearance, and details about their life, to identify the right person to pick up from the train station.    In the Old Testament, God told the descendants of Abraham of a special person that was coming to bring them salvation and reconciliation. He was called the Christ, or the Messiah. Their hope hung upon His cross, as the righteous of the past, present, and future would enter Heaven’s gates by His blood (c.f., Hebrews 9:15). He was the most important person in their life, but they had never met Him! So, God provided them, through the writings of the prophets, the information they needed to identify the Christ, or the Messiah. These writings are called messianic prophecies. Throughout the pages of the Old Testament, these prophecies provide us with many important details about the life of Jesus. For a moment, contemplate the prophecies of His birth. The Jews were told that Jesus would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). In fact, they were …