West Salem Baptist Church

It’s amazing how differently “Baptism” is viewed by the many Christian religions of our world. In our KJ Bible, the word "baptism" is translated from the original Greek word "baptizo" which means, "to dip, immerse, or submerge." Nowhere else in scripture is another word used for baptism. The words which mean to "pour" or "sprinkle" are never found in association with term baptism anywhere in the original texts either! So, the term “baptism” symbolically must illustrate a complete submersion under water. In (Rom. 6:3-6) we are taught that "baptism" is a symbol of our Lord's death, burial, and resurrection. In other words, it’s a picture of being buried together with Christ in his death, and then being raised again a new in the likeness of his resurrection. This symbolic picture is at the very heart of the gospel message even though baptism itself has no part in the salvation process. According to the scriptures, baptism s…

(1Cor. 15:49) “And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.” So, what is so important about the resurrection of Jesus Christ?1) It is important to the dead. In that after death man now knows that because Jesus lives, he too can live again forever. In the above verse God’s promise to the saved is that after death he/she will have a new image or (bodily form) in heaven that is heavenly. Since our earthly bodies are cursed because of sin they must die, remain here, and wait until Jesus Christ returns to be resurrected (15:23). At which time our bodies will be raised from the dust incorruptible and made like the glorious body of Jesus Christ (Php.3:21). But now after death man is given a temporarybody fashioned by God that pretty much looks and functions like our old earthly body, no matter if he goes to heaven or Hel…

“And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.” Three men died the day of Jesus’s crucifixion. (1st ) Was Jesus.  Beaten, humiliated, and unjustly convicted, Jesus Christ the Son of God in human flesh, gave his life and shed his blood as a payment for the sin debt of the entire world. There will never be a more important event in human history than the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. As a lamb sacrificed for sin upon the altar of the OT saints, Jesus willingly laid down his life and shed his innocent blood for the sins of all men upon a cross. And whether or not a man believes in Jesus Christ, his offering has made it possible for any man to be saved by simply trusting in Jesus, but unfortunately not all men will. (2nd) Unrepentant thief. Though dying himself he chose to die in his sin, rejecting th…

"For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." Religion is good, but it does not save.Works of righteousness are commendable, but they too fall short of God's righteousness. In fact, according to scripture nothing that man can do, or has done will ever be able to save his soul. Even faith apart from God's revealed will and word is empty. So then why does the scripture above say that Abraham was able to receive God's righteousness by just simply believing God. In Abraham's day there was no Bible written, no law of Moses, nor was there Jesus Christ yet, and yet Abraham was able to receive God's righteousness apart from all the above. How was it possible?  Simply because God spoke, and Abraham trusted in His Word. He believed God and His Word, and so God imparted or imputed to him His saving righteousness apart from religion, works, commandments, and even Christ. You see people in the OT were saved …

(Rom. 3:23) "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."Have you ever asked yourself what this verse means? Well it means that if you are a human being no matter how good or righteous you are, because of your sin, your righteousness and glory can never equal or be good enough to get you into heaven. Why, because you fall short of the standard that God has set up, and that standard is the righteousness and glory of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, God gave the world the ten commandments not to save, but to explain to us why and how it is that we fall short. (3:20) "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." And that is why God sent Jesus, for man from birth is under the condemnation or judgment of God. We therefore need God's help to cover our sin to stand righteous before God.Therefore, to be justified and free from the condemnation for  sin, God sent Jesus to di…

(Rom. 14:11-12) “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” One day all men will stand in judgment before God, but there will be a special “great white throne judgment”(Rev. 20:11-15) set aside for the unsaved where God himself will explain to the unsaved that salvation apart from trusting in Jesus Christ is impossible. Different types of arguments and excuses will be given there: 1) Arguments by the Heathen Man . He believes that because he has never heard of Jesus he has an excuse, but God will show him that he once had the truth but rejected it. For all men came off  Noah’s Ark, unfortunately those that forsook God damned the next generations to follow by replacing God with the idols and the lies of men. So, no matter where man is found on earth he is guilty of rejecting God’s way of salvation for his own. That’s why Missions is so important today, fo…

(Rom. 1:16)  “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”  The gospel of Jesus Christ is not just the biblical account of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, but it’s also the power behind our salvation, our walk, and service for the Lord. 1) God’s gospel calls all men to salvation. All men, meaning even those who do not believe Him.God so loved man that He sent His prophets to preach salvation to man long before He came himself in Christ to show man the way. And so, from the very beginning of time God has been calling men to repent of sin and trust in Him and His Word. 2) God’s gospel call is to  “whosoever will.” It’s not just limited to the Jew, but it’s also available to anyone who desires forgiveness and peace with God. Unfortunately, although all men are called only a few answer back and find salvation. 3) God’s gospel calls every Christian to share it.It’s now our…

(Hosea 4:16) “For Israel slideth back as a backsliding heifer:” The term “backslider” was not invented by man, but rather God to describe a believer who has slipped back into his/her old ways of carnality. In other words, this person once walked with God, but for some reason now they are filled with the flesh and walk in their old ways. (Prov. 14:14) “A backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways.” The most dangerous place to be as a Christian is in a selfish self-centered place, filled with your own ways. You see, when a Christian is back-sliden they are hard to reach, hard to talk to, and even harder toward God’s will, for every backslider thinks they have a good reason for remaining in their condition. Usually it’s an offense, or a discouragement, or a trial that caused them to quit, but thank God that He has a plan to bring the backslider back. 1) Repent of all known sin. All disobedience is sin. 2) Renew your thinking. Stop complaining to God and start trusting in His W…