Sally is sitting in the Pew of a Church, her friend got her to go to church with her. When she hears the message she is convicted by her sins, she hears about Jesus, and wants to become a Christian. She knows she is sinner and wants to be forgiven.
At the alter call, she walks up to the preacher, and says i believe that Jesus is the Son of God, i believe that He rose from the dead. i confess my sins to Jesus Christ and i repent of them. She then asks the Preacher "Am I a Christian now? Am I saved? Is my name written in the Book of Life?" He then tells her she is a Christian and she is Born again and is Saved and that her name is written in the Book of Life.
The very next day she is water baptised.
Tell me, is Sally SAVED?
Is this a scenario of the preacher saying she was saved before she was water baptized to advocate we have to be water baptized,and when she was water baptized it was not in the proper manner of salvation,but only to according to the Church.
Or that she was saved after she was water baptized.
Jesus said we must be born of the water and Spirit,and water baptism does save us,and if we are buried with Christ in the likeness of His death,we shall arise to newness of life,for we have to identify with the man Christ Jesus.
If Sally is saved by only the admittance then she is saved.
Is she saved by being water baptized,but if she did not do it properly not looking at it as part of salvation,but according to the Church then she might not be saved.
But she is not saved until she receives the Spirit which cannot be determined here by this story for many people that have confessed Christ,and repented of their sins,did not start out right which happens in Churches that do not believe baptism is necessary for salvation,for they repent of their past sins,but then go forward and clean themselves up a little bit,and try to do better,but they hold unto some sins thinking they are alright with God,and that is because what their Church teaches where they think they cannot abstain from sin,and sin does not affect their relationship with God,but by the Spirit we can abstain from sin,if we do not want sin.
The Bible says they have a form of godliness,but deny the power thereof,ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth,which they do not understand they must abstain from sins by the Spirit,but think they are alright despite their sins.
If we sin it can be forgiven,but the danger is people holding unto sin thinking they are alright with God.
Nobody will argue that we have to receive the Spirit to be saved,and some argue we have to be baptized,or not baptized.
But whether baptized,or not,this story cannot tell us whether she received the Spirit or not,for we do not know her lifestyle from that point on.
So is she saved by her confession which the preacher said she is saved which he does not advocate water baptism for salvation,or is she saved after being water baptized but it was not done in the proper manner for she did not look at it from the perspective of salvation,and the story did not reveal that she received the Spirit for we do not know that.
Jesus said we must be born of water and Spirit,and we have to identify with the man Christ Jesus,and we are a living sacrifice unto God,and nobody will argue that we have to receive the Spirit.Like the thief on the cross there may be circumstances where a person is saved without water baptism.
We do not know if she received the Spirit should be enough for us to not know if she is saved or not,being a story that did not tell all,but I believe she is not saved by confession alone as the preacher stated,and water baptism is not meant for salvation in that Church so does it count if she was water baptized.
With the information given,and stops at that point,she is not saved.
