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  (4) Salvation is expressed through baptism   Today, there is a tendency within the church to take salvation too lightly. This is due to justification by faith alone, which implies that one is saved simply by believing in Jesus. However, salvation is not achieved merely by believing in Him. Hearing Jesus say, "I do not know you," would be a great disappointment. I view baptism as having the same meaning as submitting a job application to get hired at a good company. To get a job, you must fill out the application and send it to the company; however, you are not automatically hired. Instead, the documents are reviewed, verified, and even an interview is conducted before a decision is made on whether to hire you. Similarly, baptism is also thought to undergo this same process. Believers may dismiss this as nonsense, but this is the result of reasoning based on what is said in the Bible. Baptism is described in the Old Testament in a narrative form. Lambs died in place ...

(3) Salvation Works Only When One Drinks the Blood of the Lamb and Eats Its Flesh   No one living in this world would think that they can live forever. While advancements in biotechnology may allow us to extend life, eternal life is something we cannot dream of. In other words, the fact is that humans must inevitably die someday. This is a fact known to everyone, whether they believe in God or not. Believers in the theory of evolution believe that the emergence of humans began with microorganisms and that they diverged from apes that were somewhere between monkeys and humans. They also believe that humans will continue to evolve in the future. However, those who believe in God know that God created humans. Yet, there may be some who wonder why God did not create humans to live forever. They hold the belief that God created the Garden of Eden where people could have lived forever, but because Adam and Eve sinned, they were expelled from the Garden of Eden and came to die. If...

  (2) Salvation is becoming the sons of God.   The phrase "sons of God" carries a spiritual meaning. If everyone in this world were to say they are the sons of God, they would likely laugh and reject it. The reason is that they do not want to be interfered with by God. They regard God merely as a deity of worldly religion or superstition. They might view becoming a son of God as being possessed by a spirit. In the past, there were many shamans in our country. They view shamans as possessed by spirits — people who act according to the instructions of a spirit, predict the future, and so on. Becoming a religious person often begins with a desire to rely on God when facing difficulties in life or when facing death. Choosing a religion for oneself — while unwilling to be subordinate to God like in Christianity, but wanting to possess one — is a religion for oneself. This is called idolatry, which is prevalent mainly in Southeast Asia; it involves creating human or animal fi...

  2. We must discover the redemptive-historical significance within the Old Testament.   (1) Salvation Begins with Faith in God's Covenant   Ordinary people view Christians through the same lens as Buddhism. Consequently, they assume that Christians are exemplary and morally praiseworthy. When Christians engage in wrongful behavior, people respond with cynicism, saying, "Those are the ones who call themselves Christians." While this is not entirely wrong, it is not entirely right either, as Christianity deals with the issue of sin against God, not with dictating how one should live in the world. Nevertheless, immoral Christians inevitably face criticism because ordinary people view them through the lens of moral ethics. Furthermore, there are many who scoff, asking, "You have to live a good life in this world to go to heaven; does it make sense to say that simply believing in Jesus leads to heaven?" However, it seems that people think this way regarding "li...