HUGH'S NEWS & VIEWS
FIVE STEPS TO CHURCH AND SEVEN TO HEAVEN
Some people belittle the idea of "steps" in the plan or way of salvation. They think it is too mechanical or legalistic or lacking in acknowledgment and appreciation of God's grace.
Beyond all question, we are saved by the grace of God (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:3-7). God's grace has been extended to all (Titus 2:11-12). Yet, not everyone will be saved. Jesus Himself said as much (Matthew 7:21). He is the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him (Hebrews 5:9).
Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). He has invited all to come to Him (Matthew 11:28-30). I do not know of any way to "come" to Christ other than by taking steps. In the book of Acts, the church is described as "the Way" (Acts 9:2; 22:4). We must take some steps to enter the Way, and we must continue to walk (take steps) to continue in the Way. It is somewhat inconsistent to make so much of the church as being the Way and then belittle the concept of taking steps.
The title of this essay is that of a sermon preached many years ago in many places by the great African-American evangelist Marshall Keeble. As a boy in my early teens I read the BIOGRAPHY and SERMONS of MARSHALL KEEBLE, edited by B. C. Goodpasture. Brother Keeble's sermons were simple, yet profound. In the sermon referenced, he set forth the five steps one must take to obey the gospel, be saved from sin, and added to that number of people who constitute the church (see Acts 2:47). Those steps are: 1) Hear the gospel of Christ. The gospel is God's power to save, and without hearing the gospel salvation is not possible (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15; Romans 10:17). 2) Believe the gospel (Mark 16:16; John 8:24; I Corinthians 15:1-2; Hebrews ll:6). 3) Repent of sin (Luke 13:3, 5; Acts 3:19; Acts 17:30-31; II Peter 3:9). 4) Confess faith in Christ (Romans 10:9-10; Acts 8:37 [KJV; NKJV]; et al). 5) Be baptized for the remission (taking away) of sin (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; I Peter 3:31). Baptism is the climactic act or step that one takes to enter the body of Christ, the church (Acts 2:41, 47; I Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:27). To be sure, brother Keeble was not talking about taking five literal steps to a physical church building; rather, he was talking about the scriptural conditions with which one must comply to be saved and added to the church, the body of Christ, composed of all those who have taken the steps leading to membership is this one body!
Once one has obeyed the gospel by taking the preceding five steps, he must then take the steps that will lead to heaven, the eternal abode of all the redeemed. The apostle Peter, in a beautiful passage in his second letter, sets forth seven steps one must take to remain faithful to the Lord and be saved eternally. These steps are a summary of a faithful Christian life. They are: 1) Virtue; 2) Knowledge; 3) Self-control; 4) Perseverance; 5) Godliness; 6) Brotherly Kindness; 7) Love. By the development of these seven Christian graces, one can make his calling and election sure and have an abundant entrance "into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (II Peter 1:5-11).
As has been noted, the penitent believer enters the Way when he is buried with Christ in baptism and then raised to "walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4). Once one has entered the Way he is to "walk by faith, not by sight" (II Corinthians 5:17). We are "to walk worthy of the calling with which [we] were called" (Ephesians 4:1). We are to "walk in love," "walk as children of light," and "walk circumspectly" (looking around, knowing what is going on about us [see I Peter 5:8]; Ephesians 5:2, 9; 5:13). God's children are to "walk in the light" and "in truth" (I John 1:9; III John 4). In all of these passages the reference is to the way Christians are to live. One of the richest studies one could engage in is to note the many texts that speak of how the Lord's people are to walk. And walking involves taking steps.
I have not the slightest hesitancy in talking about the steps in the God's gracious plan of salvation. Many years ago, I took brother Keeble's sermon on "Five Steps to Church and Seven to Heaven" and developed my own sermon on "God's Twelve-Step Program." If the alcoholic needs to take steps to sobriety, how much more does the sinner need to take steps to salvation in Christ! When a person has been sick and in bed for an extended period of time, it is always encouraging when he is able to get out of bed and take a few steps. How much more so when the sinner begins to take the steps that lead to Christ and to salvation in His church, followed by the steps that lead to heaven! After all, "Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that [we] should follow His steps" (I Peter 2:21).
Hugh Fulford
