Get Saved Quick Schemes

by Chadwick Brewer

“But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God” (II Corinthians 4:2).

Some ways of presenting salvation seem designed to get people saved quickly. Hear this message, make this confession, and then get baptized. But where is repentance? Where is death to self? Where is surrender? Where is counting the cost? Where is taking up the cross?
Jesus never hid the cost of following Him. When great crowds followed Him, He told them to count the cost. He told them that anyone who would come after Him must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Him.

If we do not tell people about the cost of discipleship, the death and denial of self, and the need for repentance, are we not practicing underhanded ways and tampering with the gospel? Do we fear that people will not be baptized if they know what salvation is going to cost them?

We cannot make salvation easier to accept by making discipleship harder to understand. We cannot remove the cost of following Christ simply because the cost will cause some people to turn away.

Grace is free, but discipleship is costly. Salvation is a gift, but following Christ requires self-sacrifice. Baptism is necessary, but baptism is not a substitute for repentance and a life surrendered to Christ. We do not help people by giving them a cheaper version of the gospel.