I am a Baptist by conviction. Some who read this may say, “That’s a strange way to start an op-ed column.” Still others may respond, “Who cares.” I follow up that first statement with another statement about myself. I am a Christian by grace through faith. Of those two statements, the latter defines who I am while the former has come to define how I interpret the Bible. This column will not be a discussion of the Baptist distinctives or the history of the Baptist tradition.

God did not lead my family to Grove City to recruit more Baptists. However, wherever I have been or will be in years to come, I am called, according to Matthew 28:19, to make disciples. The word “teach” in that verse is the Greek word that means “to make a disciple; to teach, instruct.” A disciple is one who follows the teaching of another. Christians are called to make disciples of Christ and then to instruct them in the ways of that life.

So, what does it take to be a disciple of Christ? Well, that all depends on who you ask. In a little over four years here at Galilean Baptist Church, I have heard a variety of answers to that question. Some have responded that they are hoping the good deeds they have done throughout their life will allow them to earn their way to heaven. Others have been convinced that their denominational church membership will be their ticket to eternal life. Still others are hanging on to a sprinkling or pouring of water at some stage in their life to guarantee their eternal place in heaven. Incredibly, there are still others who are convinced that God, who is a God of love, will simply allow everyone into heaven.

Sadly, none of these methods are viable paths to eternal life. Titus 3:5 says that eternal life is achieved “not by works of righteousness which we have done ... .” Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us “ ... by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of your selves, it is the gift of God, not of works ... .” The first three methods listed above amount to a works-based salvation. They represent something that we have done. If that is the case, our salvation is no longer a matter of grace, but of debt, as Paul states in Romans 4:4. If our personal beliefs contradict the clear teachings of Scripture, then we must be wrong by virtue of the fact that God’s Word is without error in everything it affirms. John 14:6 tells us that “no man cometh unto the Father but by me (Jesus speaking).” That tells us that not everybody gets into heaven just because God is loving.

So again, what does it take to be a disciple of Christ? Well, we must go back to the passage in John 14:6 where Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” What does this mean practically? We see the answer in Acts 11:19-26. The persecution of the early church forced its new adherents to scatter around the world to find solace from the Jewish religious system. Verse 20 of this passage tells us that they went everywhere “... preaching the Lord Jesus” to everyone who would listen. First, we see that a great number of them “... believed, and turned unto the Lord.” Secondly, the new believers spent an entire year learning about their new leader (Jesus Christ) and His expectations (verse 26). The result was that the name Christian was attached to these followers.

Simply put, the disciple of Christ is one who places their faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone for their eternal life. Only His blood, shed on the cross of Calvary, has the power to erase our sin. As Paul put it in Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

My heart’s desire is that those who have been taught otherwise would recognize the truth of God’s Word and turn to Christ for eternal life.

The Rev. Christopher Garrison is pastor of Galilean Baptist Church, Grove City.