In Mark 16:16, Jesus tells His disciples that “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Without believing in Christ and being baptized into Christ, a soul stands condemned (John 3:18). This means that everyone who believes and is baptized into Christ is saved from condemnation. Such a soul is redeemed by Jesus Christ’s righteous sacrifice (Romans 3:24-26).
In Acts 2, when the promised Holy Spirit was poured out, the Apostle Peter preached the first Gospel sermon. The Gospel is plainly explained in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 , that “3 . . . Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” When someone comes to faith in Jesus as the Christ, the choice to obey Jesus’ command to be baptized is necessary to enter His Covenant. Paul says it this way in Galatians 3:26, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Baptism into Christ is the Biblical way for a person to commit their life to Christ. Our baptism into Christ is symbolic of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. In Romans 6, Paul reminds the Christians at Rome that in their baptism, they made the choice to leave their life of sin and commit their life to Christ and be changed by Him. Romans 6:4-5 says, “4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.”
Once a soul has made the choice to believe and be baptized, they are saved. That soul is born again and a part of the kingdom of God (John 3:5). The kingdom of God is both something a Christian is a part of now, but not fully until Christ returns. The kingdom of God is made up of every soul who obeys the Gospel. Those who do not obey the Gospel will face God’s wrath. 1 Thessalonians 1:7-8 tells us that “7 . . . when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This is not something Christians should want for any soul. This is one of the reasons why we diligently share the truth of the Gospel.
Those who obey the Gospel are a part of God’s kingdom. The kingdom of God is made up of those baptized in Christ (His disciples) and the King of the kingdom, Jesus Christ. There is only One king of the kingdom of God. There is only one kingdom of God. Someday when our King returns He will take all of His disciples up to the eternal kingdom of God and live forever with Him.
For now, the disciples of Christ live in the kingdom of God, with Jesus as our King, among those not in the Kingdom. Those who are a part of the Kingdom of God did not pay to enter; they did not beg to enter; they did not lie to enter. The King granted them permission to enter the Kingdom when they obeyed the Gospel.
In Acts 2, in amazing fulfilment of Joel 2, the crowds heard the Gospel preached for the first time, and those who believed were told in Acts 2:38 to “. . . Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Those souls who obeyed the Gospel were saved and added to the kingdom of God by God. Acts 2:47 tells us that “. . . the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”
When someone chooses to obey the Gospel, the Lord welcomes that person into His kingdom. They are added to His kingdom. They are added to His church. Since there is only one kingdom with Jesus as its sole King, there is only one church. It is the church that Jesus said He would build (Matthew 16:18). It is the church that Jesus purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28). It is the church that the Lord adds the lost to when they are saved to be a part of His kingdom forevermore.
