Man is spiritually dead and hates God, so He must powerfully intervene to save him. The gospel is merely good news and cannot do this, for man finds it foolish and despises it, and the Bible rejects his will and works in salvation. The gospel and ordinances educate and comfort the elect - who were saved fully and infallibly by Jesus alone. The gospel no more helps dead sinners than news of the cure for cancer helps in a cemetery. It reveals and displays God's wisdom and power in salvation, but preaching this news to dead sinners cannot regenerate or justify them. Only the elect ever appreciate it, and then only for knowledge and comfort. Baptism and the Lord's supper are figurative ordinances to symbolize salvation obtained by Jesus Christ alone.

Men have long tried to make ceremonial religion their saviour, rather than humble themselves before a holy and sovereign God. Adam and Eve tried fig leaves to cover their guilt and shame; Israel hauled the ark of the covenant into battle; they worshipped the brass serpent of Moses; and they trusted foolishly in their temple (Gen 3:7; I Sam 4:3; II Kgs 18:4; Jer 7:4).

Rome and her Protestant daughters have taken this vanity to new depths with their sacramental religion. All seven sacraments of Rome and the two sacraments of Protestants are contrary to the Bible, for there was never saving efficacy or sanctifying power in New Testament ordinances.

The ordinances were delivered to churches of saints, not to the unsaved (I Cor 11:1-2). Baptism is a figure and likeness of salvation by Christ's death and resurrection, not the means of salvation (I Pet 3:21; Rom 6:5). The Lord's supper is a memorial of Christ's death, not the application of it (I Cor 11:26). Both of them simply witness Jesus Christ and salvation by Him (I John 5:6-8).

The gospel is not the means of salvation, but the good news of it to those already saved (I Cor 1:18, 22-24). It cannot help the lost, for it is foolishness to them (II Cor 4:3-4; I Cor 2:14; Luke 16:31; John 8:43, 8:47). Preaching the gospel to them proves their condemnation (II Cor 2:15-16).

Salvation takes God's creative power to overcome the depraved and spiritually dead nature of sinful man and give him a new heart (Eph 1:19-20; 2:5-7, 2:10; James 1:18). The gospel cannot do this, for it is only news of God's great salvation in Jesus Christ.

The gospel brings eternal life to light, but it does not bring life (II Tim 1:10). Believing the gospel is the result of salvation, not the means or condition of it (Acts 13:48; I John 4:15; 5:1).

Paul preached in synagogues, where men already feared God and trusted the Scriptures (Acts 17:2). He prayed for deliverance from men who were not already saved (II Thess 3:1-2). And this is why he wanted to preach the gospel to the faithful saints at Rome (Rom 1:8-15).

Proof #6

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