BALLARD/STROM DEBATE ON BAPTISM

 
 
The Scriptures teach that water baptism to a believing penitent is for the remission 
of his sins.

Affirm: Voyd N. Ballard 
Deny: Bob Strom

I define my proposition as follows:

1. Scriptures-the Bible 
2. Water baptism-an immersion in water 
3. Believing penitent-one who has heard the gospel, believes in Jesus Christ, and 
has repented of his past sins.

It is a pleasure to affirm this proposition and I will do my best to set forth my 
affirmative arguments in such a plain and simple manner so as to be easily 
understood. I will number the arguments as follows:

1. The gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation (Rom.1:16).

In order for it to bring a sinner unto salvation, it must be preached. Paul said it 
pleased God to save them that believe by the preaching of his gospel. 

(1Cor.1:21) The preaching of the gospel (and nothing else) produces faith.
(Rom.10:17) Faith is the substance of things hoped for. (Heb.11:1) The word 
*substance* in this passage means *foundation*. So then faith is the foundation 
of God's plan of salvation. Repentance and baptism will avail nothing without 
faith. I believe as strongly as any man dare express it that the sinner is saved by 
faith--But there is not one place anywhere in the Bible where anyone was ever 
said to be saved or justified by his faith until that faith acted in obedience to God. 
I want it clearly understood that I will accept in advance every passage that Bob 
may cite that says man is saved by faith; but I challenge him in the very beginning 
to produce one (just one) passage that teaches that man is saved by faith ALONE. 
The faith that saves is the faith that obeys. (Heb.5:8-9).

2. Because man could not save himself, neither device a plan by which he could 
be saved and because of God's great love for sinful man He.....*gave his only 
begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have 
everlasting life.* (John 3:16) 

This is the grace of God, and this grace has appeared to all men (Titus 2:11-14). 
However, all men are not saved by this grace because they have not appropriated 
it unto themselves.

3. God has always done for man what man could not do for himself, and by the 
same token God has never done for man what he could do for himself. God, 
through his grace for mankind provided a way or plan by which man could be 
saved. This plan provides for man to leave sin and come into the saving grace of 
God. Please note in Titus 2:11-12 that the grace of God teaches us to deny 
(forsake or leave) ungodliness and worldly lust, and live for God. This requires 
action on the part of man, thus Paul says: 

Eph. 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: It 
is the gift of God: Not of works lest any man should boast. 

Man cannot be saved by his own works, nor can he be saved out of the grace of 
God.

4. Salvation is God's part and faith is man's part and I have already shown that it 
must be a faith that moves man to obey God. Once again, I challenge any man to 
show one place anywhere in the Bible where any person was ever said to be 
justified by faith until that faith moved him to obey God.

5. Bob will admit that no one can be saved out of the grace of God. Faith is the 
door, or entrance into that grace. Paul said: 

Rom. 5:2 - We have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand. 
 
Remember, the faith that saves is the faith that obeys, so we are not saved by faith 
alone or faith only, but by faith and obedience, thus by faith and obedience we 
enter into the grace of God. To be in the grace of God is to be in Christ and Bob 
will admit that no one can be saved out of Christ. 

Thus Paul is saying, *we have access by faith into Christ.* In Rom. 6:3, Paul says 
we are baptized into Christ. Faith and baptism are joined together as being 
essential to entering into Christ where salvation is. No man can be saved without 
believing in Christ, but you cannot believe in Christ without believing what he 
said, and He said, 
 
Mark 16:16 - He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. 
 
This proves my proposition.

6. Now Bob will be wasting his time and ink to come back and quote verses of 
Scripture that teaches we are saved by faith, for I repeat again, I believe we are 
saved by faith, but it is a faith that moves us to obey God. 

Heb 11:7 - By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved 
with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house... and *By faith the sinner 
being warned by Christ is baptized into Christ to the saving of his soul.*

7. In closing this, my first affirmative, I ask Bob this question: 

*Can one be saved without doing right?* Don't forget to answer it in your first 
rebuttal to this affirmative.
 
Voyd Ballard 
Voyd1@juno.com