This was the text on the sign at a denominational church building in the area recently. I believe that it speaks more truth than the individual who put it on the sign intended! It also got my mind to thinking of some Scriptures that clearly show this to be so, yet so many religious people want to ignore the truth of these passages. Sadly, sometimes, even members of the body of Christ can be guilty of the same. Let us note some verses.

First, let us look at Mark 16:16, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." Many want this to simply say, "He that believeth shall be saved" and completely ignore the conjunction "and" and what follows. It is very clear that Jesus is teaching that both are necessary. Then to speak of belief alone, without baptism is the equivalent of being "half-saved" and therefore "totally lost."

Again, let us look at Acts 2:38, "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Here we see that "Repent" is joined by the word "and" with "be baptized." Again, it is clear that Peter is teaching that both repentance and baptism are essential. One cannot have the remission of sins by simply repenting. Thus to speak of repentance alone, without baptism, is the equivalent of being "half-saved" and therefore "totally lost."

Note also 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." Here the apostle Paul makes it clear that confession of Christ and belief are both essential, one without the other is useless and is, therefore, the equivalent of being "half-saved" and therefore "totally lost."

Let us also consider, Matthew 7:21, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Here Christ has "but" instead of "and," however, the significance of it is very similar. We know, from previous Scriptures quoted that acknowledging Jesus Christ as Lord is essential to salvation. That alone, we see, is not sufficient; there must also be obedience to the will of the Father. One without the other is to be "half-saved" and therefore "totally lost."

We could continue using other passages of Scripture. However, we have plainly shown that to be "totally saved" we must do all that God would require of us for salvation and not "pick the parts we like." Are you only "half-saved?" If so, you are "totally lost." If that is your condition, we plead with you to be saved, today.

DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid), the "stuff of life" as it is sometimes called, is the most powerful information transmitting method known to man. It carries the blueprint for how each living thing is to be made. This information is carried on structures that we call chromosomes. A typical human chromosome contains about half a billion (5 X 10⁸) units (nucleotides) of DNA. The amount of information one chromosome contains would fill about 2,000 printed books of 1,000 pages each, with each page containing about 500 words. Indeed, marvelous are the works of him who made us!