Standing with Phil Robertson?

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” – Jesus Christ, the Son of God

For those of you who live under a rock or are not hip enough to read GQ, Phil Robertson is catching some flack for comments he made in a recent interview with that publication.  It’s more than flak really, the network that carries his TV Show has suspended him. I’ve got no further comment on what happened on this post.  You can read the GQ article for yourself, and good treatments have already been posted all over the internet at places like AlMohler.com or HereIBlog.com. CNN has provided well-balanced coverage as well.  I even talked about it on Matt Slick live today. The simple fact is that biblical Christians agree with Phil’s words, after all he was just paraphrasing scripture and telling about his first-hand experiences.

The purpose of my post here is not to rehash the events of the day.  It’s very clear what happened.  Phil Robertson, citing scripture, shared how the gospel changed his life, how the Lord Jesus changed his life, and the world hates him for it. 

It is the Christian reaction that I want to rehash…  

First off, I don’t know why those of us who do not belong to the world are so shocked.  Lost people don’t understand the gospel.  We shouldn’t be shocked but we should be ready to stand by the testimony of our Christian brethren. Many Christians are up in arms and ready to “stand with Phil.”  After all, Phil wasn’t afraid to say what he believed.

Alright….

What if Phil Robertson said that baptism by immersion was necessary for salvation?  That is, what if Phil Robertson said your confession of faith in Jesus Christ is not what led to your salvation and that you might not even be saved despite a confession of Christ?  Take four and a half minutes to check on what I’m talking about at the linked video. 

Fellow believers, Phil Robertson didn’t step out on a limb with his show’s fan base by quoting scripture.  We already believe in scripture.  He’d be stepping out on a limb if he said that only those baptized for salvation by a qualified Church of Christ pastor were saved.  I can’t find him saying that anywhere to which I can think; evidence indicates that he believes it.  

If Phil told the whole story of his beliefs, would you be ready to stand with Phil?  

Let’s not make an icon out of a man who might hold to a heretical doctrine of salvation.  Instead, stand with scripture.  Stand with Jesus.  Share your testimony.  Share the gospel.  Baptism, while it is a public testimony of faith, is not a work unto salvation.  We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

If your a non-Christian, I pray that your reaction to the information above would be to respond to the invitation of Jesus Christ.  Right now, in the attitude of your heart, won’t you ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and come into your life as Lord and savior?