I always appreciate the people who call after reading an article in The Amish Voice. Sometimes they call to agree. Sometimes they call to disagree. Other times, they simply want a clearer understanding. I truly enjoy those conversations. None of us knows everything, and we all grow by talking things through.
Solomon wrote in Proverbs 27:17, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” We need one another. Just as iron sharpens iron, believers strengthen, correct, and encourage each other as we walk with the Lord.
One recent question came from an article by Simon Fry titled “Members-Only Baptism,” published in the March 2026 issue.
The Question: Must a person be walking in obedience to every command before God can save him? – Simon Fry
My Response:
That is a very important question, and I was so glad the caller felt comfortable seeking a better explanation. The question deserves a clear, biblical answer.
The simple answer is no. A person does not have to be walking in obedience to every command before God can save them. If that were true, no one could ever be saved.
Romans 5:8-9 says:
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”
God saves sinners, not cleaned-up people. We do not obey first and then get saved. We are saved by grace through faith.
Ephesians 2:8–9 says:
“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.”
Salvation is not earned by obedience. It is received by faith in Jesus Christ.
That said, real salvation produces obedience. After we are saved, God begins changing us.
Ephesians 2:10 continues:
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
And 2 Corinthians 5:17 says:
“Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
So obedience is not the root of salvation. It is the fruit of salvation.
– Joe Keim