Matt Postiff's Blog

A tract is a pamphlet, usually of a religious nature or sometimes political. Someone could hand out a tract advocating the gospel, or the pro-life movement, or support for Gaza. Christians have passed out tracts for generations.

Some people call them “tracks,” but the actual word is tract with a T at the end. Tract is a shortened form of the word tractate which is a formal and often more lengthy version of a tract. Both words derive from the Latin tractatus which is a discussion or treatise about some topic. A treatise is a detailed and organized written document about a topic. In common usage, a treatise is usually quite long. A tract is always very short, usually no more than four or six small pages folded as a booklet or tri-fold.

People have been saved by reading Christian tracts. It would be good for you to carry a few with you in a pocket or purse so that you can give one to someone you meet at a store or restaurant or wherever. We have a couple nearby our front door so that if a salesperson comes and we think it is appropriate, we can give him or her a tract. We like using the so-called Bridge tract but there are others as well.

Finally, consider studying a good tract so that you can store its contents in your mind. You never know when you may need to share the good news verbally with someone and you can draw on your memory and adapt it to the circumstance at hand.

Reading in Luke 9:57-62 this morning, I came upon a title in the New King James Study Bible for that section: "True Cost of Discipleship." A similar title involving the word "cost" is found at Luke 14:25 in one of the outlines supplied in Bibleworks 10.

Let us pause and ask ourselves this question: "is the term 'cost' the best word to use in this context?" My short answer: No.

In theology, precision of terminology is important. Sloppy use of terms is both a source of sloppy thinking, and a cause of it. I think the term 'cost' is used in popular parlance in a very imprecise way.

Granted, Jesus uses the term in an illustration about building a tower, in which it is obviously necessary to make a cost estimate before beginning construction. Because of the KJV translation, this came over to discussion of discipleship as "counting the cost." This, in turn creates a challenge for those who emphasize that salvation is free. They reason that since discipleship "costs" and salvation is "free," therefore the two concepts must be different. This leads to the "not all Christians are disciples" theology. They suggest that salvation and discipleship are two different things. Some Christians are believers, they say, and some are believers and disciples.

I wrote a while ago as to why the 'salvation not equal to discipleship' doctrine is false.

The thought progression from "cost" to "salvation is not the same as discipleship" explained above comes about because of a sloppy conflation of two ideas. The first is the idea of monetary cost terminology from an illustration of a building project. The second is the idea that salvation is free in terms of doing any works to earn it. When you equate the first idea with the second, you are doing a meaning transfer that is wrong.

Instead, we need to recognize that the illustration of building is like but not the same as the Christian reality it illustrates. So, you decide to build a tower. You need to think about the implications of that. Do you have the wherewithal to complete it? Similarly, you are pondering the decision to believe in Jesus. You have to consider whether you up for the difficulties that come after you believe in Him.

You take the illustration way too far if you think like this: Well, since I have to gather all the money and materials and plans and laborers in order to build a tower before I begin, that must mean that I have to do all kinds of work and make all kinds of commitments in order to become a Christian (i.e.., "be saved").

The tendency of the human brain to make this connection because of the semantic nearness of "cost" and "free" leads me to believe that the 'cost' terminology should not appear in the headings of our study Bibles. Instead, the heading should be "The Difficulty of Discipleship." This avoids the illegitimate transfer of ideas from the monetary realm to the spiritual realm. It fits perfectly with the notion that salvation is not earned by works or anything else. It also works because being a saved person is not going to be a cakewalk in this life.

As you ponder the decision to believe in Christ, you need to think: Christ offers forgiveness and eternal life through simple repentant faith. That's true. But the transformation that comes over you will be so radical that you won't be like what you were before. Your relationships with everything and everyone will be totally different. You will run into difficulties along the way that you do not experience presently. Is that the path you are willing to endure? That is the Christian life.

The difficulty of discipleship offers no contradiction with the free offer of salvation. Jesus will save you. He will wash you clean of sin. He will give you spiritual life. But your life afterward will be entirely different.

It is not that salvation is obtained at a "cost." Rather, the Christian life after you begin to follow Christ will be difficult. But it will also be blessed.

Today's question has to do with John 3:5.

Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."

The question has to do with how Nicodemus understood the references to water and the Spirit. Does water have to do with the physical birthing process? Is the water referring to baptism? Is the Spirit referring to tongues?

If you read the verse, you will see no mention of baptism and tongues. The verse talks about water and Spirit, not baptism and tongues. Yet, I can imagine where the errant ideas come from:

1. water => supposedly equals baptism

2. Spirit => supposedly equals tongues, to some charismatics, a necessary sign of salvation

I can see how water could be equated with baptism, based on the (then) recent history of John the Baptist doing his baptizing ministry. But neither Jesus nor the New Testament suggests that we must be water-baptized in order to be saved. Consider all Old Testament saints, and the "good" thief on the cross next to Jesus. We are water baptized because we are saved, but not the reverse. That is, the statement "we are saved because of water baptism" is false. The Pentecostal believer will make a lengthy case against us from the text in Acts 2:38, but such has been adequately answered in such places as this article by Professor R. Bruce Compton at Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary.

The second point (Spirit => tongues) is fabricated out of thin air because no place up to this point in Bible history is the Holy Spirit gift of tongues mentioned. The first occurrences is Acts 2, many months after Jesus spoke. There is no way that Nicodemus could have guessed that tongues was the referent of Jesus' words. Tongues were the farthest thing from his mind, and from the mind of our Lord, when He spoke these words.

The truth is that both water and Spirit have Old Testament referents that should have been familiar to Nicodemus. The fact that they were not leads the Lord Jesus to rebuke him for his ignorance (John 3:10). Here it is, with key words bolded:

Ezekiel 36:25-27—"Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

Water refers to spiritual cleansing from sin. The water of baptism does not wash away sin in any shape, manner, or form. It is merely a symbol of Spirit baptism and of union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.

The Spirit refers to a ministry that begins at regeneration and continues throughout the life of the believer. The believer's spiritual life is generated and sustained by the Holy Spirit who dwells in him/her.

Jesus is saying "unless one is born of water [=cleansed from sin and thus forgiven] and the Spirit [regeneration, new life and indwelling], he cannot enter the kingdom of God." This is what Christians call the new birth, or "being born again."

Speaking illustratively now, suppose that you come to the door of the kingdom of Christ in the future (Revelation 20). Jesus will not let you inside unless you have been born of water and the Spirit. If you have not been forgiven and regenerated, you will be turned away to an eternity of condemnation in Hell. That is what He is saying to Nicodemus. You must be born again!

John 3:3—Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Some time ago we prepared a quick guide on some topics for witnessing to people who hold different belief systems. This can be greatly improved, I'm sure, but it is offered "as is" and will hopefully be a help to you. The image below is a preview; if you click it, the PDF will download.

Please contact us if you want to suggest additions or corrections. Thank you!