Every twelve years, millions of people make their way to the city of Allahabad in India.  Over the course of the event, it draws in tens of millions of people. So what’s the buzz all about?  It’s an event called Maha Kumbh Mela, or the “Grand Pitcher Festival.”  Apparently, every twelve years there is some kind of planetary alignment which brings forth massive amounts of spiritual energy from the earth and changes the water near this city to “Holy Water.”  Anyone who goes into the water is supposedly cleansed of all sins.

“The festival has its roots in a Hindu tradition that says the god Vishnu wrested from demons a golden pot containing the nectar of immortality.  In a 12-day fight for possession, four drops fell to earth, in the cities of Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujain, and Nasik.  Every three years a Kumbh Mela is held at one of these spots, with the festival at Allahabad the holiest of them all.” (Reuters).

Since almost the beginning of time, people have searched for a way to clear up past sins and start fresh.  Sadly, many have turned to traditions and popular beliefs for the answers.  But what is the true answer?  How can we be saved?

While there are probably thousands of different traditions and opinions, the Bible contains the true answers.  There is overwhelming evidence in support of the Bible being inspired and from God.  (1) The Bible claims it is from God (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  (2) There are hundreds of prophecies in the Bible which have proven to be accurate.  (3) There are no contradictions in Scripture.  While some point to alleged contradictions, they are typically misunderstandings and can all be proven otherwise.  (4) Archeology has found a tremendous amount of evidence which has confirmed the Bible’s events, predictions, and accounts.  (5) There are about 25,000 manuscripts of Scripture that have survived for thousands of years.  These show today’s Bible is overwhelmingly the same as it was 2000 years ago.

The Bible is from the Creator and Ruler of this universe.  So how does God say to be saved?  Some have claimed we are saved only by faith, others say only by repentance, or confession, or baptism.  Interestingly, Scripture says that we are saved by hearing the message about Christ (Romans 10:17; John 6:45), AND by faith (John 8:24; Ephesians 2:8), AND by confession (Romans 10:9-10), AND by repentance (Luke 13:3; 2 Peter 3:9; 2 Corinthians 7:10), AND by baptism (Galatians 3:26-27; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21).  In fact, several Scriptures pair some of these saving elements together (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 8:12-13; 16:31-33).  So, which one saves us?  They all do!  Each of these 5 steps is a necessary part of receiving salvation.

Everyone wants to be saved, but dunking ourselves in some water won’t help.  Only those who follow and obey all of the above steps will receive salvation (Matthew 7:21-27).  Have we obeyed all of these steps?

Brett Petrillo