No — Scripture and Les Feldick present salvation through the gospel as requiring a personal, understanding faith that an infant cannot yet exercise.
Paul’s order in Ephesians 1:13 is that after hearing the word of truth, the gospel, a person believes and is then sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Les Feldick applies this by saying a person must be old enough to understand that he is a sinner and that the gospel is the remedy. Since an infant cannot yet understand sin or believe the message, the gospel passages Les uses do not describe a way for infants to be saved.
Ephesians 1:13 — It states the salvation sequence of hearing the gospel, believing, and being sealed with the Holy Spirit — a sequence that assumes a personal, understanding faith.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 — It defines the gospel message that must be believed for salvation: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again.
Romans 1:16 — It calls the gospel the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, showing that salvation is linked to the act of believing.
Paul writes in Ephesians 1:13, In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise. The order is hearing, believing, and being sealed. The content of the gospel is defined in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4: Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. Paul also calls the gospel the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth (Romans 1:16). Every verse in this pattern assumes a person can hear the message, understand his condition, and believe the gospel. None of these verses describe an infant as the one hearing, believing, or being sealed.
Les Feldick teaches that the new birth cannot happen until a person recognizes a need. He points to Jesus’ illustration that well people do not need a physician, but the sick do, and says a person who thinks he is good enough for heaven will never be saved. He rejects what he calls easy believism; he wants a person to know, with all their being, that they are a lost child of Adam and to genuinely believe that Christ died for them, shed His blood, was buried, and rose from the dead. When a person really believes that, God makes that person His child and places him into the body of Christ. Les emphasizes the order in Ephesians 1:13: after a person hears the word of truth, the gospel of salvation, and after that person believes, God seals him with the Holy Spirit of promise. He makes the point directly about age: a person must be old enough to understand that he is a sinner and needs salvation and that the gospel is the remedy. The gospel has no strings attached, no prescribed ritual, and no church membership requirement — but the one who believes is the one who can say, Yes, I see it. For me, the sinner, there is only one remedy. Since an infant cannot do that yet, Les does not present a biblical way for infants to be saved.
Les Feldick says the new birth cannot happen until we recognize a need. He uses Jesus’ illustration that well people do not need a physician — the sick do. A person who thinks he is good enough for heaven will never be saved. Les wants a person to know, with all their being, that they are a lost child of Adam and to believe that Christ died for them, shed His blood, was buried, and rose from the dead. This requires enough understanding to recognize sin and the gospel remedy.
The Scripture sequence is hearing, believing, then sealing. Les says that after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that you believed, then you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. He also says every child of God had to come from being a sinner, a son of Adam, condemned already. The only step between hearing and being sealed is believing — no ritual, no church membership, and no prescribed process. That believing is a personal response, which an infant cannot yet make.
No. Les says he does not accept people who become church members by rote repetition or who walk an aisle and follow a procedure. That is not salvation. Salvation happens when a person has genuinely come under the power of the Holy Spirit and genuinely believes the gospel with all his heart. The gospel has no strings attached, no prescribed ritual, and no particular way — a person can believe it at the kitchen sink, driving down the road, or waking in the middle of the night. But this still requires a conscious, personal Yes, I see it response to the gospel.
Salvation Addressed to Believers
Les points out that Paul writes Ephesians to believers, showing that the gospel passages address people who have already trusted in Christ, not infants.
Recognizing a Need Before New Birth
Les says the new birth cannot happen until a person recognizes a need, using Jesus' illustration that the sick need a physician — an infant cannot yet recognize that need.
Understanding You Are a Lost Sinner
Les rejects easy believism and says a true believer must understand, with all his being, that he is a lost child of Adam and believe Christ died, was buried, and rose again.
Salvation Is Not Rote Ritual
Les rejects church membership, aisle-walking, and rote repetition as salvation; genuine faith is a heart response to the gospel.
Hearing, Believing, Sealed
Les traces the order in Ephesians 1:13: hear the gospel, believe, then be sealed with the Holy Spirit — every child of God was once a condemned sinner who believed.
Old Enough to Understand Sin
Les directly answers the infant question: a person must be old enough to understand that he is a sinner and that the gospel is the remedy.
No Strings Attached — But a Personal Response
Les says the gospel has no ritual or strings attached, but the sinner must be able to say, Yes, I see it — Christ died for my sins and arose from the dead.
The Gospel That Saves
Les says it is by this gospel that we are saved, and the believer must keep in memory what was preached rather than believe in vain.
Ephesians 1:13: In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
This is the central order of salvation Les repeatedly uses: hearing, believing, then sealing.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4: Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
This defines the gospel that must be heard and believed; it involves understanding a historical event.
Romans 1:16: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
The gospel's power is for every one who believes, connecting salvation to personal faith.
Les said a person must be old enough to understand that he is a sinner and needs salvation and that the gospel is the remedy. Since an infant cannot yet understand sin or the gospel, the order of hearing, believing, and being sealed does not apply to an infant.
Based on Ephesians 1:13, Paul describes hearing the gospel of salvation, believing it, and then being sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Les stresses that believing is the only step between hearing and being sealed.
Les says salvation is not a process; it is an event. Once someone genuinely believes the gospel, God makes him a child of God. The growth that follows is a process of sanctification.
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