Yes—salvation requires only believing the gospel that Christ died, was buried, and rose again.
Ephesians 1:13 describes believers as those who heard the word of truth, the gospel of salvation, and then believed. After that belief, God sealed them with the Holy Spirit of promise. Les Feldick emphasizes that nothing else—no works, no baptism, no church membership—appears in the passage.
Ephesians 1:13 — This verse directly answers the question by showing the sequence: hear the gospel, believe, and be sealed.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 — Paul defines the gospel that must be believed for salvation—Christ died, was buried, and rose again.
Ephesians 1:13 shows that the people addressed trusted in Christ after they heard the word of truth, the gospel of their salvation, and after they believed, they were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Verse 14 calls the Holy Spirit the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession. The passage connects salvation with hearing the gospel and believing it; no other action is mentioned. Paul's earlier explanation of the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 states that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, was buried, and rose again the third day. Romans 1:16 calls this gospel the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.
Les emphasizes that Ephesians 1 lays out a simple order: first the person hears the word of truth, which is the gospel of salvation—Paul's gospel that Christ died, was buried, and rose again. Then the person believes. After that belief, God seals the believer with the Holy Spirit of promise. Les says the text does not include works, baptism, church membership, joining the church, taking communion, tithing, or good works as requirements for salvation. He also distinguishes genuine faith from mere mental assent: saving faith is a Holy Spirit-driven trust that places one's eternal destiny on what Christ did on the cross. Along with that, Les teaches that a person must be old enough to understand that they are a sinner in need of salvation and that the gospel is the remedy.
In Ephesians 1:13 the order is hearing the word of truth (the gospel), then believing, then being sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Les stresses that after a person hears and believes, God does the sealing—the believer contributes nothing more.
Les identifies the word of truth as the gospel of your salvation and defines it by Paul's gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. This is the message a person must believe to be saved.
Les points out that the passage does not say if we repent and are baptized and have joined the Church. The requirement is simply believing the gospel. He lists church joining, baptism, communion, tithing, and good works as things that have their place but are not the power of God unto salvation.
Les distinguishes genuine belief from mental assent. Saving faith is a Holy Spirit-driven belief that one's eternal destiny is based on Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. It involves understanding that one is a lost child of Adam and needs salvation.
The Gospel as God's Power
Les says the gospel is the power of God unto salvation and that there is nothing a person can do but take what God has offered—good works cannot earn salvation.
Ephesians 1 Sequence
Les outlines the sequence in Ephesians 1: after hearing the gospel, the person believes, and then God seals him with the Holy Spirit. He also notes a person must be old enough to know they are a sinner.
Hear, Believe, Be Sealed
Les walks through the progressive order: hear the word of truth, believe, then be sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, showing every believer begins as a sinner condemned already.
No Repentance and Baptism Requirement
Les contrasts the text with 'if we repent and are baptized and have joined the Church,' noting Paul makes belief the requirement, not those actions.
Genuine Belief vs. Mental Assent
Les explains that saving faith is not merely saying 'I believe' but is a Holy Spirit-driven belief that one's eternal destiny rests on what Christ did on the cross.
Believing the Gospel Is the Plain Path
Les says salvation is plainly not in the Law, works, or repentance and baptism, but in believing the gospel—that Christ died, was buried, and rose again.
No Works or Church Rituals
Les says salvation is not church membership, baptism, communion, tithing, or good works; it is totally entrusting one's eternal destiny to the power of the gospel.
Faith of a Lost Child of Adam
Les teaches that a person must understand they are lost as a child of Adam and genuinely believe that Christ died, shed His blood, was buried, and rose; then God places them into the body of Christ.
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 verse states the exact sequence for salvation: hearing the gospel and believing it, followed by the sealing of the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 1:14: Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
This verse explains what the sealing means—the Holy Spirit is the guarantee of the believer's inheritance.
1 Corinthians 15:3: For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
Paul defines the content of the gospel that must be believed.
1 Corinthians 15:4: And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
This completes the gospel definition with burial and resurrection.
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.
This shows why the gospel must be believed—it is the power of God unto salvation.
No. Les Feldick says the passage doesn't say that. The requirement is believing the gospel; baptism, church membership, and other works are not in the text.
It is the message Paul preached: that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. Les teaches that hearing this gospel and believing it is what saves.
According to Les, after a person hears and believes the gospel, God seals that person with the Holy Spirit of promise. It is something God does, not something the person earns.
Les says a person must be old enough to understand that they are a sinner in need of salvation and that the gospel is the remedy, since believing requires understanding.
Watch the Teaching: What Does "Salvation" Really Mean? Romans 1:16 Explained