Tag: Salvation
Updated on September 21, 2022
One Baptism – Water or Spiritual – Choose Wisely
11 I indeed baptize you in (with) water because of repentance [that is, because of your changing your minds for the better, heartily amending your ways, with abhorrence of your past sins]. But He Who is coming after me is mightier than I, Whose sandals I am not worthy or fit to take off or carry; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. -- Matthew 3:11 <AMP>
That statement was important enough to be recorded in 3 Gospels: Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, and in Acts 1:5. Believers should carefully take note at what the Spirit is trying to tell us.
I Baptize With Water, Unto Repentance
John the Baptist was the last Old Testament prophet. He baptized people with water, preaching the Kingdom of Heaven and repentance to Israel. He recognized that water baptism was just a shadow of what was to come. (Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:7-8, Luke 3:16, Acts 1:5) His testimony was that there was someone coming after him who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. John recognized that the coming one was superior, and existed before him. John would baptize Jesus to reveal him to Israel, and in so doing, recognized Jesus as Lord, and witnessed him being anointed by the Holy Spirit. (John 1:29-36)
25 And they asked him, Why then are you baptizing if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?
26 John answered them, I [only] baptize in (with) water. Among you there stands One Whom you do not recognize and with Whom you are not acquainted and of Whom you know nothing. [Mal. 3:1.]
27 It is He Who, coming after me, is preferred before me, the string of Whose sandal I am not worthy to unloose.
— John 1:25-27 <AMP>
In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus lays out a future formula – teach the nations (Israel was not reckoned among the nations – Numbers 23:9), baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. A careful reading of those passages shows that neither baptism (John’s, or the one in Matthew 28) applies to the Body of Christ, who are children of God, and neither Jew or Gentile, nor are they accounted among the nations. (1 Corinthians 10:32)
Note that in every example in Acts, nobody uses the three names instructed in Matthew 28. Here are three.
Acts 2:38 (KJV)
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 8:16 (KJV)
16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
Acts 10:48 (KJV)
48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
Did they disobey Jesus, or rightly understand that Matthew 28 applied to a future time of judgment? This was a slight digression to show that the purpose and type of baptisms can change depending on the age and audience. And we must be careful attempting to apply what belongs to Israel, to the Church, and what belongs to a future dispensation, to the current one. Everything must fall in its proper place and time.
The spiritual rebirth Jesus discusses in John 3 is fully realized in the Body of Christ. In John 4, Jesus mentions God’s desire that all worship Him in spirit and Truth. This reaches its glorious maturity by the change in status from servants to children in the Body of Christ. There are no more Jews who are “zealous of the Law” because all those barriers are gone, along with the traditions and requirements of the Law. Grace is the order of the day. The only Law is the Law of Love. Believers are no longer spiritually dead, but made alive in Christ! What could mere water on the flesh possibly do for a reborn child of God baptized in the Holy Spirit? (Romans 8, Ephesians 1-4) There is no more veil separating man from God, because Believers become the Temple of God. (John 14-17, Romans 1:1-18, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19-20, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, Ephesians 2:18-22)
You could take the meanest SOB in the city down to the creek and spend all day sprinkling and dunking him and not change him one bit. What matters is what is in his heart. True spiritual change comes from hearing the Word of God, believing it, and acting on it. That is why we are continually called to preach the Word. It is ALIVE, and capable of truly changing someone from the inside out. Once the confession is made, having believed the Word in the heart, the Holy Spirit transforms the individual from death to life, creating a New Creation in Christ. (Romans 10:8-11, Ephesians 2)
In Colossians 2, Paul puts the hammer down. Believers are COMPLETE IN CHRIST. He talks of a spiritual circumcision, a spiritual baptism through faith, in contrast with all the rudiments of the world – all the religious rituals and ordinances that lead to bondage. Those were a “shadow of things to come.” Believers died with Christ from ceremonialism – whether Jewish in origin, or simply paganized Christianity, it matters not. There is no glory in the flesh, only in the Lord. – Colossians 3:1 (KJV) – If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. All the ceremonies and rituals do in this age is divide the Body. Note the silly squabbles, even wars in the past, over infant baptism, and immersion versus sprinkling, etc. A proper understanding of the spiritual new birth ends ALL works of the flesh, and all religious bondage.
One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism
If you follow the Scriptures from the Gospels, to Paul’s later letters, you will notice a clear trend. At first, its all water baptism, and then gradually its mentions begin to fade, giving way to a spiritual baptism as Paul unveils the Revelation of the Body of Christ, which had been hidden in God. This should be no surprise to Believers in this Age of Grace. The water baptism was meant for spiritually dead people before the resurrection of Jesus. Now that Jesus is glorified, it is unnecessary. Water simply runs off an individual, or evaporates. It does nothing to the spirit. A spiritual baptism, or new birth, changes the heart, creating a new creation in Christ!
How many people throughout time took part in a water baptism and then promptly went back to their life, nothing changed. When Jesus changes your heart, folks will notice. Sinful things that used to be desired gradually lose their appeal. A greater desire comes upon one spiritually baptized to know their Heavenly Father, and live to please him.
Water baptism certainly appeals to the crowd. The local congregation and pastor get the glory, and the person baptized gets wet, along with the praise. But what does God get? If the individual did not have a spiritual baptism, he is not even reborn. It may have been a memorable experience, but deep inside, that person has not changed. And then folks wonder why their new member is back down at the Honky-tonk the following Friday night.
8 For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God; 9 Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law’s demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.] -- Ephesians 2:8-9 <AMP>
Posted on April 29, 2018
He Was A Good Man
“A short time ago, my dad died. He was an atheist, but he had all four of his children baptized. He was a good man. Is Dad in heaven?”
You can hear the Pope’s answer below.
Pope gives sweet answer to heartsick boy who lost his papa
Our hearts break for this little boy who lost his father. When he told Pope Francis that he was worried his papa wasn’t in heaven, the Pope had a beautiful response.
Posted by Detroit Free Press on Friday, April 27, 2018
I’m not here to criticize his response. The question grabbed my attention as I thought about how I would respond. The boy in the picture looked no older than 10. I may be wrong, as kids are getting so much bigger at much earlier ages. Certainly, the child’s maturity would factor into any explanation I would attempt to share.
Only God can answer such a question definitively, as He is the only one that knows what is in every person’s heart. And a mature Believer can be confident, based on God’s Word, of their present state in Christ, and future with His Heavenly Father. (Romans 8:31-39, 1 John 3:18-24)
It is not uncommon for the parents and family of criminals or terrorists, to claim that their child or brother was a good man. They only saw what was on the outside, how the individual behaved in their presence. God knows our thoughts, desires, and dreams. He sees what is done behind closed doors and in darkness. And more importantly, He knows who truly is in His family. (John 10:1-18)
But the Lord said to Samuel, Look not on his appearance or at the height of his stature, for I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. — 1 Samuel 16:7 (<AMP>)
And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. — Luke 18:18-19 (<KJV>)
Updated on March 18, 2014
Lend Me Your Ear – Jesus Restores the Ear of Malchus
In the confusing confrontation between soldiers, servants and armed disciples, who no doubt were afraid for their lives, this incident could have exploded into a bloodbath. But since it involved Jesus, everything was contained. He was in complete control of all the events that evening.
He ordered his disciples to put away their swords. They were completely unnecessary. Jesus could have ordered thousands of angels to defend him, or simply walked away from the mob like he had done so many times before. Instead, he would willingly go with the mob and endure the mock trial, the beatings, the cross, and the worst of it all, spiritual death – separation from his Heavenly Father. That was his mission.
As the disciples fled in fear, Jesus faced the mob alone. Malchus, clutching the bloody stump where his right ear had been, was crying in agony. Cuts and injuries I have sustained around the head seem to produce and overabundance of blood, so I would assume his clothes were a bloody mess. The pain of the injury, and seeing so much of his own blood, might have been a little shocking to a household servant not accustomed to violence.
The Bible says that Jesus touched the ear and it was restored. In the midst of his arrest, and facing the terror of the cross, Jesus still responded in love. He saw a man hurting inside and out. Someone who was just doing his job who got caught at the wrong place and at the wrong time. We don’t even know if Malchus knew anything about Jesus. He was simply being an obedient servant.
The Gospels record no words spoken by Jesus. But I suspect that Jesus whispered something like “be made whole” into the man’s good ear before touching him. This was just enough to spark the man’s faith to receive his restoration. Faith comes from hearing the Word. And if Malchus did not believe, as happened occasionally during the ministry of Jesus, there might not have been a miracle. Imagine if Malchus had wallowed in self-pity or anger, he may have lost his chance for healing. Jesus would never force anyone to be healed against their will.
I know I am heading into speculation, but this story has always fascinated me. I put myself in his shoes back at home with the rest of the servants and the family of the High Priest. Malchus had as evidence clothing stained with his own blood. He may have even had the old ear if it had been completely severed and not reattached – the Bible is not clear in this regard. Needless to say that this was an undeniable miracle.
The Bible does not say anything else about Malchus. In John, we hear about another servant, a relative of Malchus, accusing Peter of being a disciple of Jesus. Its possible he had heard, or possibly seen Peter’s attack and Jesus healing Malchus.
I want to believe that Malchus became a follower of Jesus. There is no Biblical evidence for this, but I can’t imagine anyone going through such an ordeal and not be at least curious about the person that had done such a wonderful thing for him. I imagine him hanging around the trial and possibly at the crucifixion. I see him sneaking off into the night and meeting with the disciples to learn more about his Savior. I can imagine him as an old man telling his grandchildren how Jesus gave him a perfect new ear!
Everything Jesus did or said had a purpose. And I believe it was no coincidence that Malchus met Jesus that day. Jesus wants a relationship with everyone. Jesus is still saying, “lend me your ears.” He is saying come to me and be healed and made whole – spirit, mind, and body.
Hear the Good News and receive the gift of Salvation that Jesus earned for you.
Here are a few verses to meditate on regarding this subject.
Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Psalm 103:1-5 <NIV>
For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
Updated on August 22, 2013
George Carlin On Religion – A Response
There is a reason that people have continually looked for something greater than themselves. To put it simply, there is something greater. One cannot rationally examine creation and not see the handiwork of a master designer. From the smallest organism to the heavenly bodies, everything has been designed to work perfectly within their prescribed place. And you want educated people to accept that this was all just some big cosmic accident? That would take a whole lot of faith.
