Today’s reading is Galatians 1:1-2:21.

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

I think I get it now. I’ve not allowed this verse to have its full impact in my life. I was baptized, crucified with Christ (cf Romans 6:1-6). Since then I’ve been telling Christ, “Watch this, see how I can live my life for You.” I was certainly sincere in this. I have wanted to serve Christ. I’ve been doing my best. But wasn’t that the problem that led me to Christ in the first place? My best only put me right back into sin (cf Romans 7:14-24). Why would it do any different now?

Paul doesn’t say to tell Jesus, “I’ll do my best to live for You.” Rather, Jesus is saying, “Quit trying to live. I’ll live my best for you.” I need to quit trying to live my life and simply start letting Jesus live through me. What does He want? Do that. Of course, that is going to take faith. Jesus won’t treat me like a puppet. It’s my choice to let Him live through me by my faith. But I have to make a conscious decision to quit trying to live my life, even if I’m trying to live it for Him. Instead, I need to let Him live my life through me. I need to surrender myself to Him, His will, His goals, His life.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Acts 1:1-2:47.

“Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’” (Acts 2:37).

Too often for us, this is a boilerplate question. We’ve heard it over and over again. Sermons have been renderd, “What must I do to be saved?” But is that the basic question here? Can you hear the desparation. They had crucified the Messiah, the one they claimed to be awaiting. They thought He would be the solution to all their problems. When He came among them, they spat on Him, beat Him, mocked Him, and killed Him. They cried out, “Let his blood be on our heads and the heads of our children.”

This was a question they were expecting to go unanswered. What on earth could they do? They had killed their one hope. All was lost. And yet, it wasn’t. What a surprise it must have been when Peter actually had a response. He didn’t say, “Too bad for you. You blew it. You stupid morons.” Instead he said, “Repent and be baptized everyone one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

Gasp! There is something we can do? It isn’t over? Our hope is not lost? Perhaps some of our problem today is the question “What shall we do” is a boilerplate question. It is sermon fodder. It is not a despairing cry. Today, I need to remember how amazing it is that when I ask that question, God has actually provided an answer. Because of what Jesus did, there is something I can do.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Galatians 3:1-4:31.

As if to correspond with Nathan’s comment from Friday’s post, Paul steps up in Galatians 3:25-29 to explain that while we are justified by faith and not works of the law, if we don’t have some works then we cannot claim we have saving faith.

So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Did you see what that said about baptism and faith? It said we are sons of God through faith. We are not sons of God through works of the law, but through faith. However, how do we know we are sons of God through faith? “For” or because when we were baptized into Christ we put on Christ. I know this is not commonly accepted among most religious circles these days. But in the same way that I cannot help but see we are justified by faith and not by works of any law, I can’t help but see that I’m only a son of God through faith if I’ve put Christ on in baptism. I may believe in Jesus. I may think Jesus is great. I might even assent to all the facts about Jesus’ life. However, if my faith doesn’t carry me to surrender to Him in that first step of baptism, then my faith hasn’t saved me. I haven’t put on Christ, I’m still only an outside observer who thinks very highly of Him.

Please notice very carefully what Paul did not say. He did not say that we put on Christ through a prayer. He did not say we put on Christ through speaking in tongues. He did not say we put on Christ through an overwhelming spiritual experience. He did not say we put on Christ by being good enough. He did, however, say that we put on Christ in baptism and that we were baptized into Christ. 

That is only the beginning of a life surrendered to Jesus by faith (cf. Galatians 2:20). However, it is the beginning.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Acts 21:1-22:30.

Sin is my problem. I was covered up with it. But I wanted to be holy. I wanted to be righteous. I wanted to be with God and like God. I have a couple of options. I could just say it is impossible and give up, living however I want. I could try to change on my own and try to live perfectly from this point on. I could try to live beyond perfectly striving to pay God back for my past sins while not committing anymore. The problem is that leads me back to option one, trying to live perfectly. I’ve learned that doesn’t work.

Then I read what God did for Paul. In Acts 22: 16, Ananias had told Paul, “Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” Paul’s sins could be washed away in baptism. So could mine. So can yours.

What a great thought that we can avoid the wrath of God. We can avoid the eternal consequences of all those sins we committed. God has said, “Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins.” He’ll wash your sins away, but you must be baptized.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS: What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Acts 1:1-2:47.

I love to read Peter’s words in Acts 2:39: “For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

I don’t think Peter fully understood what the Spirit was saying through him here. It would be 10 to 15 years before Peter would actually get who the “far off” really were. Even on this first day, the Spirit was revealing that Christianity was not just for Jews. I’m sure that initial audience heard this statement as saying the promise was for the Jews who had traveled to Jerusalem for Pentecost and for those who had stayed in their far off homes.

However, in Ephesians 2:11-13 explains that those who are “far off” actually refers to the Gentiles. They were “far off” not because they were geographically separated but because they were spiritually separated from God.

Peter was saying the promises were for the Jews who were listening to him then, for the descendants of the Jews listening to him then, and for the Gentiles. 

The reason I love this so much is because I am a Gentile. The promise of salvation through the Holy Spirit is for me. I can be saved even though I wasn’t raised under Moses’ law. I can be saved even though I don’t live by that law. I can be saved because Jesus died for me just as He did for everyone else.

Therefore, just like the Jews who heard the message Peter preached on that day, I can be baptized for the remission of my sins and be added to Christ’s body. So can you.

***Question: What provides comfort to you about your relationship with God through Jesus?

Keep the faith and keep reading?

ELC

Today’s reading is Matthew 3:1-4:25.

Jesus’ baptism is a great example to us all. John even tried to talk him out of it, apparently being aware of Jesus’ great moral fiber and righteousness. Yet, Jesus pushed the issue. He claimed He needed to be baptized “to fulfill all righteousness.” I understand that Jesus needed to be baptized not in order to be granted righteousness but in order to fulfill it. That is, in order to fulfill what the Father wanted for Him.

However, I can’t help but point out this has led to all kinds of incorrect argumentation. Sometimes we can come up with these great sounding statements that simply don’t hold water biblically. One such statement is that we need to be baptized because Jesus was baptized. That is simply not so. Just because Jesus did something doesn’t mean we have to. For instance, Jesus was circumcised (Luke 2:21). Jesus was presented at the temple for purification (Luke 2:22-24). I don’t have to do either of those things.

Don’t misunderstand. I certainly believe each and every one of us must be baptized. Mark 16:16 says only those who believe and are baptized will be saved. Acts 2:38 says we must repent and be baptized for the remission of our sins. I Peter 3:21 says baptism now saves us. For all these reasons, I must be baptized. However, I’m not baptized because Jesus was. In fact, Jesus did not undergo the same baptism we have to undergo. He went through the baptism of John. However, that baptism does me no good. In fact, in Acts 19:1-7, Paul found 12 men who had been baptized in John’s baptism. However, under this new covenant it had done them no good. They needed to be baptized in Jesus’ name. Interestingly, Jesus did not undergo that baptism. 

The point behind all this is the baptism in which Jesus’ participated is not the same baptism in which we must participate. We do not get baptized for the same reasons as Jesus. Jesus was baptized in order to fulfill all righteousness. We are baptized in order to receive righteousness. Jesus was baptized with John’s baptism. We are baptized in Jesus’ baptism. 

Therefore, please don’t tell me that our baptism is not for the remission of sins or in order to become a child of God just because Jesus was also baptized. His baptism was different. 

The example Jesus did set for us here, however, is that if God says do something, we need to do it. Jesus did this because it was what God wanted. Instead of arguing against God, we need to submit to Him like Jesus did.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What did you get out of today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Acts 7:1-8:40.

Acts 8:4 starts a parenthetical section which doesn’t conclude until Acts 11:19. Luke tells four stories to prepare us for the progression from a Jewish church to a Gentile church. In order to prepare his early readers he told the first story of the conversion of a Samaritan Sorcerer. If Simon could be saved, a half-breed pagan, then anyone can be saved. Then he told the story of the Ethiopian Eunuch. If a proselytized Eunuch, could be saved, anyone can be saved. Then he told the story of the Priest’s Persecutor. If Saul, who was the number one enemy of Christ’s church could be saved, then anyone could be saved. Therefore, we should not be surprised when the Caesarean Centurion could be saved.

Lesson #1: I can be saved

This brings us to the first lesson I get from the Ethiopian Eunuch. According to Deuteronomy 23:1, no eunuch could enter the assembly of the Lord. This man was almost a second class citizen of that old kingdom. There is no way to know if he learned this after making the pilgrimage or if he made the pilgrimage even though he knew this. Yet, in either case, we see exactly why he asked, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” He had just experienced a time of prevention. He was prevented from much of the worship of the Jews because he was emasculated. Did that same prevention apply to entering Jesus? Philip’s answer was the only thing that prevents someone from being baptized is if they do not believe. The Eunuch believed and was baptized (cf. Mark 16:15-16).

The lesson for me is if the Ethiopian Eunuch can be saved, then anyone can be saved. More importantly for me, I can be saved. The only thing that will hinder me is whether or not I believe. Because, if I believe it, I will do it. If I don’t believe, I won’t follow God’s path. That will lead to destruction. I can be saved. You can be saved. Do you believe?

Lesson #2: Preaching Jesus

Philip preached Jesus to the Eunuch. He preached the good news about Jesus. While we don’t know his complete sermon. We can ascertain some aspects of it. He clearly pointed out the servant of the passage in Isaiah 53:7-8 is Jesus. He clearly pointed out there is good news in Jesus, that is, there is salvation in Jesus. But what cannot be missed, he clearly taught baptism as part of Jesus. The Eunuch didn’t come up with baptism on his own. There is no teaching of baptism from Isaiah 53 or in the Old Testament at all. How did the Eunuch come up with this question? Because an integral part of teaching the good news is teaching the necessity of baptism. 

This is a real shock considering the modern approach to baptism. For most of modern Christian religions, baptism is called something really important. Surely someone who is already a Christian should do it to let the world know they’ve been forgiven (odd point since the world isn’t seeing their baptism). Some even suggest they will question the salvation experience of a person who refuses baptism. But is it necessary to salvation? Is it necessary to the preaching of Jesus? The resounding answer is, “NO.” Friends, if we are going to follow in the footsteps of our ancient predecessors, we’ll see baptism as an essential to teaching the lost the good news of Jesus. It is not a sermon for the saved to convince them it is a good thing to do after they are saved. It is a lesson for the lost. It is part of preaching the good news. Without the baptism taught in Acts and exemplified in this story, no one will be saved. All other baptisms will fail us as Ephesians 4:5 explains there is only one baptism. That is, only one that brings us into the one body, expresses the one faith, provides us the one hope of our calling, submits us to the one Lord, follows the guide of the one Spirit and surrenders us to the one God.

I hear a lot today about just preaching Jesus. I’m all for it. Let’s just make sure when we are preaching Jesus, we are at least preaching what those early Christians preached when they preached Jesus.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. If you would like to read/hear a lesson I presented on this parenthetical set of stories and what we learn from them about the amazing gospel, click the link: The Amazing Gospel of Christ

P.P. S. What did you get out of today’s reading?

No doubt, in these chapters the amazing part of what is going on is that Jesus died for us. I’m just amazed that He did. How could He possibly love us that much? That is just how unfathomable God’s love is. Yet, He does love us that much.

However, what good does it do for God to love us if we won’t submit to even the simplest and straightforward commands of His? In Luke 6:46, Jesus asked how we could call Him Lord and not do what He said. Yet, folks do it all the time today.

The Gospel of Matthew ends with these words:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (ESV).

I’m just not sure how we can get any clearer that Christ’s disciples are made through baptizing them. They aren’t made through praying a sinner’s prayer. They aren’t made through a moment of faith. They are made through baptism and teaching. 

Why is baptism for the remission of sins such a dividing point today? Why do so many refuse to be baptized in order to become Christ’s disciple, in order to be forgiven, in order to be saved? Why can’t we all just do what Jesus asked? Have you submitted to Jesus in believer’s baptism in order to become a disciple and receive the remission of your sins (Acts 2:38). 

I encourage you to read these verses and see what they really say. I’m not making this up. 

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

II Corinthians 6:2 drives it home: “Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” Christianity is not merely something to think about. It is not something to tinker with for a while to see if it fits you. Christianity is about freedom in Christ. It is about freedom from guilt and shame by His love and forgiveness. It is about freedom from the controlling power of sin by His strength and grace. 

However, if you are just kind of playing with Christianity, it won’t do you any good. Half-measures accomplish nothing. We need to whole-heartedly surrender to God and submit to Him. If you haven’t done that yet, do it today. Today is the day of salvation. Trust me, this is one of those issues that if you put it off for a year and you are actually still alive a year from now, you will wish you had started today. And, having added another year of pursuing the lusts of the flesh you will find it harder to start then. So just go ahead and start today.

Just surrender yourself today to the Lord and let Him cleanse you of your sins. Then rely on His word and His people to help you grow. Do exactly what the Corinthians did to surrender themselves to the Lord. 

Acts 18:8 says, “And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.” If you haven’t committed your life to Christ through faith in the working of God in baptism (immersion in water) for the remission of sins, do it today. Don’t wait. There is no other plan by which you may be set free from your sins and receive the salvation Jesus offers.

Don’t delay. Today is the day of salvation.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

There Ought to at Least be One Verse on This

When I was in college, I worked for a furniture store. One day, a discussion ensued with one of the other workers about baptism. Her denomination teaches baptism is an outward sign of inward grace. It is one of the first steps of obedience after one is saved. However, it is not necessary to be baptized and baptism is not at all a prerequisite for salvation. She said, “Edwin, you would think if baptism saved us, God would have told us that at least once in the Bible.”

I responded, “Funny, you should mention that. Have you considered I Peter 3:21?” Before we could look it up, a customer came in and we had to get back to work. We were busy until it was time for my co-worker to leave. So I took a piece of paper and wrote “I Peter 3:21” on it. I gave it to her and encouraged her to read it that night and we could discuss it the next day. She handed the paper back to me and said, “I’m happy where I am.”

I Peter 3:21 says: “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Christ” (ESV).

I’ll let you draw you own conclusions about this.

We Don’t Want to Hear Your Doctrine on This

When I was conducting a radio show in Beaumont, TX, I heard about a brother in Christ from Little Rock, AR who had his own local show in the local time slot of an American Family Association radio station. Sadly, I can’t remember the brother’s name at this time.

One of this brother’s episodes was about Noah. He recorded his 15 minute broadcast without a hitch, saying everything he wanted to say in that brief period about Noah. However, when he listened to it, he noticed it had been edited. The very end was cut off. He rechecked the time and determined he had not gone over. That was not the reason for the missing seconds.

He just couldn’t understand why the final verse he read had just been removed. His broadcast on Noah ended merely with the reading of I Peter 3:21. He did not comment on it. He did not saying anything about. He did not provide explanation. He simply read it. But when the show was aired, the reading of I Peter 3:21 was cut out. 

Do you remember what I Peter 3:21 says? “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Christ” (ESV). 

When the brother called the station manager to question why the reading of the verse had been cut off, the station manager said, “We don’t want your teaching on baptism on this station.”

I’ll let you draw your own conclusions about this.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC