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Today’s reading is Mark 1:1-2:28.

I was struck pretty early in today’s reading. When the Jews were going out to see John the Baptist, they were being baptized and confessing their sins.

I recognize, of course, that the confession that is part of becoming God’s child is not the confession of sin, but the confession of faith in Christ (Romans 10:9-10). However, this confession caught my attention. Perhaps it caught my attention because of something a friend said to me recently.

“I didn’t really grasp God’s grace, until I actually started confessing my sins.” It was when he began to list out what he was forgiven for that he began to realize exactly how much God had done for him and exactly how much God must love him.

By the way, notice they did more than simply confess that they were sinners. They confessed their sins. Let’s not argue about how necessary this is in order to be saved. Instead, let’s simply recognize how beneficial it is to see God’s love and forgiveness. I’m going to spend some time today considering what God has done for me, what God has forgiven me and be reminded of how much He loves me.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

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

I know this is counted as heresy among the mainstream religion. I take comfort that Jesus was also considered a heretic among the maintsreamly religious of His day. However, can anyone truly ignore what Paul wrote in Romans 6:1-4? Why is it that this passage is so often skipped over in all those Roman Road tracts?

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? by no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (ESV).

Please, beloved reader, do not gloss over this passage with words of “symbolism” and “outward sign of inward grace.” Read it again. And Read it again. Can you not see what it says? It says that we die with Christ when we are baptized into Him? When are we baptized in Him? Not just when we go under the water with words about it being in His name or in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We are baptized into Jesus and into His death when we are buried with him by baptism into death in order that (did you see that? in order that) we might walk in newness of life. We cannot possible be baptized in order that we might walk in newness of life if we think we had the newness of life moments, days, weeks even months before we were baptized.

Yes, yes, I know baptism is symbolic. It is symbolic of us dying with Christ, being buried with Christ and then being raise with Christ. But its symbolism does not suddenly mean it is not essential to our salvation. Its symbolism does not suddenly mean that it is not really, truly and emphatically the doorway into a real relationship with Christ.

Please, do not ignore this very serious part of the Roman Road to salvation. Without it, you are not on the Roman Road but some other road and I fear that road will not lead you to salvation.

Keep the faith and keep reading,
ELC