Expository Files 16.5; May 2009
Editors: Warren E. Berkley, Jon W. Quinn
The Value of Quiet Benevolence
Matthew 6:1-4
The Front Page 16.5 (May 2009)
By Warren E. Berkley
An ill-tempered brother who always kept some grievance or issue close at hand, called a meeting with the preacher and four elders of the local church he belonged to.
He leaped right into his complaint, arguing that all five brethren made a good living, drove late model cars and lived in nice homes, yet, he argued: "You don't ever share your good fortune." His small audience listened patiently and then after the outburst, one of the elders said: "How do you know we do not share?" There was no answer. Apparently the agitated brother assumed they didn't, or wanted to believe they were miserly. The elder calmly explained, putting an end to the event: "God does not expect us to prove to you or to anyone the extent of our benevolence. In fact, the larger amount of one's benevolence will not be known. In support of this, he read Matt. 6:1-4, and the meeting ended."
The story illustrates, among other things, a common misunderstanding of individual benevolence. The purpose is not to satisfy witnesses, elicit the applause of men, or prove anything to distracters. One's sharing ought to be so private and unpublicized, when the right hand gives, the left hand has no idea. It should be as Harriet Beecher Stowe once wrote of someone she believed had the spirit of Jesus. She said of this person, that "He had a habit of quiet benevolence," doing more good silently than was common of most people in their public charity. {Life and Letters of Harriet Beecher Stowe, 1897}
I read recently of a mystery unfolding in the world of college fundraising. "During the past few weeks, at least nine universities have received gifts totaling more than $45 million, and the schools had to promise not to try to find out the giver's identity," (AP, Apr. 16, 2009). I have no idea how this story will develop over the coming days. It may turn out that some individual or group of individuals are engaged in quiet benevolence, determined to avoid the typical praise of public, ostentatious giving. I hope so.
Nevertheless . . . I don't know so much about "random acts of kindness," but I'm entirely convinced of the value of quiet benevolence. Are you a quiet and generous giver? There is rich spiritual value in this kind of giving. Value for you and the recipient, and "with such sacrifices, God is well pleased," (Heb. 13:16).
Listen to Jesus again:
"Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly." Matt. 6:1-4
From Expository Files 16.5; May 2009
Reverence - The Summation of Hebrews
Hebrews 12:28,29
By Warren E. Berkley
The book of Hebrews is a warning to all Christians, "that no one fails to obtain the grace of God," (12:15). The original recipients were under pressure to abandon Christ and resume their previous practice of Judaism or make some attempt to re-involve themselves in the Old Covenant, now terminated. The writer moves from affirmation to argumentation, then issues warnings, prohibitions and imperatives lest anyone fall away.
For Christians today, the message is to persevere in the activity of our faith in Christ, "looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith," (12:2). We are urged to "lay aside every weight," in order to "run the race." We ought to endure hardship, accepting the discipline of the Lord and lifting our hands high an firmly to the task. We should strive for peace and holiness, carefully avoid any bitterness and see that we do not refuse Him who speaks from heaven.
Are you a Christian? Do you want to live out that identify and go to heaven? They you will want be to be engaged with God through Christ, as described in the warnings, prohibitions and imperatives written in Hebrews.
All the arguments, warnings, prohibitions and imperatives in Hebrews are summed up here:
"Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire," (Heb. 12:28,29).
What is reverence? It is our inner sense of who God is, with all the respect that will generate in all our behavior. It includes one's attendance in and deportment in the assembly, but reverence is more than just one's conduct in a building or audience. It is your inner sense of the greatness of God; your respect for Him, with all the godly behavior that will come from that respect. Bible reading and study is foundational and essential to reverence - but is not the essence of reverence. Prayer can help you develop reverence, and will be a product of reverence. Worship, association with people who are reverent . . . my point is, many things can lead to reverence and sustain reverence, but the definition, the essence is - your inner sense of who God is, with all the respect that will generate in all your behavior.
With such reverence, you will live in gratitude. "Let us be grateful." This is not a single act of thanks, but a way of heart and life; a continuous awareness of your dependence on a great God. Gratitude enables a great joy and desire to please God.
With such reverence, we are able to "offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe." We "offer to God" whatever He says is acceptable, out of "reverence and awe." We offer to Him our worship, our resources, our very lives, and we do this motivated by our awareness of who He is and what He has done for us through His
Son.
With such reverence, we regard ourselves as citizens of an everlasting kingdom. The highest possible encouragements to be a good citizen in the kingdom is the recognition that it is permanent! Earthly governments fail, suffer revolutions or change leadership. Not the kingdom of Christ.
With such reverence, we never forget that our God is a consuming fire. We do not take lightly that His glory and goodness involves His absolute hatred of sin and His promised negative and eternal response to apostasy.
"Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire," (Heb. 12:28,29).
From Expository Files 16.5; May 2009
Useful for the Master
2 Timothy 2:21
By Jacob Hudgins
"Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work"(2 Tim 2:21).
We all want to be useful. We want our lives to have meaning and purpose beyond ourselves. When we discover the gospel of Jesus, our possibilities for real use and purpose expand exponentially. Yet we come to Jesus in our raw state; we need to be purified and refined before we can reach our potential for His use. A tremendous promise rests before us in this passage: "Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work"(2 Tim 2:21). Jesus will use us-if we make ourselves useful! How do we do it?
1) We must purify our lives
In this context, Paul is discussing the dangerous false message of Hymenaeus and Philetus that Timothy needed to oppose. Yet despite the false teachers and fake Christians we might encounter, Paul reminds us: "Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: 'The Lord knows those who are His,' and, 'Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity'"(2 Tim 2:19). Two seals rest upon the foundation of Christ's church-a reminder that Jesus knows His own (even if men are unsure), and an admonition for all Christians to depart from iniquity. Fleeing from sin is an understood prerequisite to usefulness to the Master. Can we hope to bring our iniquity into the Lord's house and please Him-or be used by Him?
Continuing with the image of Christ's church as a house, he tells us, "But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor"(2 Tim 2:20). Some dishes and vessels in a house are honored; some do the grunt work. Figuratively, Paul is describing true Christians as vessels with a truly honorable purpose. But there is a condition we must meet to be vessels of honor: "Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor"(2 Tim 2:21). We must cleanse ourselves to have honorable use! The kind of vessel we are-and whether we are useful-is not out of our control. It is not fate-or even God-who decides whether we ourselves are pure and useful to Him. "if anyone cleanses himself" puts our utility in our control-thanks to the blood of Jesus Christ. Further, "anyone" throws open the door of usefulness to any and all who will purify themselves. Thus Timothy is told to "Flee also youthful lusts"(2 Tim 2:22) since they will detract from His purpose and usefulness to Jesus.
Sin prevents Jesus from using us. Can we influence others for good when we are drinking, or smoking, or lusting? Can we preach the gospel after a profanity-laced tirade? Can we be a spiritual influence on our partner in fornication? To further Jesus' work on earth, to truly pray "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven," to be useful to the Master, we must "reckon (ourselves) to be dead indeed to sin"(Rom 6:11). The implication of this text is plain: Jesus won't use dirty vessels!
2) We must purify our teaching
What we teach and believe must be right if we are to be useful to the Master. "But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness"(2 Tim 2:16). Many are so impressed with themselves that they think their teaching is the most interesting and most important matter to be discussed. Our teachings, thoughts, and arguments are not useful to the Master; His word is. "And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some"(2 Tim 2:17-18). Was this false teaching useful to Jesus? Did it help His cause for them to teach the product of their thinking and overthrow the faith of His disciples?
These, it seems, are the vessels for dishonor (v. 20) from which we must cleanse ourselves. All of us come to Jesus with our own ideas and understandings of what is right. All of these must be surrendered to Jesus and submitted for inspection by His word. New information, direct from God, must replace our false notions. "And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also"(2 Tim 2:2). When the teaching is pure, it can spread like wildfire to the glory of God; when it is impure, it must be stopped. "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth"(2 Tim 2:15). The word must be rightly divided; we must teach the pure word of God, or we cannot be useful to Him.
Some things we are uncomfortable with may not be condemned by God. Some things we are very comfortable with may not be authorized by Him. Questions of degrees of modesty and propriety are often generational rules that do not originate with God; they must be discarded in our teaching. Extreme care must be taken to align our beliefs and practices with His word precisely in order to be true reflections of the Master. Put simply, many people can live a basically moral life, but only those who are teaching and practicing the pure doctrine of Jesus Christ can be useful to Him.
"Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work"(2 Tim 2:21). Jesus' promise is that when we cleanse ourselves, we will then be "sanctified," a special vessel set apart to do His special work. He assures us that we will be "prepared for every good work." The hard work of refining and purifying us will have begun, and we will stand ready for His use. We all long to be useful. Are you pure? Is He using you today?
From Expository Files 16.5; May 2009
The Dead Shall Hear His Voice
John 5:28-29
By Jon W. Quinn
"Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. (John 5:28,29)
Few of Jesus' statements are any more controversial today than His prediction here. Unbelievers scoff at the idea of resurrection. Eastern religions reject the idea of judgment, some suggesting that we are reincarnated into this world again. Some liberal clergy reject the idea of the judgment. Some "Christian" cults say that only the righteous will be raised but that the wicked will never exist again. Every Christian needs constantly to reacquaint himself with the certainty of the resurrection. We believe it because Jesus taught it. That is enough, and we shall shortly see why. The resurrection is fundamental. It is part of the foundation of the faith upon which everything else is built. The person with a healthy faith lives his life as if he believes in the resurrection.
Because Jesus Said So
Jesus clearly taught that all would be raised from the dead - What would He say to some of the skeptics today? We have a pretty good idea: Consider His discourse with skeptics of His day . The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection either. Jesus said to them, "Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God?" (Mark 12:24; cf. vss. 18-27).
Jesus also taught that it would be God's power working through Him that would accomplish this resurrection - (John. 5:21,26,27; 6:39,40). So, says Jesus, the problem with the skeptic is that he or she is either mistaken because they lack an understanding of the Scriptures, either their doctrines are mistaken or that they do not understand that it is the true word of God, or they lack an appreciation for the power of God who is creator of all, or both.
If there is no resurrection of the just and the unjust to be followed by judgment, then Jesus' teaching on the subject was false. That would be remarkable because on several occasions, Jesus Himself raised individuals from the dead - note in particular Lazarus (John 11:38-44). He also gave His apostles power to raise the dead - Matthew 10:8. If there is no resurrection, the accounts of Jesus and His apostles raising the dead are false.
There is also the matter of Jesus' own resurrection from the dead. Jesus predicted that He would be resurrected - (Mark 8:31) . Even Jesus' enemies were aware of His predictions (Matthew 27:62-66). These were people who had every reason and opportunity to produce evidence that Jesus' predictions did not come to pass. They killed Him. They buried Him. They guarded His body. They can disprove His resurrection if it did not happen.
That they did not do so is an important consideration! Oh, it is easy for the unbeliever to discount the resurrection today. It wasn't easy for unbelievers in the first century. No satisfactory explanation can be made for the empty tomb.
Eyewitness testimony substantiates each key fact connected with Jesus' resurrection:
He was actually dead - (Mark 15:43-45; and recall the spear thrust John. 19:31-37).
He was buried in a tomb - (Mark 15:46,47).
He was resurrected - (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).
Note: this last reference to 1st Corinthians are the words of a man who definitely would not be a believer, let alone a preacher and apostle, had Jesus not been raised! It was the resurrected Jesus who convinced this enemy of the gospel to change his life completely!
The fact of Jesus' own resurrection supports the claims He made concerning the resurrection of all men (1 Corinthians 6:14; 15:20). If there is no resurrection, one is compelled to reject even Jesus' own resurrection.
Because the Apostles Said So
The work of the apostles after Jesus' resurrection was basically that of witnessing to the resurrection, and therefore the identity of Jesus as the Christ, the Savior, the Son of God, the Redeemer and the Lord (Acts 1:21,22; 4:33). From the very first, the preaching of the apostles centered on the fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ - (Acts 2:32; 3:14,15; 5:30-32; 10:39-42; 13:30,31; etc.).
The apostles preached that Jesus' resurrection pointed to the eventual resurrection of all mankind (Acts 17:30,31; 24:14,15). When Christians began to be persecuted, and it was very shortly after the beginning of the church, the dispute often centered on the question of the resurrection (Acts 4:1-4; 23:6-8; 24:17-21). The early teachers of the gospel understandably faced opposition from the Sadducees (who, we have seen, tangled with Jesus on the topic) as well as the Greeks, among whom it was not fashionable at that particular time in their history to believe in a resurrection (Acts 17:32).
Certainly if the apostles had known the resurrection of Jesus to be a hoax or if they had had the slightest doubt about its actual occurrence, would they have willingly suffered persecution and death defending it? If there is no resurrection, the preaching of the apostles was a fraud, and even more unbelievable, they would live it, and suffer death teaching it as their hope beyond death in eternity.
The Results of the "Say So" of Jesus and the Apostles Concerning the Resurrection
It is based on the hope of the resurrection that we invite others to obey the gospel of Christ (Acts 2:32-33;37-38; Romans 10:9,10). It is based on this eternal hope that we encourage, and are encouraged, to live righteously before God (Romans 6:4-11) and that our hope is alive and never dies for anything (1 Thessalonians. 1:9,10; 4:13-18). If is because we have confidence and trust in God's power that we have confidence in the resurrection (2 Corinthians. 1:9; 4:13,14).
There is solid reason for believing that Jesus was raised from the dead. We have eyewitness testimony from people so close to the fact that they could not be mistaken. The joy and confidence of the disciples just 50 days after Jesus' death and the dark days of Jesus in the tomb and all their hopes with Him. The resurrection reversed that despair, and turned it to joy, and this joy endured for the rest of their lives. Their hope as become our hope.
From Expository Files 16.5; May 2009
The Game of Life
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
By Karl Hennecke
The painting entitled the "Game of Life" represents a young man playing a game of chess with Satan, for his soul. The game stands ill for the young man. According to the intention of the painter the young man is hopelessly checkmated. Despair is written on the young man's face, while the devil laughs in glee. Murphy, the world's champion chess player, after studying the conditions for a few minutes, called for a chess board, and when he had arranged the men as given in the picture he remarked, "I will take the young man's place and set him free." In the same way, Jesus Christ can deliver his people in all their conflicts with the powers of evil. (F.N. Peloubet, Select Notes for the International Sunday School Lessons, 1920, p. 81)
All sinners are playing a losing game. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth saying, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Cor. 6:9, 10). Paul addressed Christians, warning them not to be deceived. How could a Christian be deceived into believing that they could continue in sin and still inherit the kingdom of God? The answer is that Satan is extremely deceitful and deceptive. Satan, a master chess player, sees several moves ahead. He cleverly sets his trap and the unsuspecting player even though he knows he has an opponent finds himself trapped, checkmate!
Jesus lovingly guides the Christian away from the pitfalls, also seeing several moves ahead. The Christian only sees one move at a time and doesn't realize the danger of one misstep. The Christian rationalizes that a single decision, a single step will certainly not have any eternal consequences. In spite of multiple examples of others in his own experience who lost their faith, he continues to play fast and loose. Jesus warns, "flee fornication." The deceived, move towards fornication thinking they will be able to stop just before the consummating act only to discover that they cannot stop.
The only way not to be deceived is to remember not only the danger but to remember who we are and what has happened to change us. After Paul's list of unrighteous lifestyles he adds, "Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God" (1 Cor. 6:11). The key here is the expression, "such were." It is past tense, not present. What they "were" was replaced with what they had become; washed, sanctified and justified. What they "were" and what they "had become" are not compatible, they cannot exist together. To go back to unrighteousness is to revert to their past, lost condition.
Jesus did not come to save the righteous. He came to seek and save the lost. We are the lost; the fornicators, the thieves, the covetous, etc. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). We should not be deceived into thinking that we can continue in unrighteousness. In the chess game of life let us yield control of the pieces of our life to the Lord and victory is assured.
From Expository Files 16.5; May 2009
What Does the Bible Say About Being Saved?
Topic Page
By Mark Roberts
It is difficult to imagine a more important question than the one that forms the title of this article. While concerns in this life dominate most people's attention we ought to be more concerned about the life to come. Are we saved? How do we know we are saved? What does the Bible say one does to be saved? This article will attempt to answer these crucial questions.
Perhaps no place in scripture can answer these questions quite like Acts 2:38. Acts 2 is an ideal place to study salvation for several reasons. To begin with, it is the first place that God's complete plan of salvation is announced. Second, it contains the preaching of an inspired apostle, Peter, who spoke exactly what the Holy Spirit told him to say. Third, and most important to our study, Acts 2 begins with unsaved people and ends with saved people. What happens to them in this chapter that moves them from a state of being lost to a state of being saved is of primary importance.
Space does not allow a full analysis of Peter's sermon, but we need to note the key components in this very first gospel sermon. After the Apostles were anointed with the Holy Spirit they began to speak in foreign languages and tongues of flame like fire sat on them ( 2:1-12). All of this, coupled with the sound of a mighty windstorm, caused many people to come see what was happening. Peter seized the opportunity and began to proclaim the gospel. Repeatedly drawing on Old Testament prophecies to prove his points, Peter taught the people that the rejected Jesus was the Messiah and Savior of the world. In verse 36 he forcefully closes his sermon by stating, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." What a bombshell! The Messiah the Jews had been anxiously awaiting for centuries had come, Peter said, and instead of being received with joy was viciously murdered! Peter's sermon convicted the audience of the crime of murdering the Son of God. Has there ever been people any more lost than those on that day? Their pitiful cry in verse 37 ("Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?") brings us to the verse we wish to study. What the Bible says about salvation can well be answered by considering what Peter said next.
Peter's reply was simple: "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). Allow me to make several observations from this significant passage.
First, do you see that Peter told the people to do something? The idea that man does nothing to receive salvation is wholly defeated right here. Such teaching has been done out of wrong concept of works and a failure to understand God's grace. Certainly all are saved by grace, and nothing can be done to earn that favor (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is impossible to work one's way into heaven, to do special deeds that catch God's eye and cause Him to bless one with salvation, or to do anything in any way that merits or deserves the priceless free gift of salvation. However, eliminating works that earn grace does not eliminate every kind of human activity. God has been showering His grace upon people for centuries, but this has never meant that people were not required to obey Him and do as He instructs. Genesis 6:8 tells us that Noah "found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Hebrews 11:7 furthers our understanding of Noah's salvation when it says "By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household... ." Notice that Noah was saved by grace and by faith, but neither of those eliminated his need to "prepare an ark."
In other words, Noah's salvation came about as his faith led him to obey God. Isn't this exactly what Peter is telling the people in Acts 2? That they have faith is evident (more about this in a moment). Peter's command "to repent and be baptized" did not nullify grace, nor exterminate their salvation by faith. He simply urged, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that these people take the action steps necessary to demonstrate their obedient hearts. James brings these thoughts together perfectly when he writes, "But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works ... You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only." (James 2:18 , 24). Peter told the people in Acts 2 they needed to do something to be justified (saved). Those actions did not earn salvation, but were clearly necessary if they wanted to accept the gracious gift of salvation.
Second, do you see that not everyone will be saved? The universalist says that everyone will be saved, despite their life, faith, or deeds. How can this be in light of Acts 2:38? Peter did not say, "Do nothing because God is going to save you all." Further, we might note that Peter did not say "Do nothing because God has predestined some of you to be saved and has predestined the rest to be lost and nothing you can do can change that." This isn't the teaching of Peter by any stretch of the text. 2 Thessalonians 1:8 makes it clear that Jesus will take vengeance "on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." How can anyone doubt the necessity of obedience, or that obedience can and does affect one's eternal destiny? Third, do you see that Peter did not say "You will be saved by faith only?" Peter did not tell the crowd "Ask Jesus into your heart," or "Pray this little prayer to be saved." So many today offer a plan of salvation that is incomplete and insufficient. They tell people to believe in Christ, but they do not tell people what Peter told them: repent and be baptized. That the people of Acts 2 had faith is certain because the scriptures say the message "pricked their heart." They would not have asked Peter what to do if they did not believe the message. They had the essential quality of faith that every person wanting to be saved must have ( John 8:24). But nowhere in scripture do we read that faith alone can save. Indeed, the passage in James says exactly the opposite: "You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only." ( James 2:24). This is the only place in scripture where the phrase "faith only" occurs and it is preceded by the word "not!" Peter did not teach faith only - why should we teach or believe it today?
Let's turn our attention to what Peter did tell these people to do. What does it mean to "repent?" Repent is a word that means to change, to turn one's life around. Repentance is essential salvation. Jesus says, "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish." ( Luke 13:3). One who repents has a marked change in his or her life, a quality called "fruits of repentance" ( Matthew 3:8). It is inconceivable that one could be a sinner, separated from God, ask to be saved from those sins and then gladly continue in them! Those who come to God decide to leave behind sin, and that is repentance. It is the reversal of life, from sin and darkness toward righteousness and light. This doesn't mean that a Christian is perfect, but it does mean that a Christian is trying to do God's will and live righteously.
The second command Peter gave was to "be baptized." What does this mean? The term in the original Greek just means to immerse or plunge under water. Peter is clear that baptism is not an outward symbol that we have already been saved. Instead baptism is the point of salvation because it is here that one's sins are forgiven. Isn't that what Peter said? "Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins... ." Remission of sins is another term for forgiveness. We could well translate Acts 2:38 "be baptized for the forgiveness of sins." Another passage in Acts makes this connection even stronger. When Saul of Tarsus was praying and fasting, after seeing the vision of Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was told "And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.'" ( Acts 22:16). Read those verses again carefully and see if you can answer the following question: What does baptism do (what is its purpose)? If you answered to "forgive sin" or "wash away sin" you are absolutely correct, because this is what the word of God says. Please realize as well that baptism is important because it is in baptism that one is placed into the Body of Christ. "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." ( Galatians 3:27). Occasionally I meet someone teaching that one can be saved without being baptized. All I do is ask if they believe they can be saved outside Christ? No one has ever said "yes," yet many resist the Bible's plain teaching that baptism puts one into Christ. For these reasons we can say that baptism is the culmination of the human activity
needed to please God, demonstrate humble obedience and accept the free gift of salvation. Again, none of these things earn salvation any more than unwrapping a birthday gift earns the present. God is the hero here, not humans with their religious works. But we must do as God says, and there can be no question what God, through His inspired apostle, directed people to do to be saved.
Peter's instructions were clear, simple and direct. What did the people in the crowd do when Peter told them these things? If we read further in Acts 2 we do not read that someone challenged God's plan of salvation with their own, or that some quibbled that baptism was a "work" and so would nullify grace, or that anyone said "baptism seems silly." What we do read is that three thousand were baptized that day and that the Lord added those saved people to His church (verses 41, 47). That is what those people did when an inspired man answered their question, "What shall we do to be saved?" In short, unsaved people heard Peter's sermon, did what Peter told them to do, and were saved that very day. Surely we can do the very same with the very same result. May God bless us to have the courage to do so.
From Expository Files 16.5; May 2009
Plan of Salvation
By Jon W. Quinn
Plan #1
Announced by the apostles, inspired by the Holy Spirit, to new believers in Christ who asked what they must do:
Acts 2:36-38
"Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ -- this Jesus whom you crucified." Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?" Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
Plan #2
On the back page of a tract, sinner were urged to pray this prayer to be saved. This prayer is not found in the Bible; nor were alien sinners commanded to pray for their forgiveness.
The Sinner's Prayer:
"O' Lord, I accept that I am a sinner and that Jesus died for my sins. I now accept Him into my heart as Lord and Savior asking for your mercy and forgiveness in His name. Amen."
The editors of Expository Files are happy with plan #1 and thankful to the God of all grace for it. We cannot recommend Plan #2 at all, but will change our minds when this prayer can be shown to us in the Bible.
From Expository Files 16.5; May 2009
"I Did It (Thy) Way"
The Final Page 16.5 (May 2009)
By Jon W. Quinn
You've heard the philosophy behind the actions of many today spoken many times: "I gotta be me"... "I did it my way"... "I want it all"... It's expensive, but I'm worth it." We do live in an era of self indulgence, but that is not really new. Many people think they are the center of the universe, and that's not new either.
We are reminded of a fellow in the Bible who would have fit well into our culture. He would probably be greatly admired today. Listen to his words: "And he began reasoning to himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?' And he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."' (see Luke 12:16-21 for the context). But you know what? God called him a fool!
One may "live it up" and never comprehend what it means to truly live abundantly. Jesus said that those who exalt themselves will be humbled - it isn't that we are not important as individuals - we are! Jesus died for us, so we must be valuable. Its just that the basis of our value is not what people often think that it is; its not in our possessions or riches or good looks or fame. Rather, it is what we are in relationship to our Creator.
So, if you are one of those people trying to "find themselves" you might try looking to the God in whose image you are made. Its the best place to look and the right thing to do.
From Expository Files 16.5; May 2009
