Article - How to Overcome a Sinful Past
Sometimes in our Christian life we really blow it. We know what the Bible says. We know what we ought to do. Sadly, there are times when we do just the opposite and sin. When a person really messes up, how do they overcome that sinful past?
He must recognize and admit the sin in his life. Unless we are willing to says, “I have sinned”, we cannot be forgiven by God (1 Samuel 12:21ff). The beloved Apostle John said, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9-10). Someone has properly stated that to know yourself diseased is half the cure.
A person must also be ashamed of their sinful past. Too often people who have lived a life of sin go around bragging about the “sins” they used to commit. Sin should be something that should cause us great shame, not give us an avenue to boast (Romans 6:21). How sad it is when we reach a point that we can no longer blush over sin (Jeremiah 8:12).
To overcome a sinful past a person must deal with sin in a God-approved way. The only way to deal with sin properly is through obedience to Jesus Christ (Matthew 7:21; Hebrews 5:8-9). Jesus made it clear that to deal with sin one must believe in Him (John 8:24), repent of past sins (Luke 13:3), confess Him as Lord (Romans 10:10), be baptized for the remission of one’s sins (Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16), and be faithful to death (Revelation 2:10).
Finally, to overcome a sinful past one must put the past behind him and forget it. The Apostle Paul said, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). To overcome the past, we must put the past behind us and look forward to the future. If God has forgotten our sins (Hebrews 8:12-13), can’t we? It has been aptly stated, “Those who live in the past are doomed to repeat its mistakes.”
Dear friend, all of us have made mistakes in life that we are not proud of. The difference between a person who has overcome sin and one who has not is Jesus Christ. Have you dealt with sin a God-approved way? If not, why not? Why not do that today?
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Article - How To Go To Hell In A Hurry
Have you ever met people in life who seemed like they were in a real hurry to go to Hell? You know the kind of people I’m talking about. These are the people who give no forethought to their actions. These people live for the moment. These people will believe anything any religious person tells them. These types of people, whether they realize it or not, are headed down the road to Hell in a real hurry. If a person wanted to go to Hell in a hurry, here are two things that would get him there.
Eat, Drink and Be Merry for Tomorrow We Die! One of the quickest ways to destroy one’s soul is to live a life based on momentary pleasure. Esau is a prime example of this. In Genesis 25 Esau sold his birthright, the most important things he had, for a bowl of soup. Why? At that moment in time he let his physical need for food outweigh anything else. Today many people fall into the same sensual trap as Esau. For example, the teenager who will do anything for his next high is only living for the moment. The man who will sell his soul to the Devil for his next drink is head down a treacherous road. Parents who have to have every luxury of this world while their children are neglected are destroying their own souls and helping to destroy their children’s souls. If you really want to go to Hell in a hurry, just eat, drink and be merry!
Believe everything you hear about God and Religion. The quickest way to make sure you go to Hell is to believe everything you are told about God and the Bible. I am appalled at the number of people who are told what to believe. Instead of being told what to believe, we should go to the Bible to see what we must believe (Acts 17:11). Many times I hear people say, “Well that’s what the pastor said.” In all kindness, it doesn’t matter what any person thinks we should believe about God and the Bible. The only person we must be concerned with pleasing is God. I can assure you, if you really want to go to Hell in a hurry just blindly believe everything you are told about religion. Before you know it you may be in South America sipping on a cyanide cocktail and offering your soul on the altar of religious deception.
Dear friend, I hope you will understand that I don’t want anyone to be lost and go to Hell. If you want to avoid the horrors of Hell you must live for eternity not for the moment. Jesus said nothing in the entire world is more important than your soul (Mark 8:36-37). If you want to be sure you are on the path to Heaven do what the Bible says, not what you heard someone else say (Colossians 3:17; John 12:48). May God help us to avoid a life that will lead to Hell in a hurry!
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Article - The Blood of Christ
The Holy Spirit says, “Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins” (Hebrews 9:22). The Old Testament Levitical system was a very bloody system (Leviticus 1-5). For every sin of every kind there was a blood sacrifice to be offered (Leviticus 4:1-12). Yet the Scripture records that the blood of all those bulls and goats could never really take away sin (Hebrews 10:3-4). How thankful we should be that Jesus was willing to shed His blood once for all for sin so that the sin problem would have a permanent solution (Hebrews 10:12). Notice just how important the blood of Christ is to our salvation.
Jesus’ blood removes sin from our life. When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper He said, “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28). When Jesus was on the cross “…one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out” (John 19:34). It was at this point in time when a fountain was opened for cleansing sin (Zechariah 13:1). Without the shedding of Jesus’ blood we would not have forgiveness (Romans 6:1-4; Acts 2:38).
Jesus’ blood redeems us to God. The Apostle Paul said, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). Paul later wrote that we are brought near to God through the blood of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:13). The word “redeem” literally means to “buy back.” Before Jesus shed His blood we were enslaved to sin (Romans 6:17-18). Jesus paid the ransom price to free us from sin. Paul said of Jesus’ sacrifice, “who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father” (Galatians 1:4). Only through the blood of Christ could we be bought back into a right relationship with God (John 14:6).
Jesus’ blood brings us into a peaceful relationship. Because of sin, the relationship with God and man had been severed (Isaiah 59:1-2; Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 3:23). Yet, how wonderful it is to hear Paul tell the Colossian Christians that Jesus made “peace through the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:20). Through the blood of Christ we can have the peace of God which surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:6-8).
Jesus’ blood is also essential to becoming and remaining a faithful child of God. The Scriptures tell us that Jesus loves us and is willing to wash us from our sins in His own blood (Revelation 1:5). At what point do we contact the blood of Christ? When do we receive that washing of our sins in the blood of Jesus? We contact the blood of Christ in the watery grave of baptism (Romans 6:1-4; Ephesians 5:26; Hebrews 10:22). Paul was told to “arise and be baptized and wash away your sins calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). Since it is the blood of Christ that cleanses our sins, then we must conclude that baptism is the point at which we reach the blood of Christ (Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16). Furthermore, in light of the fact that we can lose the benefit of Jesus’ cleansing blood as a child of God (Hebrews 10:24-26), we must continue to walk in the light as Jesus is in the light, and we must continue to confess our sins as His children so that the blood of Jesus can keep on cleansing us from all sin (1 John 1:7-9). Thank God for the precious blood of Jesus that not only makes us pure, white, and whole in God’s sight, but maintains our purity in His sight so that one day we can “see God” for eternity (Isaiah 1:18; Matthew 26:28; 5:8).
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Article - Baptism into the Church
A major reason for baptism in the New Testament is to get into the church. In our religious world, we hear people talk about “joining the church” or “placing membership” at a church. Really, this is not biblically accurate. To join or become a member of the Lord’s church, He must add you to it (Acts 2:47).
The Scriptures teach that God adds you to the church when you are baptized into it. Paul said in I Corinthians 12:13, “For with one Spirit, we were all baptized into one body.” To fully understand this verse one must understand what kind of a body Paul is talking about. In Ephesians 1:22-23 Paul said, “And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” Notice from this text we learn that the words “body” and “church” are used synonymously to represent the collective group of saved people. Now that we have learned that the body is the church, let us apply this principle to I Corinthians 12:13. Paul is very simply saying that the only way a person can enter into (become a part of) the group of saved people is by being baptized into it.
The Bible clearly teaches that a man must be baptized in water to be in the church. Therefore, those who have followed the teachings of men and have not been baptized are not a part of Christ’s spiritual body. They are a part of a man-made denomination with their salvation depending upon a man, who could never save them. </p
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Article - Well Done, Good & Faithful Servant
Every faithful Christian longs for the day when he can hear the Lord say, “Well done, good and faithful servant;…Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matthew 25:21). However, in the context of Matthew 25, not all of God’s servants received this praise. What is it that allowed two of God’s servants to hear this wonderful proclamation and one to hear the said words, “Cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:21).
To enter into the joy of the Lord, we must be faithful servants. The idea of faithful implies that we are willing to follow the Lord’s commands. Jesus himself said, “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter into heaven, but he who does the will of my father who is in Heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
To enter into the joy of the Lord I must use my talents wisely. Our Lord said, “ to whom much is given, much will be required” (Luke 12:48). A servant of the Lord cannot squander the abilities and talents he has been blessed with. In fact, the one talent man was condemned because he did not make his talents grow as he should have. Instead of using his talents he buried them in the ground due to fear of the Master. As good servants of God, we must take what we have been blessed with and use it for God’s glory.
God wants every person to go to Heaven (1 Timothy 2:4-6). Yet, Jesus made it clear that few will find the way to Heaven (Matthew 7:13-14). The reason some may be lost is due to a lack of faithfulness to the Lord. On the Day of the Lord’s return will you hear the words “Well done, good & faithful servant”? May God help each of us to prepare ourselves to serve the Master!
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Article - Baptism for the Remission of Sins
One of the major purposes for baptism is for the remission of sins. In direct response to the greatest question ever asked (Acts 2:37) Peter said, “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.” A key word in this passage is remission. Remission means to take away or forgive. Notice how the New Testament teaches that one must be baptized for the remission of sins.
The Bible teaches that God is able to remember our sins no more (Hebrews 8:12), to cast our sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:18), and to remove our sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:10-12). But for God to do this we must repent and be baptized (Mark 16:16). Another vitally important word in this verse is the world “for”. This word is used to represent a going into, an indication of purpose, or going in the direction of a goal. Hence, the purpose or goal of baptism is the forgiveness of sins. However, it is important to discuss a major false doctrine spawned involving Acts 2:38. Certain false teachers have tried to make the word “for” mean “because of”. Therefore, Peter would be saying to the Jews, repent and be baptized because you have already received the remission of sins. While this view may sound good to those trying to propagate faith only doctrine, it has several glaring errors that prove it false. (1). Logic demands that this view of Acts 2:38 cannot be true. Is Peter here telling the Jews that they need to repent and be baptized because they have already been forgiven of their sins? Wait just a minute Peter. If I have already been forgiven of my sins, I do not have to do anything. It is highly illogical for someone to ask you what do to be saved (The question of Acts 2:37), then you tell them they have to do two things, not to be saved but because they are already saved. If this view of Acts 2:38 is correct then Peter completely ignores the Jews question! (2) This view of Acts 2:38 is in contradiction with the very words of Jesus. Jesus taught that for a man to be saved he had to repent before, not after he had been forgiven of his sins. In Luke 13:3 Jesus told certain people who were still in sin that they had to repent to get out of sin. Jesus simply said, “I tell you no, but unless you repent you shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). If the causal view of Acts 2:38 is true then Peter and Jesus are in disagreement on what one must do before salvation. Not only that, but this would make the infallible Bible not so infallible. Does the Bible contradict itself, or does the false doctrine of men contradict the Bible?
In the New Testament, the act of baptism is also the point one’s sins are washed away or removed (Acts 22:16, 2:38). It is a biblical fact that all men have sinned, been separated from God and are lost (Romans 3:23, 6:23). Isaiah said that “your sins have separated you from your God and your iniquities have hidden His face from you” (Isaiah 59:1-2). Here is the problem: God is too holy to look upon sin (Habakkuk 1:13). Man is stained grossly with sin (Genesis 3). Therefore, sin must be removed from man’s conscience before he can have a relationship with God. When is this stain of sin removed from my spirit?
If we can find in the New Testament at what point a person’s sins are washed away, we can know of a surety that is the point of salvation and reconciliation to God. The Bible does tell us very clearly when that our sins are washed away. In Acts 9:6 the blinded Apostle Paul cried out to God, “Lord what would you have me to do?” The answer to Paul’s question is found in Acts 22:16, “Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins calling on the name of the Lord.” This text clearly teaches the point where sins are washed away is baptism, not a moment before or a moment after.
I really wonder how people can say that they were saved when they prayed Jesus into their heart, and then they were baptized two weeks later. Why would anyone say baptism is just an outward sign that you have already been saved? I do not know what they were saved from (i.e. from knowing the truth, going to heaven, obeying God) but it sure was not the salvation from sin and a devil’s hell. We need to wake up and reexamine our “conversion experiences” according to the word of God and not according to what our catechism, confession of faith, discipline book, or “Pastor” says. I want to encourage you to stop right now and think back to your own conversion. Would you say you were saved before or after baptism? If you said before, then friend, we would kindly but firmly say to you that after reading the New Testament teaching on baptism (See Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; 1 Peter 3:21; John 3:1-5) you were not correctly baptized and desperately need to obey the gospel as the Bible teaches.
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Article - ABC’s of the Gospel
In an article produced by LifeWay, a Baptist publishing house, it was stated that to be saved one simply needs to obey the ABC’s of the Gospel1. While it is true that the gospel plan of salvation is simple (Ephesians 3:4), some are distorting the simplicity of the Gospel (2 Corinthians 11:3). For example, LifeWay stated that the ABC’s of the Gospel are: Admit your sin (Romans 3:23), Believe in Christ (Romans 10:9), & Confess your faith in Christ (Romans 10:9-10). While these three steps are indeed necessary in the plan of salvation, to say they are the gospel plan of salvation in full is like saying the first three letters of the alphabet are the full alphabet. So much is left out with this plan of salvation that it is indeed a false gospel. Allow me to explain from Scripture.
One of the key letters in the gospel alphabet that has been left out is the letter “R” for repentance. Jesus teaches us that we must not only acknowledge our sin but repent of it to be saved. When asked about certain people who seemed to be receiving the vengeance of God for their sins Jesus said, “Unless you repent you shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). Peter told first century Christians to “repent and be converted…” (Acts 3:19). Repentance is an essential letter in the ABC’s of the gospel that is left out by many.
Another importance letter in the ABC’s of the gospel that is left our by so many in our religious world today is the letter “B” for baptism. All of us agree that belief is an important step in the plan of salvation. However, the Lord made it very clear that baptism was just as essential to salvation as belief. Jesus Himself said, “He that believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16). When asked how to relieve themselves of the sin of crucifying Christ, Peter told the crowd at Pentecost to “repent and be baptized every one of you for the remission of your sin…” (Acts 2:38). Peter later emphasized the essentiality of baptism when he said, “…baptism does now also save us” (1 Peter 3:21). As we noted earlier one of the ABC’s of the gospel that has been purported among us is the letter “C” for call on Jesus. We need to ask the question, “How does one call on Jesus biblically?” The answer is very clearly found in Acts 22:16. Ananias told Paul to “arise and be baptized and wash away your sins calling on the name of the Lord.” How does one call on the name of the Lord biblically? One calls on the Lord’s name by submitting to His will in baptism. Many miss the ABC’s of the gospel and salvation itself because the leave out the essentiality of baptism.
Another letter that is left out of the ABC’s of the gospel is the letter “F” for faithfulness. Not only must one initially become a child of God, but he must also remain faithful to be saved. Jesus said, “Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). Jesus also said, “He that endures to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 10:22). Faithfulness is also an important step in the ABC’s of the gospel.
Dear friends, the gospel plan of salvation is not a difficult plan to understand. It is simple like the alphabet, but we must not leave any letters out of the alphabet or the plan of salvation to be correct. If you have been duped in the past by some who were not telling the full truth of the gospel, we would love to help you at THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. Please email, call us or write to us and we would love to study with you about what the Bible says about salvation.
1 http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/files/lwcF_crd_ss_EforESpec_ABCs-of-Salvation_pdf.pdf (Retrieved 11/25/14)
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