Bible Thoughts

March 3, 2002

John the Baptist had prepared the people to receive Jesus Christ as the Lord. He had pointed out that he must decrease while the Lord would increase. John served as a harbinger to turn the people to the way of Christ. John lived and died under the Law of Moses. His message was plain and simple. John's preaching led to his death.

There came another preaching to the people. His message was new to those people who had listened to the Old Testament preachers as well as listening to John. Jesus would address the needs of those who were Hebrews and the necessity of accepting that he was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. The majority would reject the message of the Messiah, but the message would eventually be declared throughout the whole world, being made available to all Gentiles.

When Jesus preached, he used the scriptures to prove that he was the Son of God and had a message from God. The Lord did not hold back on speaking the truth. What he spoke was from Heaven. He did not rely upon the works of men as a source of his message, but spoke what the prophets said as well as the glad tidings he was bringing to them from Heaven.

When Jesus preached, he addressed the needs of those to whom he spoke. As he observed the multitudes upon the mountain, he taught them about those who would be blessed as he encouraged them to show forth their "light" as they did "good works."

The Lord would explain to those hearers that he did not come to destroy, but to fulfill, the Law of Moses.

Christ would explain that proper moral conduct in all areas is essential to those who would be acceptable to the Lord. He would speak to treatment of others, the danger of the lusts of the flesh, about divorcement, swearing of oaths, and loving your neighbor. The Lord's message would explain hypocrisy and the conflict of serving two masters. Jesus taught them to recognize the danger of riches, to judge righteous judgment, to seek the ways of God, and be wary of false prophets and teachers. And...to seek "his kingdom and his righteousness" first. His conclusion was that a wise man accepted and obeyed the words of truth he preached; the foolish man who rejected his message would lose what he thought he possessed.

The Lord "taught them as one having authority." Jesus Christ was the world's greatest teacher. The simple manner in which he stated the truth provoked a response in his hearers. Let us learn to follow his example as we teach others the truth.

How do you get into the Lord’s church? This passage in Acts gives the answer; yet, like many things in the Bible further explanation is sometimes necessary. In simple terms, what it takes to be added to the Lord’s church (to be a Christian) is belief in Christ. The belief that is needed is a belief motivated by a love for God because saving faith requires obedience. It is written of Christ in Hebrews 5:9 that “…he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him." In John 14:15 Christ says, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Any time salvation by faith or belief is spoken of in the Bible obedience is always implied.

So what exactly did the people mentioned here believe in and obey? Peter told them of the promises made by God to David, how “…that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne”(v. 30), that Christ was the promised one of God, and that they had crucified him. By Peter’s inspired teaching the people recognized they were not pleasing in the sight of God so they asked, “What shall we do?" Peter told them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins”(v. 38). To repent is to turn away; the people had already murdered Christ once, they wouldn’t be nailing him to any more crosses. So of what could they repent? By continuing to deny Christ as the chosen one of God, they were guilty of the same intent of the heart that caused them to crucify him. That is what Peter told them to repent of.

Salvation, then, comes from recognizing the sin that separates you from God, repenting of that sin, acknowledging Christ as Lord, and being cleansed of sin through immersion in water. That is how a person becomes a Christian. When they have done these things Christ adds them to His church. The state of “being a Christian” is entirely a personal matter between the individual and God. No group, human organization or person has the right to say whether or not an individual is a member of the Lord’s church because that is something determined by Jesus Christ.

Becoming a Christian does not presuppose perfect knowledge of all points of Christ’s teachings, otherwise you would have to completely and entirely master the Bible before you could become a Christian. No teaching of Christ or the apostles indicates that a new Christian is born fully-grown and mature. On the contrary, because new born Christians are relatively ignorant and uninformed, what is essential is that their understanding of the faith continues to grow. Verse 47 says “the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” It does not say “will be saved” but “should be saved.” Salvation is contingent on the journey of faith. If the Lord has added you to His church, your salvation is not only dependent on how you handle the things you know today but also on how you handle those things you come to understand tomorrow. -Scott Huston

We live in a confused society that opposes capital punishment for violent criminals and kills innocent unborn babies. Is that not confusing?

What is under the guidance and control of man often changes for the worse.

Any religion that has to rule by force is not a religion at all!