2016.03.06_We are Baptists

We are God’s children
God is the only true Father. Everybody has fathers of the flesh and ancestors, and some offer sacrifices to their dead ancestors, hoping that they will bless them. However there is absolutely nothing that the dead can give us. To put one’s trust in the dead is equivalent to being united with an idol, and such a person will ultimately found to be detestable before God.

God is living. He not only created all things, but is still at work in order for the creations to sustain life. He sends the dew and rain upon the earth for the plants to grow, that they may flower and bear fruit in season. The reason we do not entrust ourselves to fate or our dead ancestors but God alone is that God is still living and at work to this today.

We came to believe in Jesus Christ and became children of God. We are not the children of the dead but of the One who is living. Now, we are under His care and nurturing, and believe in the promise that we will later inherit the glory of heaven. Do you take pride in the fact that you believe in Jesus? Do you have the pride of being a child of God?

We have been baptized
When we first came before God, we repented and were baptized according to God’s word. Repentance means to turn and change our way. When a person standing with his back to the sun, turns around towards the sun, his face will brighten up by the sunlight. In the same way, repentance means to turn ourselves towards God. Everyone makes many mistakes. However God does not want us to list out all of our sins, but rather wants us to admit that we are sinners and return to God.

We have repented and received baptism. By being immersed under water, we buried the old carnal man of the sinful nature. Water and earth are of the same nature, and hence burying the dead in the dust of the earth and burying the spiritually dead person under water are equivalent. And as we came up out of the water, we became united with Christ. A person who has been baptized has thus taken part in the Holy Spirit and become a true Christian. There are probably some who feel disappointed to find that their character did not change even after they were baptized. Yet we need to understand that it is not our flesh which has been transformed through baptism, but our spiritual identity.

Baptism is not a ceremonial ritual made by man; it is God’s command. Jesus Christ is the Son of God who was born through the Holy Spirit and came into the world. Therefore He is sinless. Nevertheless, He was baptized before He began doing God’s work. He buried his physical identity as a descendant of David and revealed His identity as the Son of God. As He was baptized and coming out of the water, God said of Him, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”, and thus confirmed that Jesus is the Son of God.

To be baptized means to physically experience the powers of the coming age, that is, the resurrection, and obtain the proof that we are children of God. However, some people refuse to be baptized because they believe their faith is not yet good enough. Though this might appear to be a very humble attitude, it is quite the opposite. The reason we receive baptism is because we admit that we have no merits of our own by which we can be saved. Whoever decides he should be baptized after he first makes up for his deficiency has not actually repented truly. If anyone admits he is a sinner, he should be baptized immediately. Baptism is about confessing, “I have no merits of my own. Thus I rely on the merits of Jesus Christ”.

We are the righteous ones
If we became children of God, it means we have become righteous. People who have committed many mistakes and transgressions may find it hard to accept that they are righteous. But if they have been baptized, they must acknowledge that they are righteous no matter what. They must not hold on to the thought that they are sinners even after they have become children of God. Though we might have many sins and iniquities, we should be able to confess, “Thank you Lord for making me righteous”. Unless we get rid of the idea of being a sinner, our souls cannot be joyful. A person who is condemned by the Law and his conscience will have to go to hell in the end. Thus we have to receive grace. We must be free from the idea of that we are sinners.

Did Jesus ever pray saying, “Father, I’m a sinner”? He was most humble, and yet He never said He was a sinner. The same applies to us also. When did Jesus ever say to us, “You are a sinner”? Of course we still sin though we believe in Jesus. However we also repent and always have a fresh new start, so that we make continuous advancement forward. What is the point of reading the Bible many times over if we cannot escape from having the idea that we are still sinners? God is not the Father of sinners; He is the Father of the righteous.

We will receive the coming Lord
We must take pride in that we are Baptists. Those who are yet to be baptized should not dwell in false humility but quickly be baptized without delay. We are righteous not because we were born as the righteous ones from the beginning but because Jesus Christ made us righteous. Jesus Christ died on the cross and took the punishment for us in our place. Yet if anyone denies His meritorious works and still bears the burden of sin upon himself, he will perish.

Love God all the more. From now on, try to live by Jesus alone and yearn to be used for God’s greater works. If you sinned, love God even more. We have to love God in order to be able to love our neighbors. When the Lord returns, the sinners will be judged while the righteous will meet the Lord with joy. Where will you stand? The righteous ones that love God, that is, everyone who received Jesus as their Savior, will not stand to be judged but stand before the Lord.