Joining the Ultimate Royal Family

What would you think if a royal family wanted to adopt you? I'm sure most of us would be flattered and some might even accept that offer. We could give up our jobs and live in luxury. No more mowing lawns or making dinner for us since some servants would do all that.

What many folks shamefully reject is the magnanimous offer of the King of Kings to adopt them into his family. Paul explains this benefit of surrendering one's life to Christ in Romans 8:13-15 (BBE). "For if you go in the way of the flesh, death will come on you; but if by the Spirit you put to death the works of the body, you will have life. And all those who are guided by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not get the spirit of servants again to put you in fear, but the spirit of sons was given to you, by which we say, Abba, Father."

Though our spirits are adopted at this time, we'll also have new bodies to live in when Christ returns. Romans 8:23 (BBE) explains, "And not only so, but we who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we have sorrow in our minds, waiting for the time when we will take our place as sons, that is, the salvation of our bodies."

We also read in 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 (BBE) that, "See, I am giving you the revelation of a secret: we will not all come to the sleep of death, but we will all be changed. In a second, in the shutting of an eye, at the sound of the last horn: for at that sound the dead will come again, free for ever from the power of death, and we will be changed. For this body which comes to destruction will be made free from the power of death, and the man who is under the power of death will put on eternal life."

But for now, we have access to all the spiritual blessings of God through the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 2:19 (BBE) says, "So then you are no longer as those who have no part or place in the kingdom of God, but you are numbered among the saints, and of the family of God,"

We also can do what the Levites in Israel could never do, except for the chief priest once a year. Because we're Christ's children, we may enter his throne room through prayer. Hebrews 10:22 (BBE) invites us, "Let us go in with true hearts, in certain faith, having our hearts made free from the sense of sin and our bodies washed with clean water:"

Isn't this, along with the peace of mind and rest promised us, worth surrendering our wills to the Master? I'll point this out in my next book, You Think You're Going to Heaven? Through Adam, we all have offended the creator of the universe. But through Christ, we gain his pardon. Doesn't it make sense therefor to give up our own foolish ways to follow him?

On Saturday, I'll post about a song which was used on a reality police show.

Should we "sprinkle" or "dunk"?

Baptism  is one issue which denominations differ about. Some say people should have blessed water sprinkled on their heads but others say people should be plunged under the water in a tank or outdoor body of water.

From what I read in the New Testament, immersion is the prescribed method of baptism. But why should this be so? Because baptism is an outward confession of a person's commitment to follow Christ.

Paul, explaining why we mustn't practice sin now that we're saved, described baptism as being symbolically burried with Christ and rising again through his sacrifice on the cross. In Romans 6: 3 to 6 (BBE), he wrote, "Or are you without the knowledge that all we who had baptism into Christ Jesus, had baptism into his death? We have been placed with him among the dead through baptism into death: so that as Christ came again from the dead by the glory of the Father, we, in the same way, might be living in new life. For, if we have been made like him in his death, we will, in the same way, be like him in his coming to life again; Being conscious that our old man was put to death on the cross with him, so that the body of sin might be put away, and we might no longer be servants to sin."

Two kinds of baptism were mentioned in the New Testament. The first was a baptism of repentence which John the Baptist preached. The second was the baptism into Christ.

In Acts 19:1 to 4 (BBE), Luke wrote, "And it came about that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having gone through the higher country, came to Ephesus, where there were certain disciples: And he said to them, 'Did you get the Holy Spirit when you had faith?' And they said to him, 'No, we have had no knowledge of the Holy Spirit.' And he said, 'What sort of baptism did you have?' And they said, 'The baptism of John.' And Paul said, 'John gave a baptism which goes with a change of heart, saying to the people that they were to have faith in him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.'"

I suppose those who believe in sprinkling get this from verses such as Hebrews 9:19 (KJV) which reads, "For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,"

But the whole point of the book of Hebrews is to show the superiority of Christ over the law, angels, and all other things. Hebrews 10:22 (KJV) explains the need to be baptized as well as separated from sin. "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."

Since we are under the new covenant, we need to abide by it and not Israel's old covenant. Jesus himself initiated this new contract when he gave his disciples bread and wine at the last supper.

This is also why believer's baptism is needed. Infants can't decide to follow Christ. Neither does christening do anything to secure an offspring's salvation.

I'll be pointing out salvation by grace alone, not by ceremonies, in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? Since God set the rules, our opinions don't change a thing.

My Saturday Song post will be about a song by Bachman-Turner Overdrive and individuals who are inconsistant in their conduct.