YOU and GOD

All The Nations That Forget God

“I am a nation of unparalleled prestige and prosperity. A vast network of highways tie together every major city that is stretched under my flag. Magnificent public buildings and edifices stand as monuments to my greatness. The citizens of my domain are much like the citizens of every country. Humanism has influenced society in every way. Homes are collapsing; women are demanding more rights. The government is taking control in areas once reserved for cities and states. People are complaining about housing shortages, soaring rents, congested traffic, polluted air, crime in the streets and the high cost of living. Unemployment is a perennial problem. To solve it, government has created a mass of civil service jobs, including building inspectors, health inspectors and tax collectors.”

What is my name? America? No, that description was written of the great Roman Empire of the 1^st century A.D.!

Rome ruled the world but could never conquer herself—and was finally brought to ruin. It was destroyed not from without but from corruption within; devastated not militarily but spiritually.

She was a “great nation” but a godless nation; and a nation that is godless is never truly great.

Before Rome dominated the world, Greece did. Alexander the Great conquered the known world of his day—just 300 years before Christ. Greece, like Rome, was destined to self-destruction, for the Greeks were equally godless. They tried to build an ideal society on the premise that “man is the measure of all things.” The human body was the object of Greek worship. Deformed or weak children were thrown over the cliffs. Seven-year-old boys were sent off to train for war. Like the Roman government, bureaucracy reigned supreme in Greece. Medicare for all citizens was tax-financed. Red tape and taxation were a way of life. Before the end came, there was even a tax levied on the tax!*

Greece ignored God, worshipped the creature rather than the creator, and fell to God’s judgment.

America, our beloved America, has ascended to heights of power, prestige, and prosperity excelling any nation, past or present. But on this 248th anniversary of our independence day, we stand at a crossroads!

In 1620, Pilgrims came to the shores of this continent under a charter, signed by King James I of England, for the purpose of “advancing the enlargement of the Christian religion to the glory of God Almighty.”

In 1638, the 13 colonies in the Rhode Island Charter affirmed the goal of government thusly: “We submit our persons, lives and estates unto our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and to all those perfect and most absolute laws of His given to us in His Holy Word.”

We were indeed “One Nation Under God!” Our first president, at the age of 20, prayed, “Almighty God, most merciful Heavenly Father, since Thou art a God of pure eyes and wilt be sanctified in all who draw near unto Thee; Who dost not regard the sacrifice of fools, nor hear sinners who tread in Thy courts…Be our God and Guide this day and forever for His sake who lay in the grave and rose again for us—Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.”

That’s why America has been singularly blessed; God has blessed her because we have been One Nation Under God. We’ve invoked His blessings; we’ve acknowledged His sovereignty! We’ve stamped His name on our currency and acknowledged His sovereignty in our Constitution.

We are not great because of what we have; we have what we have because we are great! And we have been great because we have paid allegiance to the living God and His Son, Jesus Christ. As Alexis de Tocqueville said, when he visited our country to find out why we were so blessed: “America is great because America is good; and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”

America is not a nation like Rome and Greece that never knew God; we have known Him, but we have forgotten Him!

We’ve known a day in America when every preacher of the gospel believed the Bible was the Word of God;
We’ve known a day in America when every seminary professor believed in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ;
We’ve known a day in America when in every public school you could find a copy of the Word of God, and when it was more common to hear it read from than not;
We’ve known a day in America when murderers were executed for their crime, and when mothers were not afraid to stroll through public parks with their babies; and when pornography and homosexuality were words most of could not spell much less speak;
We’ve known a day when men elected to public office were basically honest men whose number one interest was America—and life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all;
We’ve known a day in America when, because Bible morality ruled, a man’s word was his honor;
We’ve known a day in America when mothers felt that rearing children and ruling as Queen in the home was the highest calling under heaven known to women;
We’ve known a day in America when children were expected to obey parents, respect elders, and render honor to their teachers;
We’ve known a day in America when to hear a band playing the Star Spangled Banner, carrying Old Glory, would bring goosebumps to the back of our necks;
We’ve known a day in America when Sunday was considered a HOLY day; when stores did not traffic in all sorts of merchandise and when people thought it more important to attend church worship services than to attend everything else under the sun;
We’ve known a day when government was considered to be the protector not the persecutor of the people—a day when an American could walk anywhere in the world safely and proudly without fear of being spat upon, kidnapped, shot, or arrested on phony charges;
We’ve known a day when a dollar would buy more than a loaf of bread;

Yes, we’ve known these days in America! But we cannot say that all is well today in our beloved Motherland! Freedom’s torch is not burning so brightly as once it was. Somehow, we forgot along the way that what we sow, we reap; that “the wicked shall be turned into Hell, and all the nations that forget God” (Ps. 9:17); and that “righteousness exalts nation” (Provs. 14:34).

May God help us. May God bless America.

*Note: The above text is, in part, a message I delivered in 1982 at Thompson Road Baptist Church—more than 40 years ago! Some of the material is not original with me, but I am not sure which is and which is not. If it was true then, how much more so today. Let us repent as a people and beg God for His mercies yet again.

May your 4^th of July be filled with good memories, solemn reflections, and heartfelt prayers.

Pastor Anthony Slutz

Grandma Moore

She was born well before the turn of the 20^th century, lived through the terrible Great Depression, rearing four children without her husband who died in 1922, and witnessed two World Wars, and the Vietnam war. She was a grandmother that, due to unavoidable circumstances on her part, I knew mostly from a distance. But her character, faith and quiet spirit of determination still influences my life though she has been “resting” in her eternal habitation now for 47 years.

She was always a bit unknown to me, and still is, so when I was called upon to conduct her memorial service in 1977 while pastoring in Newton, Kansas, at a graveside service in a little cemetery in southeastern Iowa, I quoted a poem that I could not have fully appreciated the truth of: “God has not promised skies always blue, flower strewn pathways all our lives through…But God has promised strength for the day, rest for the labor, light for the way; grace for the trials, help from above, unfailing sympathy, undying love.” (Annie Johnson Flint)

And Grandma Moore had a bundle of trials. She was pregnant with her fourth child when her husband died of what was believed to have been complications from the flu that he had suffered with during the 1918 flu pandemic that claimed 675,000 lives in the U.S. He was a farmer, so after his death, Grandma sold the farm and moved to the small town of Stockport, IA. She somehow managed to eke out a living by housekeeping for people, earning a dollar a day. Her only son, Robert, enlisted in the Army and served with distinction. Her daughters, including my mother, survived until they graduated from high school and married, my mother at the age of 17; she and my father enjoyed 72 years of marriage together; and though married at a very young age, God gave Mom a husband who loved her dearly and, as best he could, provided for her every need.

Back to Grandma Moore. When the children were gone from the home, she took jobs caring for aged people, often living in with them as a caregiver. This made visits with her few and far between–until she finally retired and moved to Ottumwa into a house close to ours. I was a teenager by then, and after basketball and baseball, (no time then for girls) getting to make up for lost time in knowing Grandma Moore was not high on my list. I remember she read the newspaper word for word, and would verbalize, in soft but distinguishable sounds each word, reading out loud to herself. It pretty much drove a kid into another room! But, she read the Bible, too, and always faithfully attended church services with us. She never drove a car in her life.

I do not know when she became a Christ-one. It was thought to have been during a revival meeting. In those early decades of the 20^th century, churches in small towns would often band together to invite an evangelist in for a revival meeting. There were Methodist and Baptist churches, and some Presbyterians, and regardless of the denominational title, churches of that era generally believed the fundamentals of the faith, even though differing on modes of baptism and eschatological matters, as well as church polity. So an evangelist that preached faith and repentance, usually an evangelist with fire in his bones, could preach to the whole town and often there were many conversions. We think our grandmother was saved in such a meeting, but she never had the opportunity of attending a Bible-preaching church where she could hear good Bible doctrine taught until later in life, though no one doubted that she loved God, His Word and His Son. No one else in her birth family was ever known to have trusted Christ.

As I have indicated, her early struggles in life as a single parent, left with four children to provide for, made her a woman of strength and independence. To her dying day, she adamantly refused governmental programs designed to assist the elderly. Thankfully, she was always in pretty good health until, at the ripe old age of 87, she dropped dead in her kitchen, probably of heart failure or a stroke. Once, she visited us (Ellen and me) when we lived in Minnesota. I was going to seminary and working full-time, so when I heard her call my name in the middle of the night saying, “Tony, bring me a spoon-full of baking soda in a glass of water,” I dutifully, half asleep, got up and went to the medicine cabinet and put my hands on a box of powder that was on the top shelf, stirring up a spoon-full of its powdery contents– still half asleep—in a glass of water, taking it to Grandma. Back to bed, and then more awake, it dawned on me that baking powder was probably not in the medicine cabinet. I woke Ellen up long enough to ask her what it was that was in the box on the top shelf of the medicine cabinet, and found out that it was indeed not baking soda, but rather 20 Mule-Team Borax powder! I was gripped with fear. Would grandma live through the night? Should I tell her what she had just drunk? I chose to wait until morning and was so very glad to see her up and getting ready for breakfast. Her first words to me were, “Tony, you saved my life last night. Thanks for bringing me that baking soda.” I am sure I mumbled “You’re welcome,” and you can be sure that Grandma never ever knew that she drank a glass of 20 Mule-Team Borax powder!

When I pastored in Kansas in the early 70’s Grandma got to visit with us a couple of weeks. Ellen will never forget that during that visit Grandma taught her the art of making the best homemade yeast rolls ever! Nor will she forget walking by the bedroom seeing Grandma Moore on her knees in prayer. We were thankful that the Grandmother that was known to most of us only from a distance become better known and dearly loved during those brief but blessed visits.

Interestingly, when Evangelist Bill Hall held a revival meeting in our home church in Ottumwa, Iowa, Grandma Moore kept him and Shirley (motels were usually not an option in those years). I know they must have enjoyed some of those homemade rolls and some of the jelly that she would can each summer.

Well, I have spent a bit extra time and space on this personal post. I hope you have endured to the end and, maybe, have enjoyed the reflections. Thanks for taking the time to read.

“She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed….”(Provs.31:27,28a)

“I Passed!”

Those words, “I passed,” introduced a missionary prayer letter that our missionary in the Far East sent to supporting churches 20 years ago. With those words, he told a story about a member of their church who had taken a series of medical exams required for her to continue in her profession at a higher level of practice. He wrote: “She failed them. Instead of cutting back on her service in the church to prepare for her second try, she increased her service. She also added a three-hour Bible course to her schedule. Moreover, when two of those exams came on a Sunday afternoon, she did not miss church. The results? 1) Her influence among the young adults has helped move them forward, spiritually; 2) She passed her exams. It has been a blessing to be her pastor.”

Sharing a brief word of exhortation to the first-century church in Smyrna, Jesus encouraged this steadfast flock with these words: “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” (Rev. 2:10)

Paul could say, on the eve of his death at the hands of a Roman executioner, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” (II Tim. 4:7)

Fans of horse racing say that the greatest race ever run was the 1973 Kentucky Derby. Secretariat not only won, he gained speed the longer he ran—completing each successive quarter mile faster than the one before.

We may not get faster, but those who are “running the race” set before us are praying that the longer the race lasts, the more patient we will become, compassed about with a great cloud of witnesses who have run their race before us; laying aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us; running with patience the race that is set before us, and “looking unto Jesus.” (Hebrews 12:1,2) Let us run, then, getting stronger.

And, let us finish! David Livingstone was 14 years in Africa, serving faithfully, before he witnessed his first conversion. William Carey, known as the “father of modern missions,” labored faithfully for seven years in India before he baptized his first convert. He said of his work: “I am just a plodder.” But this plodder translated all or part of the Bible into 34 languages and dialects of India in the 40 years that he labored there. Livingstone and Carey finished well.

Robertson McQuilkin, the third president of Columbia International University (Columbia Bible College) passed away in 2016 at the age of 88. He had served in Japan as a missionary, planting five churches there, before returning to serve for 22 years as Columbia’s president. McQuilkin, at one time, expressed his desire to finish his course fully and faithfully in this prayer: “It’s sundown, Lord. The shadows of my life stretch back into the dimness of the years long spent. I fear not death for that grim foe betrays himself at last, thrusting me forever into life: life with You, unsoiled and free. But I do fear, I fear the Dark Spectre may come too soon—or do I mean, too late? That I should end before I finish or finish, but not well. That I should stain your honor, shame your name, grieve your loving heart. Few, they tell me, finish well…Lord, let me get home before dark.”

D.L. Moody, the evangelist that “shook two continents for Christ,” evidently was also concerned about finishing well. Asked to grant permission for his biography to be written, Moody refused and replied: “A man’s life should never be written while he is living. What is important is how a man ends, not how he begins.”

During the 1992 Olympics, British runner Derek Redmond suffered a torn hamstring in the 400-meters semifinal race, sending him to the track in excruciating pain. When medics came to carry him off the track on a stretcher, he refused help, hobbling toward the finish line. His father, watching from the stands, pushed past security to join his crippled son on the track, helping him to cross the finish line. Redmond’s cherished dream of winning gold was crushed that day. Yet, with his father’s help, he finished the race.

Our “dreams” may be crushed, and maybe some of them should be. But with our heavenly Father’s help, we too can cross the finish line—and, in the victor’s circle, hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Paul’s final moments were with his head on a block as he waited the death blow; but, drawing his last breath here, he found himself There with that great cloud of witnesses, having finished his course. Can we do less?

“Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” (2 Tim.4:8)

Let Us Therewith Be Content

Two little teardrops were floating down the river of life; one said to the other, “Who are you?”

“I am a teardrop from a girl who loved a man and lost him. Who are you?”

“Well, I am a teardrop from the girl who got him.”

Ever feel that life is sometimes like that? We cry over the things we don’t or can’t have; but if we ever got them, we might just cry much more!

A story is told of a Puritan who sat down to his meal and found that he had only a little bread and some water. His response was to exclaim, “What! All this and Jesus, too!”

Most of us have not yet learned the blessedness of pure contentment. There is something that we still long for that seems forever out of reach. What Paul admonished seems so first-century to those of us living two thousand years later: “And having food and raiment let us therewith be content.” (I Tim.6:8)

The theologian Thomas a Kempis was on to it in the 15^th century: “Choose rather to want less, than to have more.”

And, the missionary martyr Jim Elliot once wisely wrote to his wife, Elizabeth: “Let not our longing slay the appetite of our living. We accept and thank God for what is given, not allowing what is not given to spoil it.”

A diseased toddler learned what it would do all of us well to learn. She had worked on mastering the 23^rd Psalm by using her fingers. Starting with her small finger, she would grab each finger as she said each word, “The Lord is my shepherd;” and, as she said the word “shepherd,” she would clasp her thumb in recognition of the care He has for her. One morning, after a long and hard fight against the disease, she was found dead with her hand clasped around her thumb. (Told by Elizabeth Elliot in a 1978 Missions Conference in Dallas, Texas.)

In his book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, Phillip Keller noted that it is almost impossible to get sheep to lie down unless four essentials are in place: (1) They must be free from all fear; (2) They must be free from friction with others of their kind; (3) They must be free from flies or parasites so that they can relax; and (4) They must be free from hunger. Only a good shepherd can provide the sheep in his care what is needed to make them free from anxieties, so that they will lie down to rest. Jesus, our good shepherd, provides all of what we need so that we can “lie down in green pastures,” knowing that we “shall not want.”

A British actor, idolized by millions of fans for his roles in popular movies, once told an interviewer that fame had let him down, so that he struggled with depression and career anxiety. He said, “I went through a big time of depression. I couldn’t go where I wanted to go; I was in tabloids every day, and I didn’t have access to the roles I really wanted. I wanted more on every level.”

The poor soul had fame and fortune as few would ever know, yet he suffered from career anxiety and severe depression. How crucial are the words of the prophet Jeremiah, who affirmed: “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope is in the Lord. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river.” (Jeremiah 17:7,8)

Are you content with how God made you? With where God has placed you? With how God has equipped you? And with how God is using you?

“I don’t know how to say it, but somehow it seems to me, That maybe we are stationed where God wanted us to be; That little place I’m filling is the reason for my birth, and just to do the work I do He put me on this earth.” (Unknown)

Paul, writing to his protégé and son in the faith, warned Timothy about falling into the “seeking for riches” trap. He bluntly said, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us therewith be content.” (I Tim. 6:7,8)

And let us therewith be content. What is your contentment level today? Are you content with how God made you, equipped you, placed you, is using you?

“But godliness with contentment is great gain.” (I Tim.6:6)

Christ’s Church

Jesus promised “I will build my church….” He began the work officially on the Day of Pentecost, when 3,000 souls were added to the infant church. He is still building it, one person at a time, and will continue to do so until Christ comes back “in the air” for the church. (I Thess. 4:13-18) The church, therefore, has never, since that historic day recorded in Acts 2, met as one body. But it will meet together when Christ “raptures” it. All believers since the Day of Pentecost, from every nation on earth, will be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air.

Nine out of ten references to the church in the New Testament are to local assemblies. The “general assembly and church of the firstborn” (Hebs. 12:23) has never had a meeting and will not until the rapture of the church. The Church Universal is comprised of His body—all believers from the birth of the church to the rapture—waiting for that longed-for meeting.

Until then, we gather worldwide in local assemblies. In the New Testament, it was the church at Ephesus, the churches of Galatia, the churches in Macedonia, the Jerusalem church, the church at Antioch, etc. Local assemblies—churches, with people and pastors and deacons—are the subject of most of the epistles of Paul and other writers of the New Testament. Some of the New Testament letters were, to be sure, written to “saints scattered abroad,” such as the books of James and I and II Peter. But even those letters were written to believers in association with local churches.

It was a church meeting (recorded in Acts 15) when the Antioch assembly and the Jerusalem body hashed out the issue of salvation by grace through faith plus nothing. The demands of certain Judaizers that converts to Christianity be circumcised was rejected after some discussion and testimonies. James, the pastor, rose and issued his summation of the disputing after everyone had spoken, affirming that Gentiles who come in repentance and faith to Christ ought not to be troubled by any further constraints, but that “they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.” (Acts 15:19-21) Following that summation, Luke records: “Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch.” (Acts 15:22) So, the debate and the decision were settled by an agreement of the whole church, including the elders, or pastors, the senior pastor being James.

That illustrates how the New Testament churches conducted themselves. A careful study of each church reveals that each was independent, with its own pastor(s) and people autonomously governing its affairs, sending out missionaries (Acts 13), disciplining unruly members (I Cor. 5), and teaching sound doctrine—all the while fellowshipping with other churches of like faith and practice.

So, though there is a sense in which the church is universal, it is also local. Members worship together, keep the ordinances together (baptism and the Lord’s table), gather up offerings for other churches where hardships prevail (II Cor. 8,9), ordain pastors, send from their ranks evangelists (missionaries) who will start churches in other locales, contend earnestly for the faith, train disciples, faithfully proclaim the Word of God, meet regularly for praise, prayer, and preaching, not forsaking their assembling together, and minister to one another by the exercise of spiritual gifts, with which the Holy Spirit equips believers. (I Pet. 4:10)

One can see, then, that it is impossible to be a “lone-ranger” kind of believer. Every saved person ought to be a member, actively and faithfully serving in a local church.

I am thankful that, from the time I was a child, God led my parents to a local, Bible-believing church where they could learn from the faithful teaching of a godly pastor, and where they could serve the Lord. I learned so very much about God’s will and work and Word by listening to and looking at the model that it was my privilege to be a part of as a young person who loved Christ and His church. A perfect church? No! But a New Testament assembly of believers, sincerely attempting to do all the things that were incumbent on any group of New Testament believers assembled together as a “local church.”

God called me to preach, eventually, because of the Word that I had learned and had responded to in and through a local church ministry—led by a God-called, Spirit-filled pastor who loved the Word of God and the people of God.

It has been my unspeakable privilege to have pastored three local churches for a total of 48 years. Never did I feel worthy of that high calling of God through Christ Jesus. But I was always deeply grateful that in some way He allowed me, with my devoted wife, Ellen, to give ourselves to the ministry of His (local) church.

The last words of Jesus, literally, were directed to seven of these local, New Testament churches. (Rev. 2,3) They are words of encouragement, admonishment, rebuke, and praise. They speak volumes to churches yet today. So, if our Lord and Savior prioritized His words and works to local churches, should we not also determine that we will serve Him fully and faithfully in and through the Body that He gave Himself for, His church, meeting in big cities and small hamlets, in ornate edifices and in the simplest of structures—all for the sole purpose of worship, fellowship, and worldwide evangelism?

Find a church. Join it. Support it. Faithfully serve your Lord through it “even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it.” (Eph. 5:25)

“That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Eph. 5:27)

Peace, Peace, Wonderful Peace

Perfect peace is what the prophet Isaiah called it. Peace that passeth all understanding is how the Apostle Paul described it. Peace that Jesus promised to leave His disciples when He said in the Upper Room just before His mock trial and crucifixion: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you…Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)

Peace, as the world knows it, is so elusive. “A world of happiness, an ocean of peace,” was the byword in Hawaii just before the Pearl Harbor attack in December 1941. Peace treaties and peace pacts have been signed decade after decade, yet the world is “on fire” today. “Peace, peace,” they say, even when there is no peace. (Jer. 6:14)

Abiding peace begins with a relationship with Jesus Christ. “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)

This peace of God, Paul says, “shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:7)

“The peace of the believer is deep, calm, lasting and everlasting. The world with all its blandishments, cannot give it. The world with all its fluctuations…cannot take it away.” (copied from an 1854 devotional book by an anonymous author, The Words of Jesus)

Men, nations, and civilizations have longed for it and sought after it. A Chinese proverb illustrates this fact: “If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty of character; if there is beauty of character, there will be harmony in the home; if there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation; if there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.”

Yes, IF there is righteousness in the heart! But that only comes as individuals—one by one—trust and accept God’s terms of peace: accepting the Prince of Peace, God’s Son, as Savior. That will only happen universally when Jesus comes back to establish His righteous rule and reign of a thousand years, the millennium, upon this earth. Paul alludes to this when he affirms that “the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly.” (Romans 16:20)

A little girl on a plane was tossed to and fro during a period of in-flight turbulence. She was later asked how she could be so calm, noting that she never looked up from the book she was reading. Her reply was, “My Daddy is the pilot, and he is taking me home.” So, with each believer in today’s turbulent world. The winds howl, the storms sweep, the dark clouds thicken, but we can remain secure in His protective grace with a peace much like that of an old English grandmother during a World War 2 German blitz:

“After the German planes had left the British Isles, the citizenry began to search among the ruins for the dead, the dying and the missing. There was an old grandmother they could not account for. Then, someone found her sound asleep in her little bedroom. ‘Grandma, how could you sleep with all that was going on?’ one asked. The reply was both instant and firm: ‘It says in the Bible, He that keepeth Israel will neither slumber nor sleep, so I figured there was no need for both of us to stay awake.’”

A contest was held in which artists were invited to paint a picture of perfect peace. The judges narrowed the number of competitors down to two men who had beautifully portrayed this concept on canvas. The first painted a scene of a still, lone lake high in the mountains. The second depicted a thundering waterfall with the branch of a birch tree bending over the foam. On the fork of that limb, wet with spray, a robin sat undisturbed on her nest. The first spoke of tranquility, but the second won the prize. It showed in dramatic detail that absolute calmness can be found in the midst of turbulent surroundings. Yes, it is easy to remain unruffled when everything is quiet and serene. But to rest while the storm is raging—that is perfect peace. (Our Daily Bread, Summer 1977)

Hurricanes can wreak havoc and leave lands in total chaos. Yet, a mere ten yards below the surface of the sea, there may be complete calm. Fish and other marine creatures swim and go about their business, oblivious to the tumult a few feet above them. So it is with our lives. When there is no depth, there is chaos in the storms of life; but when there is depth in our faith and trust in His promises and protection, there can be perfect peace.

“There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God. A place where sin cannot molest, near to the heart of God. There is a place of comfort sweet, near to the heart of God, A place where we our Savior meet, near to the heart of God. There is a place of full release, near to the heart of God, a place where all is joy and peace, near to the heart of God.” (Hymn by Cleland B. McAfee)

I hope you, my friend, have found your place there.

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee.” (Isa.26:3)

Flag Day/Father’s Day

Tomorrow is Flag Day and Sunday is Father’s Day, two special days on our calendars. We pause tomorrow to thank God for everything “Old Glory” stands for; we proudly sing our National Anthem and without apology pledge allegiance to our nation’s emblem of liberty and justice for all!

Then, Father’s Day. Fourteen years ago, one of our junior boys at church received special recognition for a tribute to his father and family. I am sharing that tribute in honor of his father, a deacon in our church, knowing that it will be a blessing still to many:

“Most people think that nature and pictures are beautiful, but I think that family is beautiful. I think that family is beautiful because of what happened to my dad this year.

The story begins on a night that was going great! Everything was in order like it should have been. That is, until my dad started shaking intensely, and my mother didn’t know what to do. So, she decided to call 911. I wasn’t awake then, so didn’t know anything was going on. When I was awake the next morning, I saw my aunt. I didn’t even wake up the whole time my dad was sick! My aunt told me my dad had a seizure because there was a tumor in his brain. At first, I thought she was joking! I had no idea. My aunt then took me over to her house.

When my dad was first sick, more than 20 people were there. It was beautiful that they were so caring and friendly. I didn’t get bored, because my baby cousin was there. I just wanted to see my dad! One person was so caring that he was staying nearly the whole time my dad was sick. At the end of the time that I was at my aunt’s house, I got to go and see my dad! The first question he asked me was, ‘What score did you make on your benchmarks?’ I told him, ‘I got 100% on my benchmarks!’ It was so beautiful that dad cared about my grades when he was so sick.

Another reason I think beauty is family is that a man from our church named Dr.__ was there with my dad. He was there…because he was concerned about my dad’s health. He was a big help and comfort to our family. Additionally, quite a few family members and church family brought meals and sent cards to my dad and to our family. That was a beautiful thing. My dad is doing much better now, and it’s a beautiful thing that he is okay. What would we have done without our beautiful family? This is why I think family is beautiful.” (Landon Peck)

Landon’s father is still doing well, for which we all thank our heavenly Father! It was my privilege to officiate the wedding of Landon’s mother and father when they were married, fairly early on in my pastorate at Thompson Road Baptist Church. They continue to serve God faithfully in various ministries through our church.

Yes, Landon, family is beautiful. It is our prayer and heartfelt hope that on Father’s Day we will all pause to thank God for family and for fathers that have contributed to the beauty in our lives. Beauty that cannot be painted on canvass or depicted adequately with words. Beauty in the heart that will never fade with the passing of time. Thank you, heavenly Father, for the beauty of family!

“His hands have worked in sweat and toil; in shops, in pits and in the soil; He’s suffered cold and heat and pain, but never once did he complain. He’s been a doctor, seer and guide, in whom we freely could confide. He’s got a loving heart of gold—the half has never yet been told! We honor you today—dear Dad; you’ve always made us proud and glad. We celebrate your life this day, and for your joy we all do pray. Happy Father’s Day, Dads!” (ALS, “A Tribute to Dads”)

Baptism for Salvation?

In a post last week, I answered those who believe that baptism by water is necessary for salvation on the basis of Acts 2:38, showing that there is no justifiable reason—that one can substantiate from the Bible—to believe that water baptism has anything to do with one’s soul salvation. If you missed that post, let me know and I will send you a copy. Just email me (trbcpastor@sbcglobal.net) your email address.

I mentioned that besides the Acts 2:38 “proof text,” there are a few other passages used by folk who make water baptism an essential element for salvation. I will deal in this discussion with two of them.

First, there is Mark 16:16: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” Mark is quoting Jesus as part of His great commission to His apostles, also found in Matthew 28:18-20. Matthew’s account differs considerably from Mark’s; nevertheless, Mark 16:16 needs to be addressed.

Both clauses in Mark 16:16 are categorically true! “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” Would anyone argue with that? Mark said that salvation is a matter of believing. He could have left off the reference to baptism and the statement would still be correct. He could not have omitted “he that believeth.” He included baptism, not to show that it is a necessary component of salvation, but to indicate that salvation followed by baptism is the norm. The 3,000 people who were saved on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41) were baptized: “And they that gladly received His word were baptized.” The “received his word” was the trusting Christ as Savior; the baptism followed their conversion as a public testimony, marking them as followers of Christ.

Salvation and baptism were routinely coupled together in the book of Acts, highlighting the importance of publicly confessing Christ as Lord and Savior; not because baptism was to be equated with salvation, but because the two go together, just as faith and works are coupled by James in his epistle. Works never saved anyone (Eph. 2:8,9), but when one is saved, works will follow. Baptism by water never saved anyone; but when one is saved, baptism naturally follows closely thereafter.

The second clause in Mark 16:16 can also stand alone: “He that believeth not shall be damned.” It is important to note that Mark declares that the person to be damned is he who does not believe, not the person who does not believe and is not baptized.

Just as Acts 2:38 cannot rightly support baptism by immersion as part of one’s salvation experience, so Mark 16:16 is no proof text that baptism by immersion is essential for one to be saved. What can be proved from Mark 16:16 is that believing is the sole requirement for salvation, and that not believing is the sole determinate for God’s sending anyone to perish in Hell.

Second, thereis Acts 22:16. This verse reads: “And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” Ananias of Damascus spoke those words to “Brother Saul,” who had personally met “Jesus of Nazareth” as he was on the road to Damascus to bind and deliver the people of “this way” to prison and to death. Paul later recounts this conversion experience in Jerusalem, just after he was almost pulled to pieces by the Jews in Asia.

In this personal testimony, the once persecutor of Christians tells how he was led to Damascus, blinded by the encounter with Christ, and met Ananias—who, instructed by the Lord, told Paul that God had separated him (Paul) to be a witness to all men of what he had seen and heard. In that context, Ananias said to this new-born believer: “Why tarriest thou? arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” It is evident that Paul, struck blind when he met Christ on the road to Damascus, at once trusted Him as Lord and addressed Him as such: “What shall I do, Lord?” To which Jesus said, “Go into Damascus and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.” (Acts 22:10).

Paul was already a believer when he got to Damascus, but he had obviously not had a chance to be baptized. So Ananias said, “Arise, and be baptized [in view of the washing away of] thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” The conjunction that connects “be baptized” with “wash way thy sins” is, like the preposition eis in Acts 2:38, very fluid in meaning and can be translated in multiple ways—again, depending on the context. One cannot conclude, on the basis of this common conjunction, that baptism and washing away of sins are one and the same act. That would contradict the New Testament’s clear teaching concerning salvation being a matter of grace alone, through faith (believing). So, Ananias is saying in essence, “Paul, you trusted Christ as Lord when He met with you three days ago in that extraordinary experience; now, as a confession of your faith and in the light of the fact that your sins have been washed away, you need to be baptized, having called on the name of the Lord.”

“Calling” in the Greek text is an aorist middle participle from ‘kaleo’—to call. The sense is that ‘having called on the Lord, now (you should) be baptized.’” Furthermore, “washing” is also an aorist imperative: “you washed away your sins having called on the name of the Lord.’”

Translating from one language (Greek) to another (English) is always a challenge; and it is not uncommon that in the process some meaning is veiled in words, word order, and in the nuances of the various tenses. But the end result of any particular verse in the translation process must be consistent with the totality of Scripture. Admittedly, the English translation of Acts 22:16 is difficult; but it must be understood against the backdrop of all of the Bible; and in the Bible, works, including the external act of water baptism, is never shown to be a part of one’s salvation.

Again, nothing in the book of Acts, or in the epistles of the New Testament, or anywhere in the whole of scripture, establishes that anything but believing by faith brings eternal salvation to one’s soul. Nothing.

“For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation…For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Rom.10:10,13)

Faith says….

“Faith is just believing what God’s Word says is true.”

That refrain comes to my heart often, and it is simply a line of a chorus I learned somewhere—probably in leading children in songs. Amazing what a simple chorus can do for the soul!

But, speaking of faith—the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen—it is what one must have to please God. (Hebs. 11:1-6) Abraham believed God for a seed and son, though he was well past child-bearing age, as was his wife, Sarah, and God gave them their promised son! Then, Abraham believed, when told years later to offer his only begotten son on an altar, that God would raise him from the dead—and God provided a ram in the place of Isaac, because by faith Abraham pleased God.

Faith, through which one is saved by grace, is the crux of Christianity. All the beliefs, creeds, dogmas and doctrines that theologians labor to explain have, as their core, the matter of faith. Charles Spurgeon said, “A little faith will bring your soul to heaven; a great faith will bring heaven to your soul.” Little wonder, then, the apostles pleaded: “Lord, increase our faith.”

Faith like that of a small boy who, when flying a kite on a windy day, was asked by a passer-by—an older man—just what he was doing. The lad replied, “I’m flying my kite.” Looking heavenward, the man said, “I don’t see any kite; all I see is clouds. How do you know you are flying a kite?” The boy replied, “I can feel the tug on the string.”

Unbelievers may question, may even scoff at, the simplicity of hanging one’s hope for life after death simply on “faith.” Early Christians, one has said, did not say, “Look what the world has come to;” they said, “Look what has come to the world!” It was a matter of believing then seeing, rather than seeing then believing.

Faith has always cut against the grain of the world. The world says “show me and I’ll believe;” faith replies, “Believe and I will show you.”

The world says, “You are not good enough to make it to heaven.” Faith says, “For by grace are you saved by faith.” (Eph. 2:8)

The Devil says, “You’ve believed a fairy tale; there’s nothing to this religion thing.” Faith says, “In hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before the world began.” (Titus 1:2)

You tell yourself, “I can’t hold on; I am too weak.” Faith says, “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.” (I Peter 1:5)

Demons say, “Salvation is not that easy; there’s more to it than that.” Faith says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” (Acts 16:31)

A cultist says, “If you don’t believe what Dr. So and So says, you’re on your way to Hell.” Faith says, “Let God be true and every man a liar.” (Romans 3:4)

The religionist says, “Salvation is in our church and anyone outside of it perishes eternally.” Faith says, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

The atheist says, “There’s nothing past the grave; it’s all just a manufactured lie.” Faith says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Gen. 1:1)

The college professor says, “The Bible is beautiful literature, but you do not have to take it literally.” Faith says, “For all flesh is as grass, and the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away, but the Word of the Lord endureth forever.” (I Peter 1:24,25)

The false teacher says, “We are all trying to get to the same place; the main thing is to just be sincere.” Faith says, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Provs. 14:12)

Of the power of faith, it has been said, “If radio’s slim finger can pluck a melody from night, and toss it over a continent or sea; if the petaled white notes of a violin are blown across a mountain or a city’s din; if songs, like crimson roses, are called from thin blue air—why should mortals wonder if God hears prayer?” (Ethel Fuller) Faith believes. Faithful pray!

Another wise person: “There is no unbelief in he who plants a seed beneath the sod and waits to see it push away the clod; He trusts in God!”

“Once it was a blessing, now it is the Lord; once it was a feeling, now it is His Word; Once His gifts I wanted, now the Giver own; once I sought for healing, now Himself alone.”

A.B. Simpson continued: “Once was painful trying, now ‘tis perfect trust; once a half salvation, now the uttermost.” And, he concludes: “Once I hoped in Jesus, now I know He’s mine; Once my lamps were dying, now they brightly shine. Once for death I waited, now His coming hale; And my hopes are anchored, safe within the vail.”

And the difference, in a word, is faith. Is that your anchor?

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Gal.2:20)

“and be baptized…for the remission of sins.” (Acts 2:38)

By grace alone, through faith alone, has been and remains the mantra of Bible-believers concerning the essence of salvation from the time (and even before) that Paul and Barnabas met in Jerusalem with the mother church to “hammer out” the sine qua none of salvation. The Jerusalem council determined that salvation is a matter of grace through faith plus nothing, and that making circumcision or any other external act or rite necessary for salvation is the equivalent of embracing “another gospel,” as Paul made so very clear in Galatians 1 and other places. But man has forever attempted to add his own mix into what the Bible clearly teaches; so there have been, since the days of the first-century Judaizers to the present hour, those who are bent on making one’s eternal life dependent upon some man-made add-on to saving grace through faith.

One of the most persistent aberrations from the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith plus nothing is the common false teaching that salvation hinges on the adherent’s baptism by water, or “baptismal regeneration.” This teaching is propagated largely by the Churches of Christ. The cornerstone New Testament verse in defense of this doctrinal deviation is, primarily but not solely, Acts 2:38. I want to deal with this misinterpretation in this post.

Acts 2:38: “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” This was Peter’s response to the Jews’ question, following his Day of Pentecost gospel message, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

At first reading, it would appear that Peter said simply, “Repent, get baptized, and your sins will be forgiven. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” This interpretation hinges on the Greek preposition eis, taken in this view to mean “in order to, or for the purpose of.” So, those who hold to this view interpret the verse thusly: “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for (in order to, or for the purpose of) the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

To build a doctrine on one word is problematic in and of itself—especially in the case of eis, which has many nuances and can connote scores of meanings, depending on the context. A better interpretation of the preposition eis in Acts 2:38—positing that water is never set forth as an agent that washes away one’s sins, either in babies or adults—is “because of,” or “with a view to.”

A simple illustration will clarify: If I were to say, “I got a ticket for speeding,” one would no doubt understand that I meant, “I got a ticket because of speeding,” not “I got a ticket in order to speed,” or “for the purpose of speeding.” “I got a ticket for speeding” means one of two totally different concepts, depending on how you interpret the word “for.”

So, Peter says, in our terminology, “Repent, be baptized because of the washing away of your sins,” NOT, “Repent and be baptized in order to have your sins washed away.” The way you take Peter’s command is determined by whether you interpret the preposition eis to mean “in order to,” or “because of.” One knows that the New Testament epistles always argue against salvation by faith plus something else; thus, Acts 2:38 cannot mean, “Repent and be baptized in order for your sins to be washed away.” The Bible says that we are to study to shew ourselves approved unto God, workmen that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth. (II Tim. 2:15) One simply cannot rightly divide the Word of God and conclude that it teaches that baptism by immersion into water has anything to do with one’s salvation-by-grace experience. This teaching is just “another gospel,” which Paul rejects adamantly in Galatians 1.

There are a few other passages that false teachers cite to buttress their erroneous views concerning baptismal regeneration. Mark 16:16 is one, and Acts 22:16 is another. I may, in a future post, deal with those verses, and possibly I Pet. 3:20,21.

In conclusion, there is absolutely no reason for any sincere Bible student to believe that water baptism is an integral part of one’s getting saved. Paul’s reply to the Philippian jailor in Acts 16, when the jailor in desperation cried out, “What must I do to be saved?” is still the right answer: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Period. (Acts 16:31) But this should in no way diminish the importance of baptism following one’s conversion to Christ. It is still part of the commission that Christ gave to His apostles before He ascended back to Heaven from whence He will one day return.

But the baptism ordinance, a public testimony, follows after the first part of His orders: “While going therefore disciple ye all nations.” People are discipled first, i.e., brought to the acceptance of Christ as Savior. Then they are to be baptized. And, finally, they are to be taught everything that Christ taught His disciples. The order cannot be altered in the total process of evangelizing the world. (Matt. 28:18-20)

“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” (Gal. 1:8)