What must I do to be saved?

To understand why we use the name, “church of Christ,” one must of necessity understand the foundational truth of Christ’s establishment of His one church. Christ did not establish denominationalism; men did. Furthermore, Christ did not place one particular name on His church as do those in denominationalism. His church is described in many ways in the Bible. It is referred to as:

— “the kingdom of God” (Acts 1.3)
— “the church” (Acts 2.47; 5.11; 8.1; 12.1; 13.1)

— “The churches of Christ” (Rom. 16.16)
— “the church of God” (1Cor. 1.2)
— “the body of Christ” (1 Cor 12.27 Eph. 1.22,23)

— “the church of the living God” (1Tim. 2.15)

Now, in referring to the one church that Jesus established it would be perfectly biblical to use one of the names just mentioned as long as we understood to what we were referring (i.e., the one church that Jesus built, not a denomination that may falsely wear one of the names above!).

But, why do we call ourselves “the church of Christ” and not another name in the above list??? The answer really is simple. To use the name of the One that founded the church honors Him Who found it! Those in the religious world understand this. The name “Lutheran” honors Luther. The name “Christ” honors Christ. Why would we desire to honor a man when in the church we should honor Christ? To use the name, “the church of Christ,” describes us as being those who have been called out of the world and into Christ, simple New Testament Christians (followers of Christ!). To use a name that has been coined since the time that Christ established His church is to dishonor Him and it becomes something other than a New Testament church. The church belongs to Christ; let us show this ownership and never be ashamed of it! Think about it!

Kevin Williams

    When we moved to Romania in 2000, my passport gave me a lot of confidence. Romania had only left Communism 10 years before and you could tell that there was still some of that same thinking that was in people’s minds. But my passport gave me a lot of confidence at 30 years old. I’m sure it was a naive view of things, but I felt that because I was an American citizen, I had this passport, that if something bad happened, my government – my state department – would do what they could to take care of me.

    There are benefits and privileges – as well as responsibilities – that come with being an American citizen. There are also benefits and privileges – and responsibilities – that come with being a citizen of Jesus’ nation – the church of Christ. That’s the focus of this text of Scripture which will feed our spirits: Ephesians 2:11-22.

“THEREFORE” – 2:11:

    What is the “therefore” for? Paul is drawing a conclusion. What has he just been saying? Go back and read chapter 1 and 2:1-10.

    Therefore, Paul writes, with these things being true and understood…

YOUR CONDITION “OUTSIDE” OF CHRIST – 2:11-12:

    These Gentiles, you and me, Paul writes in verse 12:

    1. Were separated from Christ. 

    2. Were excluded from the commonwealth of Israel.

    3. Were strangers of the covenants of promise.

    4. Were without hope.

    5. Were without God in the world.

    That’s the situation you are in even today if you are not a Christian. That is the situation all of us were in when we were outside of Christ.

NOW OUR CONDITION “IN” CHRIST – 2:13-18:

    First, Paul says now that we are “in Christ Jesus” – there are two passages in the NT which teach us how we are put into Christ Jesus and it is through immersion in water for the forgiveness of our sins: Rom. 6:3-4 and Gal. 3:26-27.

    Secondly, notice the power of the metaphor in verse 14: “Christ is our peace!”

    Third, Christ made both groups into one – the “uncircumcised” and the “circumcised,” or the Jews and the Gentiles.

    Fourth, Christ has “reconciled” both – Jews and  Gentiles – in one body (which he has already defined as the “church” in 1:22-23) through His death on the cross, putting to death the enmity – the Law of Moses.

    Fifthly, it is through Christ that we have access “in” or “by” one Spirit to the Father.

    This brings us to…

THE BLESSINGS OF CITIZENSHIP – 2:19-22:

    This paragraph begins with the word “So,” where Paul is drawing a logical inference. Because we (Gentiles specifically) are reconciled to God in Christ Jesus, and along with Jews, are one body in Christ, then we have certain blessings. Observe:

    First (ver. 19), we (Gentiles) are no longer strangers and aliens. Instead, we are “fellow citizens with the (Jewish) saints and are of God’s household.”

    Second (ver. 20), we are God’s temple built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets – that is, their teaching – with Christ Jesus being the corner stone from which every thing is set.

    Third (ver. 21), we are fitted together, placed alongside one another, to become the holy temple in the Lord Jesus Christ.

    I have been working on a walkway in my backyard, building a pathway of paving stones into my storage shed. The stone is shaped like an octagon at the top and a square at the bottom. All these paving stones have to be fitted together so that they form the walkway. That’s what Paul is saying here. We all – Jew and Gentile (remember the context) – are stones in God’s temple and we are being fitted together by Christ so we can form His spiritual temple.

    Fourth (ver. 22), we are a dwelling of God in the Spirit. Isn’t that a wonderful, beautiful, awesome idea? That God dwells in us by His Spirit? God dwells in us? What are the benefits of being a member of God’s nation? God dwells in us!

    When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, God drove their sinful beings out of His presence. Now, through Jesus Christ, God doesn’t just dwell near us, He dwells in us! All because of Jesus Christ!

    The blessings of spiritual citizenship are available to everyone who will submit to Christ and be added to His body.

Paul Holland

    Our articles have been examining the word “grace” (charis in Greek) in the New Testament. The word is used 155 times, but is not found in: Matthew, Mark, 1 John, and 3 John. In this article, I will present its use in the letters from Galatians-Colossians.

    “Grace” is found 7 times in Galatians, beginning in the salutation (1:3) and conclusion (6:18). False teachers were influencing Christians to desert God who called them by the grace of Christ (1:6). Paul was called by the grace of God to be an apostle (1:15). James and Peter recognized that gracious gift given to Paul, to be the apostle to the Gentiles (2:9). To teach that salvation is through Jesus Christ (not the Law of Moses) does not nullify the grace of God (2:21). If one were to try to be saved by obeying the Law of Moses, he has fallen from that grace (5:4). 

    “Grace” is found in Ephesians 12 times, as Paul focuses on the grace of God which is revealed through the church. Again, he uses the word in his salutation (1:2) and conclusion (6:24), where he says we receive grace if we love Christ with incorruptible love. Those who are saved are predestined to the praise of God’s grace (1:5) to receive forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace (1:7). We are saved by grace (2:5, 8) as God reveals the riches of His grace (2:7). 

    As an apostle, Paul was given stewardship of God’s grace (3:2) to preach His gospel (3:7), the unfathomable riches of Christ (3:8). Various gracious gifts have been given (4:7) to build up the church. And we are to be careful how we speak to each other so we give “grace” through our words (4:29). 

    “Grace” is used in Philippians three times, in the salutation (1:2) and conclusion (4:23). The Philippian Christians were partakers of God’s grace with Paul, to preach the gospel to others (1:7). Finally, “grace” is used five times in Colossians. Paul uses the word in his salutation (1:2) and his conclusion (4:18). When one hears and responds to the gospel, he “understands the grace of God” (1:5-6). We are to sing with grace (“thankfulness,” NASV) in our hearts (3:16) and we are to speak to one another with grace (4:6). 

    I anticipate two more articles in this series.

Paul Holland

An elderly gentleman who hated going to the doctor became ill. Finally agreeing to go, he was given a prescription to be taken daily for a month. Taking his first dose he nearly choked! So, he added a little water to it. His next dose was just as bad, so he added a little honey to it. He continued adding a little this, a little that, until it began to taste pretty good.

When he returned to the doctor for his checkup however, the doctor was puzzled as to why there was no progress made. “Did you take your medicine as I prescribed”, the doctor asked. “Sure did”, the old man replied. The doctor said, “Well, I don’t understand why you haven’t improved”.

I think we all see what happened. The old man kept adding things to his medicine until it was so deluded it couldn’t do the work for which it was intended. Too many people say they are taking the medicine God has prescribed, but by adding their old traditions and man made creeds along with other erroneous practices they have not only deluded God’s word but have polluted it beyond any usefulness. Some of these traditions go back hundreds of years and are given equal authority with God’s word. By doing this they feel they have made his word more palatable, but in reality have only weakened it and robbed it of any real value.

God’s word can be strong medicine sometimes, but the great Physician knows what He is doing. No one can take the watered-down ‘medicine’ taught by men and correctly expect to be cured of their sins.

– by J.D. Williams

One of the most fundamental considerations about baptism is the mode which is to be employed. Is baptism sprinkling, pouring or immersion? Or, does the mode really matter? Let’s study…

1. BAPTISM AND TRANSLITERATION

Understanding the definition of baptism is a good place to start. In doing this, we are not so interested in what the word means to modern day Americans as we are in what Bible writers intended when they used the word. The Greek word that we get baptism from is the word baptizo. Do you see the similarity between the Greek word and the English word? There is a reason for the similarity. The word was not translated into English from the Greek. Instead, it was transliterated. When something is translated into another language it is assigned an already existing word (or words) that communicate the same meaning in another language. But when a word is transliterated, a new word is actually devised by keeping it similar to the Greek word (in this case). In short, here is the problem. To the Greek reader in the first century the word baptizo meant (and it still means) to dip or to immerse, but the word baptism muddies the water to many in English. It makes the mode of baptism seem not so definite, when in reality it is. Unfortunately, this was the intent of transliterating the word rather than translating it.

(2)  THE USE OF THE WORD IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

Our understanding of the mode of baptism is by no means dependent upon our knowledge of the Greek language. In fact, in some ways, an even better way to understand the mode of baptism is to simply see what is taught about it in the Bible text.

In Colossians 2:12 Paul says, “having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.” Likewise he states in Romans 6:4, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

A very quick examination of the use of the word baptism in the New Testament clearly demonstrates that baptism is immersion in water. It is a burial.

(3)  EXAMPLES OF NEW TESTAMENT BAPTISMS

If we have reasoned correctly thus far we would also expect to see harmony displayed in actual baptisms in the New Testament. And indeed we do. Note a couple of clear examples…

John said in John 3:23, “John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized.” Why was John baptizing there? Because of the volume of water needed for baptism.

Luke records the conversion account of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 where the text records, “And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him” (v. 38). If sprinkling were permissible, this would seem to be the ideal place to use it. The Ethiopian was in the midst of a long journey. It was not convenient for him to be immersed in water.

Surely the question of the mode of baptism was anticipated by our Lord as we notice the very precise wording regarding it in the Scripture. So, through the meaning of the word, through the action which is described, as well as the examples we see in Scripture, the only rational conclusion we can draw is that baptism is immersion in water. In fact, we can go so far as saying that sprinkling and pouring are simply not baptism. Baptism is immersion. Immersion is not sprinkling or pouring. The practice of sprinkling and pouring for baptism are completely without Bible authority.

Daren Schroeder

One of my favorite movies growing up was Disney’s Aladdin. I enjoyed it because of the music and the outrageously exaggerated antics of Genie, a character voiced by the late comedian Robin Williams. Though I didn’t realize it as a little boy, I think I enjoyed it most of all because it was one of the few cartoons we owned that featured a male character as the protagonist in the story. I could identify with Aladdin much more easily than I could with Snow White or Cinderella.

Though they had done it before, sometime around 2014 Disney began releasing live-action remakes of their most popular animated films. If I had to guess, the rationale behind this move went something like this: The current movie-going crowd grew up on these animated stories; now that they have “come of age,” ticket sales will skyrocket as they try to relive their childhood by watching the remakes in the theater.

Imagine my excitement, then, when I learned a live-action version of Aladdin was in the works. I had seen a few of the others, but they weren’t that special to me. This one, I thought, had some promise. Unfortunately, I was wrong. People have different tastes when it comes to food, fashion, and movies. I’m sure plenty of people really enjoyed the Aladdin remake. I didn’t. The reason was simple. Someone changed the story. The emphasis of the new film was not on Aladdin, but on Jasmine. A female character. As far as I was concerned, this was a fundamental shift in the very fabric of the story. The new movie changed one of the most compelling aspects of the original movie. This was a change I simply could not appreciate.

Forgive me for spending so much time on fictional characters. I have a very important point to make – one that has nothing to do with fiction and everything to do with truth. God’s Word does not change. No matter how people may change, culture may change, and what is socially acceptable may change, God’s Word will remain the same.

Many people in the world today would like to “update” the Bible. They do not like what it says about sin, the order of creation, and the nature of God’s one church. Any such efforts to change the Bible would ultimately destroy its most valuable asset. The Bible is God’s changeless truth, built upon His changeless character. When it comes to the Bible, anything less than the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth simply won’t do. Will we seek to change it, or will we obey it? The answer has eternal implications.

Clay Leonard

Celebrating Dads: Leaving a Legacy of Prayer
Job 1:1-5

INTRODUCTION:

    Oswald Chambers wrote: “Every time we pray, our horizon is altered, our attitude to things is altered, not sometimes but every time, and the amazing thing is that we don’t pray more.”

    Dads, if we want to leave a spiritual legacy with our children, it needs to be passed on with God’s strength, not our own. We need to be praying dads.

    In Job 1:1-5, we are introduced to the patriarch of the east who had seven sons and three daughters. The author tells us that Job would rise up early in the morning and offer burnt offerings for his children. Job said in his heart, “Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts,” so he prayed for them continually. 

    From the time Rachel became pregnant with Jewell 22 years ago and from the time she became pregnant with Ana over 20 years ago, we have not missed a day that we haven’t prayed for each of them not just once but multiple times a day. Now, I pray for each of them – and Jacob too – 3-4 times every single day. As I have mentioned before, and I don’t know what they are doing on any given day at any given hour, I pray at breakfast that God will bless them over the next four hours.  Then when I pray at lunch, God will bless them over the next four hours. When I pray at dinner, that God will bless them through the evening and the night. Some prayers are very specific, some prayers are more generic.

    I can’t be with my daughters and son in law all the time. Even if I were, I can’t know the right decisions they need to make in their lives. Often times, they even know better than I would. But God knows best of all. That’s why I need to pray and ask God to give them wisdom and guide their decisions, to keep them safe physically and spiritually, and to bless them in the way He knows is best.

    In this study, I want us to consider how to pray, using Job as an example.

PRAY COMPREHENSIVELY:

    Notice in Job 1:5 that Job would “send and consecrate them… offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all.”

    Our prayers need to be comprehensive. Pray for every aspect of your child’s life. Pray for their spirits and their emotions. Pray for their education and their friends. Pray for their future spouse and their future jobs.

PRAY CONTINUALLY – Job 1:5:

    “Thus Job did continually.”

    To pray continually means that we trust God to such an extent that when anything, and everything that comes up, we are prepared to mentally fall to our knees and ask for God’s help, or to give God praise, whatever the need may require. 

PRAY CONFIDENTALY – Job 1:5:

    Job worshipped God on behalf of his children trusting that “perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts” and God would forgive them.

    It seems to me that here is the role of the Spirit in our prayers… When we obey the Spirit’s word and we are born again of the water and the Spirit (John 3:3-5), then Jesus’ blood washes our sins away (Acts 22:16) and we receive the Holy Spirit as God’s gift (Acts 2:38). Then the Spirit is able to open up a “hot-line” between us and our Creator. In Romans 8:26-27, Paul writes that the Holy Spirit can even help us and intercedes for us when we do not know what to pray for as we should. 

    When we realize that the Holy Spirit has opened up the “hot-line” between us and Jehovah God, then we can pray confidently. We can know for sure that God will answer our prayer in doing what is best for our children, as long as their hearts are also open to being led by their Creator.

PRAY WITH CARE – Job 1:5:

    Job would arise early and offer these burnt offerings every day, continually, so that God would forgive Job’s children in case they had sinned against God.

    Dads, we are the sentinels for our children, keeping alert on their behalf, in prayer. The apostle Peter was a dad; maybe he had other dads in mind when he wrote: “be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer” (1 Peter 4:7).

PRAY CONSTANTLY – Job 1:5:

    Again, we point out that Job offered these burnt offerings to God on behalf of his children “continually.”

    Be persistent. Start praying for a Christian spouse when your wife gets pregnant and don’t stop until they say “I do.” Then start praying that they will keep Jesus at the center of their marriage when Satan tries to distract them with an affluent lifestyle.

    Dads, let us raise our children in an atmosphere bathed in prayer.

Paul Holland

“Did you hear the one about? . . .”   Thus begins the stand-up comic into his humorous routine. Too often our own conversations begin the same way.  But the end result is not nearly so funny.  In the process we have gossiped about our brethren, our neighbors, perhaps our co-workers, maybe even our own family. Gossip, defined as idle talk about the affairs of others, is a genuine problem for God’s people. Think about gossip. . .

IT IS EASY: You won’t have to work hard to become an accomplished gossip.  No, in fact, the practice is rather like catching the common cold.   It takes very little planning, intention, or effort — it just seems to happen.

The ease with which we may be affected by this spiritual malady is the basis of a clear warning: “A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much” (Proverbs 20: 18).  Association with the gossip is a dangerous practice. The first threat is that he may reveal some secret of ours. But also, our company with him can influence us to join in his sinful practice (1 Cor. 15:33). His disease is contagious. Beware!

We are all susceptible. In Romans chapter one, Paul wrote of the heathens who had chosen to ignore God. They had engaged in gratifying every carnal desire.  Among their faults was the sin of being “whisperers” (vs. 28).  Other versions translate this as “gossips”.  What we see here is that men, when following the desires of the flesh rather than the will of God, will be prone to gossip.

IT IS ENJOYABLE: The ease with which folks can be made to gossip must surely be connected with the perverted kind of enjoyment it brings to those who participate in it. There is a strange sense of reward that comes from being the first to know — and tell — something on another person. Some people get such a charge out of this that they are not above manufacturing some tale. It may not be a complete fabrication. There may be shreds of truth blended together with lots of imagination — anything to arrive at a good ‘juicy’ bit of gossip. This, most assuredly, is a sin that brings “pleasure for a season” (Hebrews 11:25).

Christians of the first century, like us all, demonstrated a propensity for this activity. Paul was concerned that he would find “whisperings” (translated “gossip” in the NIV) when he returned to Corinth (2 Corinthians 12:20).  James bemoaned certain sins of the tongue that “ought not so to be” (James 3:10). Self control in such matters is, he said, the ultimate sign of spiritual maturity: “if any man offend not in word, the same is a prefect man, and able also to bridle the whole body” (vs. 3).

This is, we have learned, the kind of thing that everyone can ‘enjoy’.  It is truly everyone’s malady. We all like to be ‘in the know’, and we love for people to know that we know!  So, we gossip; we betray confidences; we spread rumors.

IT IS SIN: Here is the bottom line!  Jesus warned, “Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned” (Matthew 12:36,37).

Remember the definition of gossip? It is “idle talk about the affairs of others”, and it clearly falls within the realm of things that we will answer for in the judgment.  In the Proverbs we are warned:  “He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life; but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction” (13:3). And again, “Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue, keepeth his soul from troubles” (21: 23).

Recall that we’ve included this as one of the maladies that affects everyone.  This is not just a problem of irreligious folk.  A lot of regular ‘church-goers’ have the problem, too. Of these James says: “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain” (James 1:26).

THERE IS A CURE:  Take heart!  There is a solution for the sin of gossiping. We are promised forgiveness of this sin, just like any other sin, as we comply with the conditions of God’s will. And furthermore, we have the confidence that our Father will help us withstand future temptations to commit this common sin. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Cor. 10:13). Our task is to look for that “way to escape”, and to avoid this terrible sin of gossip.

“Did you hear the one about? . . .”   No!  And please don’t tell me!

– by Greg Gwin

At a soaring 844 feet tall, the Devon Tower stands proud in the Oklahoma City skyline. On June 14, 2022 a 23 year-old by the name of Maison was found free-climbing the monstrous building. This meant he had no ropes, no safety nets, and no back-up plan. Helicopters circled the building, while police officers watched from afar. Only a pair of rock climbing shoes and some chalk for his hands aided his ascent. While this daring stunt caught a lot of attention, he didn’t do it for “fun.” Rather, his motive was to protest abortion in the state of Oklahoma. Even his alias is the “pro-life Spiderman.” He stated in an interview that he wanted to stop abortion by helping women and families get the proper help they need.

Actions like this help us understand that strong convictions lead to bold actions. This very principle has led many to participate in riots, debates, and even non-hostile stunts such as climbing the tallest skyscraper in Oklahoma City with nothing but your hands and feet. When we are fueled by a deep conviction, action is surely to follow.

Jesus, in addressing His listeners, stated that we ought to have strong convictions about various aspects of life. Especially in the record of His sermon concerning Matthew 5:21-48, He discusses areas such as anger, worship, lust, immorality, oaths, and livelihood with mankind. In several of these topics, Jesus utilizes the extreme of circumstances: “if your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out” or “if your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off.” While Jesus isn’t literally commanding His listeners to cut off their hands and pluck out their eyes, He is most definitely stressing the importance of having deeply rooted convictions and allowing the necessary actions to take place.

When we have a sin problem, we must reflect upon the actions we are taking to relieve the sin. If those preventative actions are not present (or not working), perhaps there is something wrong with the level of conviction we have concerning various sins. Once again, strong convictions lead to bold actions. While Maison had a deep conviction about abortion in his heart, his actions ultimately verified his beliefs.

Tyler King

Acts 10 is entirely dedicated to revealing the conversion of Cornelius and his household, as well as what this means for the Gentiles. We will be forced to overlook many details of this account in order to focus on some major points.

READ ACTS 10

THE MAIN MESSAGE

The main message of Acts 10, beginning with what the Lord conveys to Peter, was that the Gospel was to be preached to the Gentiles, beginning with Cornelius. This is seen by the divine arrangements for the encounter with Cornelius. This is seen through the vision given to Peter (see vv. 9-16). Though it took Peter some time to understand the meaning here, verse 29 shows that he did. There he states: “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.” Also note Peter’s use of the words “anyone” (v. 35) and “everyone” (v. 43). Finally, he argues for Gentile inclusion in the body of Christ by appealing to the baptism of the Holy Spirit they received (see vv. 44-47).

While God’s desire for the Gospel to be preached to the Gentiles is the thrust, and was always His plan, consider a few other notable points.

1. Cornelius was devoutly religious but yet an unsaved man (see v. 2). The fact that he was unsaved is buttressed in part by the “great pains” that the Lord went through to get the Gospel to him. Further, Peter’s message is that everyone who “does what is right is acceptable to him [God]” (v. 35). Lastly, in verse 48 Peter commands Cornelius and his household to be baptized. Since baptism is “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38), we can safely conclude that Cornelius, though a stellar and devoutly religious individual, was not yet saved.
2. In this account we also see the provision of God for a man who genuinely sought after Him. Though not a Christian, he was living according to what he knew, and he also “prayed continually to God” (v. 2). While it may be debated as to whether God hears the prayer of someone who is seeking after Him (see Jn. 9:31), surely God can providentially arrange good hearts to come in contact with His saving message.

(3)  The preaching of the Gospel to the Gentiles, as well as their inclusion in the church, was always in the plan of God (see Gen. 12:1-3; Is. 49:6; Mt. 28:18-20; Gal. 3:26-29; Eph. 2:11-3). In fact, immediately before the ascension of Jesus in this book (Acts), He told the apostles that they would be His “witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (1:8). As they took Gospel outward from Jerusalem, the apostles and Christians would very naturally be sharing the Gospel with more Gentiles. Though natural in this regard, it took a vision from the Lord for Peter to really understand. Paul would later even find it necessary to rebuke Peter concerning a related matter of hypocrisy (see Gal. 2:11-14).

(4)  We also note that the baptism of the Holy Spirit was an exception to the rule, for a very specific purpose. There is actually only one other specific case of Holy Spirit baptism in the New Testament. The first, which is actually alluded to in our text (v. 47), was the Holy Spirit baptism of the apostles that took place the day the church was established in Acts 2. (See also regarding this: Acts 1:5.) There the apostles began preaching to the Jews by inspiration of the Spirit. In Acts 10, this baptism of the Holy Spirit, as mentioned earlier, demonstrated that the Gospel was for the Gentiles as well (see again vv. 45-48). Clearly, this baptism is not the baptism of the “Great Commission” which was for all the world (Mk. 16:15-16). A couple of ways this is easily discerned is that Holy Spirit baptism, in Acts 2 and Acts 10, was administered by the Lord, not man. Also, the other examples we have of baptism in the book of Acts (as well as in the NT in general), is baptism in water (see Acts 8:12, 35; 10:47). Clearly, this baptism is the baptism in which a believer chooses to be baptized in water to be forgiven of sins (see Acts 22:216; 2:38; 1 Pt. 3:21; Mk. 16:16).

Certainly there are other important lessons to be gleaned from this chapter, but perhaps above all else, may we be reminded and take to heart, as the song by J.M. McCaleb says, “The blessed Gospel is for all.”

Daren Schroeder