Baptized for the Dead

"How deep is the hold of sin on the human heart?" DA p753 It is no accident that we have hope. Our destinies are not left to chance or happenstance. Yet we are so unintentional in our reception of Jesus. In the battle of the human mind against sin it often takes every resource that we have. Deliberate focus on heavenly truths and eternal principles are our only foothold as we cling to God. I've heard it said that we must "let go and let God," but I know that the chasm of sin is deep. We must not let go but hold on with every ounce of strength. Even as a climber must grip the crevaces with acute attention so we must grasp the evidences of God's leading in our lives. Is our battle greater than Christ's struggle on the cross? Of course not, but we must all bear our cross. God did not say that because Jesus death was difficult our life with Him would be easy. He said that through Christ's suffering there is now a way out. The darkness that surrounds us t...

Religous terms can be complicated. They can also exclude those who misunderstand their true meaning from benefiting from God's blessings. Justification is one such term. I often heard the statement of explanation that the term justified simply means "just-if-I'd" never sinned. While there is truth in this statement I believe that it oversimplifies the term and perhaps misleads. Justification refers to our legal debt before God. For this reason justification is often lengthened to "legal justification." I think this is fitting because it implies the purpose of justification. When we come before God it should be apparent that we owe Him an innumerable debt. David explains the debt that we really owe to God when he says in Psalm 51:4 "Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done evil in Your sight -- That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge." NKJV You see we owe God something and we will all appear before Him at one t...