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 A
person believes that those who claim to be his parents are such.
He does not know it. He bases his belief upon records and his
confidence in those who love him. The records could have been
falsified, his confidence could be blind faith — his faith
will not change the actual fact. Many conscientious, sincere
people have a blind faith with reference to their spiritual
parentage. They do not, and will not, investigate the written
record for they believe that God must surely be their Father, if
they believe it strongly enough.
There
is a record that each can examine to learn of his true sonship.
“Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ
Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have
put on Christ,” (Gal. 3:26-27). Being “sons of God” is
descriptive of our being in covenant relationship with Him who
is our Father. Being “in Christ,” being saved, having the
remission of sins and being in the body of Christ, all describe
our relationship with God as His sons. Certainly, there are no
sons who are not saved, and there are none saved who are not
also sons.
Jesus
said, “For if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in
your sins,” (Jn. 8:24); therefore, he commissioned his
apostles to go and tell the world, “He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be
damned,” ( Mk. 16: 15—16). One who refuses to believe and be
baptized can never be a child of God. Every man who denies
Christ and blasphemes that holy name, has rejected the only
means of being adopted by God — “Neither is there salvation
in any other; for there is none other
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name under heaven given among men, whereby we
must be saved,” (Acts 4: 12). The record so states — who can
deny it?
Peter
was carrying out Christ’s commission when he said, “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” (Acts 2: 38). He later said, “The like figure
whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting
away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good
conscience toward God), by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,”
(1 Pet. 3:21). Repentance involves a change of heart and mind
and, like all other commands of God, baptism must be done “from
the heart,” (Rom. 6:17-18). This is not a ritual or a ceremony
that has saving power within itself!
A
person who obeys the truth has his soul purified and is “born
again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the
word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever,” (1 Pet.
1:22-23). This record has not been perverted by passing time.
The
enduring truth that purifies says that one must believe in
Christ, repent of sin, be baptized to wash away sin. Man does
the obeying; God does the washing and adopting. No one should
imagine that he is a son contrary to the record of God. Let no
one beat his chest and boast of his sonship until his life
conforms to what the Father has said. It is written! I CAN KNOW!
—— Jim R. Everett.
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