Baptism Washes Away Consequences?

Baptism Washes Away Consequences?

“All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God”.  “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”  “The wages of sin is death”.  “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’”  “Or do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”  These passages summarize the plight of those who have sinned and those who repent and are baptized living faithfully in repentance going forward.  I was once asked if baptism washes away all sin.  The answer, is yes, if there was repentance.  However, baptism does not wash away all consequences of sin previously committed.Baptism washes

A predominant New Testament example of this is the Apostle Paul.  Paul, named Saul before his conversion, was a devout Jew.  However, in his persecution of Christians (all in earnest intention) Saul was guilty of sin.  Following his baptism, His sins were forgiven.  However, this did not change the fact that Paul had previously associated himself with violence against Christians.  “And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple.”  Paul had to live with the consequences of his actions.

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you.” Paul wrote a letter to the Corinthian Christians.  They had been washed in the waters of baptism and their sins had been forgiven.  However, the fact they had lived different lives at one point is still recalled.  It is a joy they once were those things, but the world will rarely forget and there are consequences to the prior behavior.

I was involved in the conversion of a man who had murdered another.  He is serving time in jail for a sentence of around 45 years.  He was baptized in jail.  Baptism washes away repented of sin.  He is a brother in Christ.  However, he is still suffering the consequences of having murdered.

I have attended congregations with men who committed crimes against youth.  Those men were not allowed to be alone with or near any youth.  In cases where this occurs, there is often a person assigned to be in that person’s presence until they leave the property.  They were still suffering the consequences of their sin.  Baptism did not wash away the consequences.

There are men and women today who prior to becoming Christians divorced their spouses even though there was no adultery committed.  The apostle Paul addresses this situation in I Corinthians 7.  He tells the married couple they should not separate or divorce, but if this happens, they are to remain single or reconcile. Whether the spouses are Christians or not, they are accountable to God’s Law.  Matthew 5:32 and Matthew 19:9 both establish whoever divorces except for the reason of fornication, commits adultery when they remarry.  They also cause the new spouse to be an adulterer.  But what if one repents and is baptized?  Is there sin forgiven?  Yes.  However, what is the sin? If it is just having left their wife, they have two choices be single or reconcile.  If it is the sin of adultery, the adultery is forgiven when the relationship is left.  The verb tense of “commit adultery” identifies the sin continuing indefinitely in that relationship.  The consequences also of having been previously married never go away.  Scripturally, there cannot be another marriage to someone else.  Secularly, if you were married and owe alimony or child support, those consequences also stay.  Did you burn other relationships when you divorced?  Baptism washes away repented of sin, but does not wash away all consequences.

Consequences of good and evil actions may follow us our whole lives.  It would be great if they all disappeared at baptism.  Unfortunately, this is not reality.  Do not let someone fool you into believing the foolishness of a totally clean slate at baptism.  Yes, repented of sin is forgiven, but you are still going to have to live with what you have left behind until you are called home to glory.

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Verb Tenses

Do Verb Tenses Matter?

If there was a survey done of the Church seeking to discover how many Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew scholars there are alive today, we would find a very, very small number.  This is true even extending this out to the public at large.  It is often stated, “You do not need to be a Greek scholar to understand the Bible”.  I believe this is true.  There is a difference, however, between being a Greek scholar and utilizing readily available tools to examine the words of the Bible originally written in other languages.  There are individuals who have given their lives to studying these languages and they have provided definitions of words, idioms, grammatical structure, verb tenses, and more.  Their work is born true through more ancient documentation than we could examine in a lifetime.  That work enables us to investigate, understand, and confirm the divine inspiration of scripture more thoroughly.

Do verb tenses matter?  Consider the following statements:

 Grandma will die. Grandma is dying. Grandma is dead. Grandma died.

Understanding the meaning of the English statements above relies directly upon understanding the verb tenses.  Yes, verb tenses matter.  Jesus addresses the Sadducees in Matthew 22:23-33 regarding the resurrection.  He quotes scripture which the Sadducees should have known and should have inferred there is life after death.  Jesus’ argument centered on the verb tense in verse 32: “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”  The present tense confirms life extends beyond our time on this earth.

I Corinthians 7:15 is a common passage in which people go to attempt to provide a second exception for divorce.  They examine the phrase “Is not bound (under bondage, enslaved)” and determine that a divorce may occur because an abandoned spouse is not maritally bound anymore.  First, this points to another fact: Words have meaning.  Yes, they have meaning and the word “bound” here never means the bond of marriage.  There is another word for that in the Greek.  This word is used regarding slavery.  Thus, if a spouse is abandoned, they do not need to follow the other as if they were a slave.  Their choices have already been stated by Paul in verse 11, remain single or reconcile.  Second and equally important, the verb tense of “bound” which is the perfect tense causes it to mean “Had not been in bondage and is not under bondage”.  Which means if it could grammatically refer to a marital bond (it cannot), that bond never existed.  Thus, that meaning which is taken by those looking for a second divorce exception is completely illogical.

One more example of the importance of verb tenses in understanding scripture, Matthew 19:9 reads, “And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”  Many have attempted to claim that being baptized or even the repentant prayer of a Christian removes the need to divorce the individual with whom they have committed the sin of adultery.  The verb tense of the word “adultery” does not allow for it to be a one-time occurrence.  I.E., they married an unauthorized individual therefore they committed an instance of adultery.  Rather the tense of this word is linear present tense providing the meaning of continuously committing adultery while being in that relationship.  Whether one was a Christian while entering into that sin or whether they were an unbeliever when entering that sin and regardless of the action of baptism or a repentant prayer, the condition of committing adultery is not removed until the individual changes that relationship status.

Verb tenses matter.  They matter in our English language, and they matter in all languages.  The tools of understanding are at our feet.  The question remains as to whether we are willing to pick up and utilize those tools.  You do not have to be a language scholar, but you do need to be “a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

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Complex and Simple

Complex and Simple

I enjoy watching movies.  It does not particularly matter whether it is a western, comedy, drama, mystery, documentary, etc.  However, my favorite type tends to be musicals.  There are many movies I have seen multiple times on the spectrum of complex to simple.  Frequently in my conversation I will adopt a quote from these movies.  The movies (though having nothing to do with my own life) become part of my life.  Scripture is that way as well.  I enjoy many aspects of scripture.  The history, science, mystery, adventure, all touch me in a different manner.  A critical difference is that scripture is true and from the mind of God, while movies certainly are not from the mind of God and often contain things which are not true.  Setting the differences aside, one similarity between the two gives me astonishment, puzzlement, and joy.  Both provide me with instances of “aha!” and “What?” no matter how many times I have been exposed to them.obvious and simple

The human mind is amazingly complex.  We filter so many stimuli at once with the brain filing away what it feels is important and tossing what is not.  Of course, then it throws in weird stuff like remembering a paint chip in a wall from your childhood.  Anyway, while the brain tries to do its best in grabbing on to everything it encounters, out of nowhere it will grab something new from something you have seen, heard, or read regularly.  I watched the movie postman (with Clearplay) for years.  In the movie, there is a reference to President Richard Starkey.  I never thought anything of it.  Until I did.  The name was a bit of humor in the movie.  It was a reference to Ringo Star (drummer for the Beatles).  Boom!  Mind blown!  Yes, over something very simple, right in front of my eyes for years.  A similar brain rocking moment for me occurred after decades when I realized that the word “reproof” (KJV) in 2 timothy 3:16-17 was actually not the same as “reprove” (KJV) used elsewhere in scripture (See https://churchofchristarticles.com/reproof-or-reprove/ for more on this).  Where was my brain before that?  Well, it was filtering through other teachings, observations, thoughts, moods, perceptions, and more.  Then out of the blue, BAM!  Recognition!

What is the importance of these occurrences?  The value in these times comes from understanding the need to open your eyes to discovery.  Mankind isn’t meant to read the Bible once and have a full and complete understanding of everything there.  I have read the Bible for over four decades.  I still find myself feeling as if I have just begun.  The more I study, the more my vision improves.  I find I can see things which would never have been possible to see years before.  I find the body in the room that I continuously stepped over before because I was interested in looking at the letter opener on the desk every time before.  AHA!  “Something different” my mind echoes, yet it was always there.  I make notes of words I need to do searches on “tribulation, generation, age, grass, time”.  The greater the volume of information I seem to store away, the more miniscule it looks compared to what now lays before me.

Spiritual discovery is important in our lives.  It is directly related to coming to know our Creator.  It involves understanding His plan for our lives, those before us, around us, and after us.  The discovery enables us to build a relationship with our eternal Father and continuously make it stronger.  If you stop trying to discover who your spouse is one year into your marriage, you are doing yourself and your spouse a great disservice.  The exact scenario is true with God and His Word which He has given.  His Word is to be before us always.  When it is, the discovery and fascination will be never ending.  We need only open our hearts and minds to care enough about what is always there, but we have never seen before.  With the ever-watchful eye, when we search through the complex and simple, treasure and meaningfulness will be uncovered.

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Glorify Jesus!

Glorify Jesus!

The word “glorify” means to praise, honor, or lift up.  The Hebrew word for glorify is “chabad,” which means to be weighty, or heavy.  The idea of “honor” was associated with the word due to the gravity of honorable events. In the New Testament, the word “glorify” is a translation of the Greek word “doxazo,” which meant to hold an opinion, or think of something or someone. The word evolved to mean: to hold a high opinion of another, and thus to elevate or lift up another to a position of honor. The word “glorify” has many specialized meanings involving the status of God, Jesus, or the saints and ultimate honor given to them. For God, this honor is intrinsic to Who He is, and thus He is to be glorified, or praised (Leviticus 10:3, Luke 13:13).  Jesus earned honor by living a sinless life (John 17:1-5). Christians will be changed and glorified by the grace of God through Jesus (Romans 8:30).glorified

Jesus is three-times glorified. First, He is glorified for the fact of His being divine. He is God in the flesh, Immanuel, the incarnate Word, our Creator, Sustainer, and Provider.  For that very reason alone, He is to be glorified. Second, He is glorified for His sinless life and vicarious sacrifice. Peter said in Acts 3:13, “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.” Third, He has also been glorified in His humanity. Paul wrote in Romans 8:17, “and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

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Bad Singing

Bad Singing

Squawk!  Squawk!  Squawk!  This is how many of us view our singing voices.  It is not that we do not enjoy singing.  We can sing to the point of no voice left when alone in the car or shower.  Yes, it is true sometimes our thought that we may not have melodious singing voice is true.  Yet, somewhere out there are folks whose singing we would happily listen to all day long.  Their voices seem to be just perfect.  This being what it may, judgment of singing voices has made its way into the Church and this is not to its favor.

I have mentioned the following in other writings, but it bears mentioning here.  For years I attended an event where young people would gather in both random and planned gatherings to sing.  The young men would take turns leading the songs and it was truly a joy to witness.  Young hearts and voices blended in song directed at their God and one another in truly uplifting moments.  Of course, the innocence of those moments has since been robbed.  The youth are now led by a “song director”, because evidently those young men, glad to be lending their voices to God, were not good enough. Beyond this setting, in more progressive congregations, individual voices are being amplified with microphones above others or praise teams are leading the way because congregation’s voice being judged by men is not good enough to present to God as it is. bad singing

Most recently I attended a congregation where only two men led the singing every Sunday.  The congregation had many able-bodied men to lead, but the two had taken control of the song service and did not want anyone else involved.  When approached with the prospect of involving others, the men had multiple meetings arguing against such an occurrence.  Their reasoning was that no one else could sing properly.  According to these men, they felt the song leader must sing at the right pace, in the right key, gesturing with their hands in the correct manner, able to blend songs and switch octaves, and make the song service “fun”.  Traditional songs were being phased out and more conventional were being phased in.  The judgment was not on the content of the song, but upon the image being presented.  Their direction was ultimately to introduce clapping, beatboxing, and a festive, emotional atmosphere into the worship of God.  They didn’t have a care in the world as to whether the songs were patriotic, biblical, or irreverent.  It was all about the show, attention, and the power.

What does God want?   

Peter 1:14-16 – “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

God wants to be treated in a holy manner.  Not in a secular profane show of vanity.

John 4:24 – “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

God wants hearts focusing on worship in the correct pattern demonstrated in scripture.

Colossians 3:16 – “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

Ephesians 5:19  Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

God wants (according to the apostle Paul) teaching, admonishing, and utterance, through the vehicle of singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, offered from our hearts to Him. No other mode of conveying this sacrifice is given other than through singing.  Neither clapping, beatboxing, or playing is authorized to convey what God has commanded.

It is especially important when examining what God desires to note that he never demanded any particular type of voice.  He never mandated gesturing a perfect beat.  In fact, he never ever required musical notes of any kind be followed or learned.  He did establish the congregation needed to sing, do so with reference to Him, and do so from their hearts.  If His followers do this and do this only, they will be pleasing in His sight.  Do not let men-pleasers steer your worship in the wrong direction.  Follow God’s commands only and you will never sing a sour note.

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