Are you a pickle?

Precept Acts Part 1 - Lesson 1:

Acts Chapter 1

I was doing my lesson for Acts part 1, lesson 1.  One of the assignments during the week was to do a word study on "Baptized" as taken from Acts 1:5.

Baptized was mentioned twice in this passage:
1)  the first was "for John baptized in water";
2) the second was "but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit"

I found an interesting explanation and picture of this difference as found on www.studylight.org:

"The clearest example that shows the meaning of baptizo is a text from the Greek poet and physician Nicander, who lived about 200 B.C. It is a recipe for making pickles and is helpful because it uses both words. Nicander says that in order to make a pickle, the vegetable should first be 'dipped' (bapto) into boiling water and then 'baptised' (baptizo) in the vinegar solution. Both verbs concern the immersing of vegetables in a solution. But the first is temporary. The second, the act of baptising the vegetable, produces a permanent change. When used in the New Testament, this word more often refers to our union and identification with Christ than to our water baptism. e.g. Mark 16:16. 'He that believes and is baptised shall be saved'. Christ is saying that mere intellectual assent is not enough. There must be a union with him, a real change, like the vegetable to the pickle! Bible Study Magazine, James Montgomery Boice, May 1989"

 

What an interesting analogy.  It really brought the difference to light for me.  So the question for you is -  Are you still a cucumber or have you accepted Christ as your Savior and been baptized with the Holy Spirit - and are you now a pickle?

 

Ezekiel Chapter 18

(from October 27, 2016) 
 
This week's lesson was about Ezekiel chapters 17-19.  But I was really struck by Ezekiel 18:24-32.  The passage in 18:24-29, talks about a righteous man who turns to wickedness and commits iniquity(sin).  There's a couple points here that I see:


1) Ez. 18:24 - passage says that this righteous man will die.   This judgment was not eternal death, but physical death.  He will not lose his salvation.

The passage specifically says "righteous".  Let's look at Webster's 1828 dictionary to define this. http://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/righteous.  Webster's dictionary says:" Just; accordant to the divine law. Applied to persons, it denotes one who is holy in heart, and observant of the divine commands in practice; as a righteous man."
So if a man is righteous, he is saved, according to the Old Testament.  Genesis 15:6, which reveals that Abram (Abraham) “believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”


2)  Ez.18:24.   But there are consequences for sin.  In this case, it was a physical death.   This passage was in the context of Mosaic Law and if a person broke a command that carried the death penalty, then he would be executed for the sin he committed, in spite of how well he previously kept The Law.

3)  Ez.18:28 - God forgives the sins of those who turn to righteousness.

4)  God does not balance good deeds against bad deeds to determine your fate.   Ezekiel 18:5-9 talks about the characteristics of a righteous man.  This is NOT salvation by works.  These righteous works come from a new heart and a new spirit (Ez. 18:31).   Good works are a result from a changed life.  This is the core of salvation.  A good New Testament cross reference is Ephesians 2:8-9.



Your fate is only determined by your personal relationship with God. 

Will you ADMIT that you are a sinner?  (all have sinned Romans 3:23).
The result of sin is spiritual death (Romans 6:23).
Spiritual death means eternal separation from God.  Because we are sinners, and God is righteous, there is no way to get to God on our own.

But God loves us so much that he sent his own Son Jesus (John 3:16).  Jesus was both God and human.  Because Jesus was perfect, He took on our sins at the cross, died by crucifixion, conquered death and was resurrected.  Then ascended to heaven and now sits at the right hand of God in heaven.

By believing that Jesus paid the price for our sins, we can be forever with God in heaven. (John 5:24)

Will you trust in Jesus as your Savior and Messiah today?  

(For more info, please go to https://www.navigators.org/resource/the-bridge-to-life/ )