I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic–on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg–or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.
Understanding Infant Baptism
Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, and to your children, and even to the Gentiles —all who have been called by the Lord our God.” (Acts 2:38, 39 NLT)
In a parenting devotion on YouVersion, Timeofgrace.com published a piece on infant baptism, using this verse to suggest that infant baptism is a justifiable means of receiving salvation.
I, in no way, want to divide the church, but I don’t want you to be naive in this. The verse begins with, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God.” Then, and only then, must you be baptized. An infant simply has no understanding of sin, nor the ability to repent.
Baptizing an infant is a great way to bless them and consecrate them before friends, family and fellow believers, as a symbol of your intent to bring the child up in the Word. But to assume that your child is reconciled to Christ is recipe for disaster, especially if you fail later to adequately train your child up in the way he should go.
For those who are afraid for your infant’s eternal destiny: God is sovereign and He is just. Infants who die prematurely ate under His good and righteous rule and you can trust God.
For those who want to argue, this is not about arguing, but about us all being built up in the Word for the sake of the gospel and the Kingdom of God. May this admonition unify our hearts as we seek to obediently follow God together.
Loving The Lone Bellow
You’ve heard me share about Zach Williams before… the epic “Storytime” album that conquered my ears and heart and made me an instant fan. He raised some cash a little while back to fund the next album and over the course of the following years, formed a band now known as “The Lone Bellow.” Well, their self-titled debut came out a week earlier than expected as their song “Bleeding Out” was selected as the iTunes single of the week on January 15th, 2013, and now they’ve just had the opportunity of playing the Conan O’Brien Show last night. Here’s what you missed.
Be sure to grab the latest album on Mp3, CD or vinyl and follow these guys… they’ll be coming to a town near you soon and you won’t want to miss them! Trust me!
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