How Dare Anyone, Contradict the Word of God!
Our topic is contradicting the word of God. How dare anyone contradict, what God has said.. What God has ordained! “For the Lord of Hosts has purposed, and who shall disannul it? His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?” (Isaiah 14:27)
Is a human being going to change God’s plan of salvation, by contradicting what He said? “Yea I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass. I have purposed, and I will also do it”.. says Isaiah 46, verse 11. And a mere man dares to contradict the word of God!
But they do, don’t they? As a matter of fact, it seems there ARE no words from God, that man WON’T contradict! God says your faith must be coupled with works of obedience, (James chapter 2) and man says faith alone will suffice!
God says “flesh and blood CANNOT inherit the kingdom of heaven”, (1 Corinthians 15:50) and man says human bodies have already ascended to heaven!
God says “NO ONE has ascended” to heaven yet, except Jesus, (John 3:13) and man says, Oh yes they have.
God says the blood of Christ was shed “for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant”, under the law of Moses, (Hebrews 9:15) and man says their sins were already, fully forgiven.
God says the old covenant law is no longer in effect. He says; “He taketh away the first, that He may establish the second”, (Hebrews 10, verse 9) and man says that parts of that old law still govern us today.
God says that we now live in “these the last days”, (Hebrews 1, verse 2) and man say there are more periods of time yet to come. New days of rapture, and new days of tribulation, and new days of another kingdom. But God says that we presently live, in “these the last days”. Hebrews 1, verse 2. Read it for yourselves, because that’s what it says.
If God says this, man says that. God speaks the truth, and man speaks the lies.
God says, “be baptized, and wash away your sins”, (Acts 22:16) and man says your sins are already washed away.
God says, “baptism now also saves us”. (1 Peter 1:21) and man says, Oh no it doesn’t!
God says, “be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, FOR the forgiveness of your sins”, (Acts 2:38) and man says, be baptized BECAUSE your sins are already forgiven. How dare you CHANGE the words of God!
God’s Truth About Baptism
What about those who dare to change the words of the bible? What about those who dare, to contradict, what God has ordained? Some people say that baptism is completely unnecessary. Other people say that being baptized is one of the very first things you should do AFTER you become saved, usually by faith alone they say. And we clearly saw last week, that that’s not true! (click here for that lesson)
No one has ever been saved, by faith alone!
So what does the bible say about salvation and baptism? What does God say? Well, God has a lot to say. For instance; God says, in 1 Peter 3, verse 21; “..Baptism doth also now save us.” God says that baptism saves us! Will you dare to say that baptism is un-necessary, when God says that it saves us! Some people do. And they’ll be judged by that.
But how does baptism saves us? Well, look at it this way.. What is the one thing that stands in the way of salvation? Sin! Sin is the ONLY thing that stands in the way. Isaiah 59: 1 & 2 says; “Behold, Jehovah’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save. Neither is His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated, between you and your God. And your sins have hid His face from you, so that He WILL NOT hear.” Not that He CANNOT hear, but He WILL NOT hear, unless you get rid of your sins!
If we were without sin, we’d all be saved by virtue, of being sinless. But Romans 3:23 says; “For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.” So then sin, stands in our way, and we’ve got to get rid of it.
But how you gonna do that? How are you gonna get rid of your sin? Your sin has to be cleansed. It has to be “washed away” so to speak. It has to be forgiven. And how’s that gonna happen? And when is that gonna happen?
Is it gonna happen when you first come to believe that Jesus is the Christ? No, the bible says that your sins are NOT going to be washed away, just because you believe in Jesus. We’re told in James 2, verse 19; “The demons also believe, and tremble!” So then, it’s literally impossible for belief alone to save one. “The demons believe and tremble!” They tremble because they KNOW they’re lost! And they KNOW, that they refuse, to do any more, than to just acknowledge the facts.
The devil, and the demons, are the very spirit, of disobedience to God. Listen to what Ephesians 2, verse 2 has to say about that spirit; “..According to the ruler of this world, according to the prince of the powers of the air, (that means the prince of this physical realm) of the SPIRIT, that now works, in the sons of disobedience.” In other words, the spirit that is exhibited, in those who disobey God.
Please, let me beg you, do not exhibit, the very spirit, of disobedience to God, by refusing to DO, what God has told us to do.
When are your sins forgiven? Are they forgiven when you repent of your sins? You’ve got to repent of your sins before they can be forgiven! Jesus said in Luke 13, verse 3; “Unless you repent, you shall all likewise perish!” If you DON’T repent of your sins, you WILL perish. You’ll be lost! But, if you DO repent, is that WHEN your sins are washed away? The answer is NO. But I’ve got to clarify that answer.
For the person who is first coming to Christ, to have all of their past sins forgiven, that forgiveness does NOT occur when they repent. There’s one more step that must be taken, before forgiveness actually occurs. And the bible is very plain about it.
On the day of Pentecost, approximately 33 AD, the apostle Peter preached what is commonly called, the first gospel sermon. The gospel of course, is the “good news” of forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Up until that day, the old covenant law of Moses had been in effect, but now, the new covenant in Christ’s blood, was about to replace that old covenant. Hebrews 10, verse 9 says; “..He taketh away the first, that He may establish the second.”
The Church, the Kingdom of Christ
Jesus had told Peter, in Mathew 16, verse 19; “..I will build My church, (My assembly of saved souls) and I will give you, (Peter) the keys to the kingdom”. Just as a side note, do you see how the words “church”, and “kingdom” are used interchangeably there? That’s because they’re the same thing. the church IS the kingdom of Christ, the kingdom of God, the “church” of Christ.
So Jesus was going to give Peter, “keys to the kingdom”. And those “keys” were the words that were going to be given to Peter, by the Holy Spirit of God, that tell men HOW to be forgiven of their sins, and HOW to be added to the kingdom. And on the day of Pentecost, AD 33, Peter would use those “keys”, to open up the kingdom of Christ, to all who would listen, and obey.
The crowd that had gathered, were Jews who already believed in God, and now Peter tells them to believe also in Jesus Christ. That’s what Jesus said, in John 14, verse 1; “You believe in God, believe also in Me.” But in Acts 2, verse 36, Peter said; “Let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made Him, both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
So they believed in God, and now they believed in Christ, and now they also “believed”, you might say, in their guilt, of crucifying Jesus. Now what? What were they gonna do about it? Were they saved now? Nope, if they were, Peter would have said so. So then, what were they gonna do? Well, that’s exactly what they wanted to know.
Verse 37, the scripture says; “And when they heard this, they were pricked in their hearts, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles; Brethren, what shall we do?” And Peter, inspired by the Spirit of God, told them what to do? Here comes the “keys to the kingdom”.. Peter said, in verse 38; “Repent, and let each one of you, be baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ, (that means by the authority of Jesus Christ) FOR, the forgiveness of your sins..”
Did you hear what baptism is for? It’s FOR the forgiveness of your sins. That’s the purpose of it. Does anyone want to contradict that? Raise your hand if you do. Does the bible say that you’re baptized because you’re already saved? NO, that’s ridiculous. You can’t be saved BEFORE your sins are forgiven. And so God has ordained that baptism, is the point, at which your sins are forgiven.
Synonymous with the word “for”, is the word “into”. We are baptized INTO the forgiveness of our sins. We come to the point of baptism, in an unforgiven condition, and then we are baptized INTO the forgiven condition. It’s as simple as that.
Is Baptism Unnecessary?
Does the bible say that baptism is an unnecessary act? No! The bible says baptism is for the purpose, of having your sins forgiven. Don’t you think that’s a necessity?
When the apostle Paul was still known as Saul, he said that he was, “the chiefest of sinners!” (1 Timothy 1:15) He was the worst of the worst. But even after he came to believe in Christ, he was still in sin. Paul SAW, the resurrected Christ, with his own eyes! And he was blinded by it! And so he was led into the city of Damascus, because Christ had told him to go there, and wait, and he would be told what he must do! And he went there, and he waited. Acts 9, verse 9 says; “..And he was three days without sight, and did neither eat nor drink.” Do you think he believed in Christ? Do you think he had repented? Three days, blind, and he neither ate nor drank!
Oh yeah, he believed, and he repented, but he was still in sin! How do we know that? We know that because of what he was told to do. A disciple of the Lord, named Annanias, came to Saul, and he restored Saul’s sight, and still, Saul was in sin! He saw Jesus Christ! And he believed, and he repented, and he was still in sin! And so Annanias told him, in Acts 22, verse 16; “And now, why do you delay? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” When you call on the name of the Lord, you call on His authority. Jesus said in Mark 2, verse 10; “..The Son of Man has the authority on earth, to forgive sins.” He said in Mathew 28, verse 18; “ALL authority has been given to Me, in heaven and on earth.” And He said in verse 19; “Go therefore, and make disciples.. (How do you make a disciple Lord?) “..Baptizing them.. in the name (by the authority) of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit; Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you..” In other words, teaching them to obey My commands.
And one of His commands, given in Mark 16:16, is.. “He that believes, and is baptized, shall be saved, but he that disbelieves shall be condemned”. And I think we could safely conclude, that he who dares to contradict those words of Jesus, will also be condemned.
Gifts for the Believer
But for the believer, who is willing to obey and be baptized, rather than to disbelieve, and disobey, and contradict, and be condemned; For the obedient believer, there are three gifts, to be received from God, upon baptism. If you want to know if baptism is necessary, listen to these three gifts.
Gift #1.. You’ll receive the forgiveness of your sins. (Acts 2:38) “Repent and be baptized.. FOR the forgiveness of your sins.”
Gift #2.. You’ll be added to the kingdom of Christ, which is his church, which is His body. Acts 2:41, says; “..And there were added that day, about three thousand souls.” Verse 47 says; “And the Lord added to their number, day by day, those who were being saved.”
And how about Colossians 1:13. This is speaking of God; “Who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of His beloved Son.” “Into” the forgiveness of your sins, and “into” His kingdom.
And Gift #3.. You will receive the promise of eternal life in heaven. Acts 2, verse 39 says; “For the promise is for you, and your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord shall call to Himself.”
That’s quite the promise, and that’s quite a calling. And we’ll leave it right there. The Lord’s calling is for you. Don’t contradict Him. Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God? Are you willing to confess that faith? Are you willing to repent of your sins? If you are, then why do you delay? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His authority.
Be like the Ethiopian eunuch; Do you remember that story in Acts Chapter 8? How Philip the evangelist was preaching “Jesus” to the Ethiopian man. After having heard about “Jesus”, the eunuch said, in Acts 8:36; “Behold! (or, Look!) Here is water, what hinders me from being baptized?” When you preach Jesus, you preach baptism. “What doth hinder me to be baptized?” Do you know what the answer was? “If you believe with all your heart, you may. And he answered and said; “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still, and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.”
Why did they both go down into the water? Because bible baptism is an immersion in water. It’s not a sprinkling of water, and it’s not a pouring of water on someone’s head. It’s a burial in water. It is a death, and it is a burial, and it is a resurrection.
Listen please; Romans 6, verses 3 & 4 describe it this way; “Or do you not know, that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus, have been baptized into His death? We were buried therefore, with Him, through baptism, into death. That like as Christ was raised from the dead, by the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.”
A death, a burial, and a resurrection. You can’t be raised, as Jesus was raised, unless you’ve been buried, as Jesus was buried. Verse 5 says; “For if we have become united with Him, in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection.”
The scripture says that the Ethiopian, from Acts chapter 8, “..went on his way rejoicing.” Wouldn’t you rejoice? You’ve just had your sins forgiven, you’ve just been added to the kingdom of God, and you’ve just received the promise of eternal life.
Look, here’s water! What hinders you from being baptized? If you believe, with all your heart, you can be baptized, right now. Like it says in Acts 22:16; “Why delay?” The invitation is yours, as we stand and sing our invitational song.
