All Glory to Him!
Do you know of anyone who is perfect? Well, I’m sure you don’t, because we all have our weaknesses and failures.
There is a tendency on occasion, when one preaches or teaches relative to the disciples or apostles of our Lord, to glamorize these men as though in most every sense they had reached perfection. But any fair reading of the Scriptures will prove that just the opposite was true. These men were like most of us. On occasion, they needed rebuke even as we do. Perhaps you will recall the incident when our Lord appeared to the disciples after the Resurrection and commissioned them to preach the Gospel throughout the whole world. Mark 16:14 tells us that He upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen Him after He was risen.
Now, this passage has always been a great encouragement to me, because from it I realize that God chose imperfect men—men who were weak in the grace in which they should have excelled, that is, faith. In Hebrews 11:6 God says, without faith it is impossible to please Him. Here you find his chosen ambassadors lacking in faith.
Have you ever wondered why God chose men like this to be part of the foundation upon which He would build His Church? This used to bother me, but I think I have an answer for it now. God chose and ordained men like this that we might realize that we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us (2 Corinthians 4:7). If we should find a perfect servant of God, or a perfect minister, then we might give him all the credit. But every believer in Jesus Christ that you and I know has a weakness of one kind or another. Thus, for any accomplishment we make, we must give praise to God.
All glory is to Him, and Him only.
Though we labor to walk in the holiness of God, none of us can claim to be what we desire to be. If there is any holiness in us at all, it is because of the grace of Almighty God. Never on any occasion can we take the praise for such. We have believed in spite of our infirmities and not because of our virtues. If any of us were to have believed because of the perfection of our human nature, then our faith would stand in the excellence of a person and not in the power of God.
After our Lord rebuked His followers for their lack of faith and belief, He instructed them for their next great task. The rebuke was essential, because without true and reliant faith in Him, it would be impossible for them to fulfill the obligation that He was to lay before them. In Mark 16:15-16, He declared Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
These disciples, as all disciples of Christ, were commissioned to carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Every one was to have an opportunity to hear of this transforming, life-giving, soul-saving message, which was the good news of God. He assured the disciples, when He gave them the message they were to proclaim, that though some would believe, others would refuse to believe. Those who would believe would be saved, and those who refused to believe would be damned; that is, they would be condemned forever to the penalty of God’s wrath.
It is important that one have a clear understanding of these words if he is a servant of Jesus Christ, for if he does not understand the commission, he will fail in its application. God says that those who were to hear the Gospel preached by His servants were to respond by believing it, and then, by being baptized in the name of Christ. Our Lord says those who believe and are baptized will be saved. Those who do not believe will be condemned for all eternity. Now, this verse does not say that baptism will save. The text is clear; one must believe to be saved. This is the requisite for salvation. But our Lord declares that if one does believe, he should evidence this belief by baptism. The other part of the verse makes it clear; if he or she does not believe, whether baptized or not, that person is still lost. If he does not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, he is lost forever.
We see from this passage and many other passages of Scripture, that faith in Jesus Christ is the indispensable requisite for salvation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not, God says, shall be damned. No one is forced to believe. But if we do believe, God says we are saved. Those who refuse to believe are lost. Those who believe will receive eternal life and they shall never perish.
God’s salvation is remarkable when you stop to realize, no matter how deep in sin one may be, if he believes on Jesus Christ, he can be transformed by the power of God and made into a saint. One may be a prostitute, a thief, a murderer, an alcoholic, or a drug addict. Regardless of what he is or what he has been, God’s grace is sufficient. If he will believe on Jesus Christ, the Bible assures him that he can be saved right now.
I encourage you with every power of persuasion that the Holy Spirit might use, look nowhere but to Jesus Christ for your salvation. Don’t look to your church. Don’t look to baptism. Don’t look to ritual. Don’t look to your good life, but look to Jesus Christ for He is the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world (John 1:29). We read in Acts 13:39, By Him (Get this!) By Him (and no one else) all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. Keeping the Ten Commandments is not enough. Salvation is through Jesus Christ. Anything other than Christ for salvation will lead to perdition.
There is life at this moment for you—whoever you are, wherever you are. If you believe in the love of God in Christ Jesus towards mankind, you can be saved. Lay hold on Jesus Christ. He is the sure foundation upon which you must build. He is the Rock of Refuge on which you can stand.
Life is short. Time speeds by quickly. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. Trust Jesus Christ for your eternal salvation. Ask Him to come into your life.
Simply pray something like this:
“Dear God, I know I am a sinner; but I realize that Jesus died for my sins, and I thank You that He lives today, that He rose from the dead, and sits at Your right hand interceding for me.”
All Glory to Him! Be assured: God always keeps His promises! J. Allen Blair
Mother's Day!
by Judy Blair Janes
Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it (Psalm 127:1). A mother’s most important challenge is to teach her child to love the Lord. Deuteronomy 6:7 tells parents to teach God’s words diligently to our children. A mother who loves the Lord with all her heart, with all her soul, and with all her mind will teach her children to do the same. A child’s most important response is to accept Jesus Christ as Savior.
My mother has always been a very busy person. All of my growing up years, she was a pastor’s wife. When my father began the Glad Tidings radio ministry, my mother was his secretary and support staff. In spite of her many obligations, I never remember my mother being too busy to read her Bible and pray first thing in the morning, and I never remember her too busy to talk to anyone about the Lord. Not only that, she was never too busy to listen to or help my two sisters and me in any way she could. My parents put God first, but they were not so busy in “the Lord’s work” that they didn’t have time for a godly home life. As a result, I accepted the Lord as my Savior when I was very young, and in my teens I dedicated my life to full time Christian service. Mothers are special. Mother’s Day is an occasion to recognize our mothers as the special people they are, and to thank God for giving us this very special person!
Clearance Sale!
Teaching Tapes by Dr. Blair
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