" MAN THINKING; AGAIN"

Good day to all and I want to welcome you to this devotion on the subject of standards. There are so many subjects we could consider in the area of standards and study together. Today, however, we are going to begin to look at one of the most important standards set down in God's Word that man for decades has changed. Even worse, it has been accepted by the masses without much concern for study of what God said in His Word. If man wants to know how to get right with God, should he not go to God and find out HIS answer? What a novel idea.

If you happened to own any make of vehicle and you had a problem with it mechanically, you would never consider taking it to the local bakery to get it fixed. It may sound a bit ridiculous but is that not what man is doing when he steps in and changes the standard God has set already for THE CHURCH? He is the one who designed it and it should not be tampered with to make man feel better. This brings me to our subject for this devotion. Here we go.

Salvation, what a wonderful gift God has blessed all of humanity with in sending His Son to die and resurrect from the grave. Before Jesus left this earth, He gave what many call "The Great Commission". Let's read that together.
In Mark 16:15 & 16 Jesus, God's Son, the one who has 'all the authority' (Matthew 28:18), said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptised (buried, immersed) will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." (RSV)

Remember, God and Christ are the Ones who designed The Church. They are the Ones who set everything down in black and white for us to read and study. So when They speak, and They have, all we should do is trust and obey and not make exception because of our man-made ideas. Jesus, The Son of God, spoke there in Mark 16 and said some important things we should not overlook. Let's look at them together.
First of all He said, "He" that believes...... It is an individual choice and not something you have because of family background or being born into a certain country. "He" that believes. This also would remove the idea or concept of infants being "baptised". They cannot believe and should not be expected to. This brings us to the second area. Let's go on.

Jesus says, "He that 'believes'". The word believe in the Greek language here means, "to put trust in". He who believes, puts his trust in the gospel of God and Christ and all they have said in The Word as written....... We either believe,trust, in God and His Word completely, or we do not. A person cannot and should not come to the Bible like to a smorgasbord and pick and choose only what they want to believe. It is either all true or all a lie. "He that believes", I doubt too many have a problem at this point but remember Jesus is not done speaking here. He goes on and says, "He that believes AND is baptised... It is not a choice of the first one and not the second or the second without the first. It is a combination of at least these two. "He that believes and is baptised shall be saved." According to Jesus Christ, who is The Authority, He says a person is saved from sin, that which separates us from God, when they "believe" and are "baptised". It is this salvation that all of us need and it is only by the way set by Christ that makes it happen. Man needs to be saved from sin and there is only one way that takes place according to God and Jesus Christ.

For man to disregard this teaching of Christ and claim his own way in his own mind to be saved, this in no way changes the mind of God. We are not in a saved relationship with God when we decide, but only when God says it takes place. I would rather do what God says in His Holy Word even if it goes against all men, than to go with the flow of man's teaching and be wrong in God's eyes. I am going to end our thoughts for today but next time we will take up more on this subject as The Word of God teaches.

My question for each one as we close is this; Do you trust what God has already said in HIS Holy Word and are you willing to obey HIM rather than the rationing of man and his thinking? God bless until we meet again.