____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ October 18, 1992 ____________________________________________________ The Washing Of Sins by Lynn Wessel Anyone who believes the Bible would never deny that there is a definite connection between the blood of Christ and our salvation. His blood was shed for the remission of sins. Jesus said, ``for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many unto remission of sins'' (Matt. 26:28). In Ephesians 1:7 Paul declared, "in whom we have our redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to riches of his grace.'' The apostle John added, ``and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin'' (1 John 1:7). Every Bible believer understands that apart from the shedding of the blood of the Lamb of God there is no remission of sins. In Acts 22:16, Saul of Tarsus was told to ``arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins, calling on his name.'' The plain and simple teaching of this verse would have us conclude that the sins of an individual coming to Christ in conversion are washed away in baptism. Someone may ask, ``Do you really believe that it is in baptism that sins are washed away?'' Absolutely! This is what this passage teaches as well as many others. If it doesn't teach this then what does it teach? It is impossible for anyone to accurately believe the Bible and not believe that our sins are washed away when we are baptized. Another objection is presented: ``I just can't believe that water can wash sins away.'' Who says that it can? Acts 22:16 doesn't say that and we are not trying to make it teach that it is the water itself that washes away sin. This is not what we are contending. Rather than teaching ``what,'' Acts 22:16 teaches ``when.'' God has revealed in this passage that our sins are washed away when we are baptized. It is necessary to study other passages to determine what. One passage which answers this very clearly is Rev. 1:5. John said, ``Unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his blood.'' The passages quoted in the last paragraph teach the same thing. There is complete harmony between Acts 22:16 and Rev. 1:5. One tells us when, the other tells what. The blood of Christ washes sins away when we are baptized in water. This is why Peter told the Jews upon the day of Pentecost to ``Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto remission of your sins...'' (Acts 2:38). In 2 Kings 5, Naaman was commanded to wash in the river Jordan to be cured of his leprosy. In verse 14 we are told, ``then he went down and dipped himself 7 times in Jordan according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child and he was clean.'' Who would argue that the power of cleansing Naaman of his leprosy was in the water? The point is that Naaman was cleansed by the power of God, but the cleansing was conditional. He was not cleansed until he obeyed God's command. When Naaman did what God commanded him to do, he was ``washed'' of his leprosy. Surely we can see the parallel! God has commanded us to repent and be baptized for the removal of our ``disease'' (sin). We are ``cleansed'' by the power of God through the blood of Christ; but, the cleansing is conditional. Just as was Naaman, we are cleansed from sin only when we have obeyed what God has commanded for that cleansing. For Naaman it was a physical cleansing; for us it is a spiritual cleansing; but, the principle is the same. Lest anyone doubt that the baptism commanded of us today is water baptism, let's notice what Peter said in the house of Cornelius. In Acts 10:47-48 he said, ``can any man forbid the water, that these should not be baptized, and he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus.'' Baptism in the name of Jesus Christ is in water; it is then that our sins have been washed away by the blood of Christ. ___________________________________________ SELECTED QUOTES A sound argument must have more than sound to it. Wash your own windows and see how clean your neighbor's look. Before you flare up at anyone's faults, take time to count ten--ten of your own. It isn't your position in life that counts--it's your disposition. Every person lives in one of two tents: conTENT or disconTENT. In which do you live? Discontent makes rich men poor, while contentment makes poor men rich. If we could only forget our troubles as easy as we forget our blessings. Christ established His church to save sinners, not to serve dinners. ___________________________________________ The Godhead by Jarrod Jacobs Some religious groups believe that there is only one person in the God-head, Jesus Christ, only. They simply have not studied as they should. Let's look and see what the Bible has to say about the Godhead. 1) There Are Three Separate Beings: In Matthew 3:16-17, we read the account of Jesus' baptism. Notice the ones there: ``And Jesus...out of the water...the Holy Spirit descending like a dove...a voice from heaven saying this is my beloved Son....'' We see that Jesus was either here to confuse and deceive people, or there are three separate beings. Surely we can see that the latter is true. Christ is not the only one in the Godhead! 2) The Prayer For Unity: John 17:20-21 records Jesus praying to His Father. In John 17:21, Jesus asked for all to be one as He and the Father are one. This is where the ``oneness'' people would say that Christ said they were the same person. This is not true. He did say they are one, but He did not say they were the same person. God and Christ are one in agreement, in judgment and in purpose. If the ``oneness'' doctrine were true, John 17:21 would have Christ praying that all His followers (later Christians) would be the same person! Who can believe that? 3) The Bible Lists Three In Succession: Ephesians 4:4-6 written by an inspired writer said, ``There is one body, ONE SPIRIT, even as ye are called and one hope of your calling; ONE LORD, one faith, on baptism; ONE GOD AND FATHER of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.'' He even listed the three separate beings in separate verses. If you can count to three, you can see that a one person Godhead has come from the mind of man and not the Word of God! 4) God Gave His Son: ``For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life'' (John 3:16). Here we read of a Father and a Son. How many people is that? We read about two of the three personalities of the Godhead in John 3:16. 5) The Deity of These Three: The word ``Deity'' means divinity, or the state of being God. We see that the Father is Deity, (God); but He is not the Son (Jn. 20:17; Jn. 8:16-18). The Son is Deity, (God); but He is not the Holy Spirit (Rom. 9:5; Heb. 1:8; 1Jn. 5:20). The Holy Spirit likewise is Deity (God), but He is not the Father (Ac. 5:3-4; Jn. 14:26). We read in John 14:26 about the sender and the one sent. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit. Surely you can see there is a difference in the sender and the one sent. They would have to be two different entities. ___________________________________________ "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be satisfied" (Matthew 5:6). ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 1314 Montgomery Avenue, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________