Musick-al note # 179
It comes as a surprise to a lot of people that the mercy of God has some stipulations before salvation is given to them. And why not, God created the world and all that is in it including man whom he made in His own likeness (Genesis 1:26). God, maker of mankind and giving to each a living soul, owns everything including our souls (Ezekiel 18:4). Every man has corrupted his soul by sinning against God (Romans 3:23). God has gone to great lengths to save every person even to giving His son to ransom them from eternal death (2 Peter 3:9). Jesus took the sin-debt (Ezekiel 18:3, Romans 6:23) and paid the ransom price for our souls (1 Timothy 2:6) by his death on the cross.
We can thank the Lord God for accepting Jesus’ death for the debt of sin of all men and raised Him from the dead to sit at His own right hand (Acts 2:30-33). After Jesus paid the debt of sin for all mankind, He sat at the right hand of God and became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him (Hebrews 5:8-9). What are we to do to obey God to save our souls? Since God is the savior, He has the right to tell man what He wants man to do. We have never been given the right to determine what we are to do – it is not a matter of man’s choice. Read the Bible, God’s Word, and you will find no indication that in obeying God that He has ever asked, “What would you (man) want to do?” but only to do what God has asked.
The New Testament, God’s will in Christ begins with faith in His Son (John 3:16). Faith that determines our trust to follow Jesus. He said we must repent of our sins (Luke 13:3, Acts 17:30). We must also confess Christ Jesus as Lord (Matthew 10:32-33) and be buried (submerged) with Him in baptism (Colossians 2:12), then be raised to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-10). It is in the act of baptism that God washes away that person’s sin (Acts 22:16) and gives new life to them. In being baptized, we become children of God in Christ (Galatians 3:26-27) and we are added to His body (1 Corinthians 12:13) which is His church (Ephesians 1:22-23). One’s obedience to the Gospel is the beginning of our new life (Romans 6:4) in which we continue to hear the Words of Jesus that we may do them (Matthew 7:21-27). We are safe from the wrath of God that will come upon those who do not know God and who do not obey the Gospel of Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).
Gordon Musick
Musick-al Notes 