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In Exodus 12,
there is the story of the first Passover. It is a simple, and
very powerful story. After Moses had tried in vain to convince
Pharaoh of the need to let the people of God go, and after
having sent 9 different plagues on the Egyptians, Jehovah
pronounced a new curse on the people of Pharaoh. “I will
pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all
the first born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and
against all the gods of of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am
the Lord.” He then tells the people of God how they may
escape this terrible fate: they are to take the blood of a
special sacrificial lamb and sprinkle it on the two side posts
and the upper door of their dwellings, assuring them that
“...the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses
where ye are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over
you...” You know the rest of the story. The Lord sent a
terrible disaster upon the Egyptians: “And it came to pass,
that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land
of Egypt, from the first born of Pharaoh that sat on his
throne unto the first born of the captive that was in the
dungeon; and all the first born of cattle.” The children of
Israel did as they were told and they were spared the
intrusion of the death angel. The faith of the children of
Israel saved them from this terrible fate. But a question is
in order:
What was it
that caused the salvation at the first Passover? Could it have
happened if they had not done what they were told?
In Numbers 21,
there is an intriguing story. The children of Israel had a
seeming propensity for murmuring against Jehovah, in spite of
the constant miracles attesting to His presence among them. As
they journeyed by Hor, by the Red Sea toward Edom, they began
once again to charge the Lord with not providing for them.
Jehovah, enraged by their discontent, sent fiery serpents
among them, “...and they bit the people and much people
died.” The people went immediately to their leader Moses and
said, “we have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord,
and against thee: pray for us that he take away the serpents
from us.” Moses prayed, Jehovah heard, and gave him the
solution to the problem: “Make a fiery serpent and set it
upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is
bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.” They obeyed
the Lord and we are told that “if a serpent had bitten any
man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.” The
faith of the children of Israel saved them from this terrible
fate. But a question is in order:
What was it
that caused the salvation of the children of Israel on this
occasion? Could it have happened had they not done what they
were told?
In II Kings 5,
there is a story of a young Israelite captive who was put into
the service of the Syrians. It happened that Naaman, a captain
and favorite of the king of Syria, “a great man with his
master, and honorable,” had contracted leprosy. The little
maid, who served Naaman’s wife, and who was apparently
impressed with the people she served, informed Naaman that
there was in Israel a man who could cure his terrible disease.
When the king of Syria heard that information, he sent a
letter to the king of Israel, along with several lavish gifts,
and asked that the king heal Naaman. The king, astonished, and
unable to see how it could be done, decided that the King of
Syria, “seeketh a quarrel against me.” When Elisha the
prophet heard about the situation, he told the king to have
him come to him and he would take care of the matter. Naaman
did as he was told. Fetching out Elisha’s residence, he sent
for him. Elisha didn’t even come out himself, but sent a
servant, who told him to dip seven times in the Jordan. Naaman
was incensed at the fact that Elisha sent a servant out to him
instead of coming himself, and further, at the suggestion that
he dip seven times in the Jordan; he retorted that there were
several cleaner rivers in his country. The servants came to
him and said, “...if the prophet had bid thee do some great
thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather then,
when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?” Seeing the sense
of the suggestion, he did what he was told and when he dipped
the seventh time and came up from the water, “...his flesh
came again like unto the flesh of a little child and he was
clean.” Naaman’s faith in the sayings of the man of God
saved him from his leprosy. But a question is in order:
What was it
that caused Naaman’s salvation? Could it have happened had
he not done what he was told?
In Acts chapter
2, there is the record of the first gospel sermon preached
after Jesus told His disciples to “go ye therefore and teach
all nations.” It was Pentecost. Thousands of Jews were at
Jerusalem. The apostles of Jesus, now endowed with the Holy
Spirit, began to preach Jesus to the people in various foreign
languages– languages in which they obviously were not
educated. “How hear we everyman in his own language?” they
asked. When this was “noised abroad” it caused a huge
crowd to gather. Peter, and the others began with unanswerable
arguments, showing that Jesus was the promised Messiah, and
affirming at the same time the fact of His resurrection from
the dead. As he brought the sermon to a close, he stormed the
will of his hearings with a startling conclusion: “Therefore
let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made
this same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and
Christ.” The people, being cut to the heart by the
preaching, asked, “Men and brethren what shall we do?”
“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins and ye shall
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” “They that gladly
received the word, were baptized.” The people’s faith in
what they were told saved them from their sins. But a question
is in order:
What was it
that caused salvation for the Pentecostians? Could they have
had such without doing what they were told?
The case is
made. It is irrefutable. “Without faith it is impossible to
please Him, for whoso cometh to God must believe that He is
and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him”
(Hebrews 11:6).
By the way–do
you think a person has to be baptized to be saved?
Dee Bowman
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