God Hates Sin

Can God hate? The Bible says He can. In the Proverbs, chapter 6, it says "These six things the Lord hates..." Each of these is sin. God hates sin so much that He was willing to let His son die to destroy it. This is the love, or the mercy of God. The Bible says: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). It also says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God," (Ephesians 2:8). Let no one tell you that members of the church of Christ do not believe in the grace of God. But grace alone will not save any more than faith only. When Paul said we are saved by grace, he did not say we are saved by grace alone. Without man's faith and obedience, one could never be saved. The Bible says "though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him," (Hebrews 5:8-9). This passage clearly states that He is the author of eternal salvation to those who obey Him. Without obedience to Jesus, we cannot be saved. Have you made a determination within your life to obey Him?

The Cleansing Agent

If a worker comes in with dirty hands, there are several things necessary to get them clean. First, he must recognize that they are dirty. Without this realization he would not wash his hands. Secondly, he must have a cleansing agent. This probably is soap and water. Without this he may never get the grease or dirt off his hands. But before that cleansing agent of soap and water will do any good, he must apply that cleansing agent to his hands. No matter how much soap and water one has, without application of it, then he would never get his hands clean. In like manner, Christ shed His blood for sinful man. But first man must realize that He is a sinner. The Bible tells us that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (Romans 3:23). This is probably the most difficult thing in preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Most people are defensive about admitting that they have sin in their life, saying that they are really pretty good folks. But in reality, they know that they are sinners. Next, they must have a cleansing agent to get rid of the sin and that cleansing agent is Jesus Christ. This has been provided for the taking. Paul wrote: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Jesus has provided the most wonderful gift ever for mankind - it is there for the taking. But without application of the blood of Christ, then there is no cleansing. Wishing will not make it so. Paul also writes: “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?" (Romans 6:3). There is the application! It is not until we are baptized into Christ, into His death, that we put on Christ. The Bible also says: "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27). It is baptism that provides the means of cleansing for man's sins. Just as soap and water is needed to cleanse our dirty hands, baptism is the application needed to cleanse us from sin.

The Sacrifice of Christ
How does one take advantage of the sacrifice of Christ? Most Bible believers admit that it takes the blood to wash away sins, but how is this blood applied to the human heart? The apostle Paul wrote: "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27). What does it mean to be baptized into Christ? Simply, that we are baptized into the benefit of the death of Christ which is eternal salvation. Christ died for our sins. To benefit from the blood, we must get into Christ, which means getting into a right relationship with Christ. Thus, being baptized is simply being saved, or accepting the offer of Christ's salvation. Peter said: "Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins;..." (Acts 2:38). How did these individuals obtain remission of their sins? By repenting and being baptized. How does one get into Christ? By baptism. The same act that saves you puts you into Christ. Baptism brings salvation, remission, church membership, and puts one into Christ. The destruction of sin can only be had through our obedience to Jesus.

Newness of Life
Becoming a Christian is likened to the death of Christ. The Bible says in Romans 6:3-6: "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin." In verses 3-4, it says that these New Testament Christians had just been baptized into Christ. That means into the benefits of the death of Christ. In so doing, the sinner puts off the old man of sin and puts on the new man in Christ. When did this happen? When they were baptized into Christ. The idea that one does not need to be baptized in order to be saved has been invented by man and is without Bible authority. The Bible clearly says that to be in Christ one must be baptized. One is baptized into the death of Christ. There the sinner puts off the man of sin and puts on Christ Jesus. There is no way under heaven to put on Christ outside of baptism into Christ. Please read what God says in His word, and then be submissive to His teaching.