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David's Deliberations . . .

What Are You Going to Do About It?

1 August 2021

"...For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..." Romans 3:23 (NASB)

God is not so much concerned about the fact that you sinned. We all do; that's a given. But since you have sinned, what are you going to do about it?

God wants us to be freed from sin and calls us through the gospel, the good news of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4):

"It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Thessalonians 2:14

The gospel contains the message of salvation:

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." Romans 1:16 (see also, Ephesians 1:13-14)

It is a message that must be kept pure to be effective:

"I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! Galatians 1:6-9

The salvation God promises in the gospel comes to those who obey it:

"Although He [Jesus] was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation..." Hebrews 5:8-9

When we obey the gospel, we are freed from sin:

"But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness." Romans 6:17-18

And what is "that form of teaching" which the Christians at Rome obeyed from the heart and to which they were committed? We obey the gospel--the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ-- as they did, when we die with Christ in baptism and are thus freed from sin:

"Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin." Romans 6:3-7

Jesus said, "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved...." Mark 16:16

Peter, when asked, "What shall we do?" answered: "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins...." Acts 2:38. Peter also wrote, "baptism now saves you" (1 Peter 3:21).

So back to our original question: God is not so much concerned about the fact that you sinned. But since you have sinned, what are you going to do about it?

"Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name." Acts 22:16

—David Carl Swanson