Old Testament reading: Psalm 82-86
How intense is my desire to be in God’s presence? The Psalmist proclaims that he would rather stand at the threshold of God’s house, that is, to be on the outside, than to recline in the tent of the wicked with its fleshly amusements and cover of protection (84:10). How much personal spiritual growth have I sacrificed to pursue the desires of the flesh, even those that are not inherently evil? This is not to say all levity or entertainment is bad, but we need to consider the long view of our course in life. “Godliness is profitable in all things, having the promise of the life that now is and that which is to come” (1 Tim 4:8). Let us hunger for Him now that we might be truly filled in eternity (cf Matt 5:6)!
New Testament reading: Acts 1-2
“And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21; cf Joel 2:32). Quoting Joel, Peter begins at this point to declare to to his globally represented Pentecost audience Jesus of Nazareth, the resurrected Son of God and the anointed Christ. Question – Would Peter conclude this sermon without telling his audience how to be saved by calling on the name of the Lord? If not, is there a passage in the text that also speaks to being saved? Indeed, in Acts 2:38, wherein the audience, asking what to do in order to avoid God’s wrath for their treatment of Jesus, received the following instructions, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins” (v 38). This corresponds with what Saul of Tarsus was told, even as he recited it in his own words in Acts 22:16, “And now, why are you waiting? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” Finally, Jesus told us how to be saved in Mark 16:16 when He said, “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved.” Thus, we may logically and correctly conclude that, in order to call on the name of the Lord and be saved, one must believe the gospel and be baptized for the remission of sins.
Leave a Reply