Old Testament reading: Exodus 4-6
“Let’s get ready to rumble!” Chapter 5 begins Moses’ confrontations with Pharaoh. I literally shuddered when I read Pharaoh’s words in Exodus 5:2, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go.” Bad things happen when men don’t know the Lord, and this is no exception. At first, it seems Pharaoh has the upper hand, as he orders the taskmasters not to provide straw for bricks, but tells Israel to gather their own straw while maintaining their daily quota of bricks. God’s people immediately begin to accuse Moses of making them abhorrent in the eyes of Pharaoh and under the threat of death. Moses entreats God for an answer as to why things are not going to plan. Moses’ problem, like ours often today, is that he is working from his plan and not God’s. God assures Moses that He will indeed deliver Israel from Egypt and bring them to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The people are having none of it (6:9). Perhaps this is why they were also partakers of the first three plagues, but that’s in our next reading!
New Testament reading: Mark 15-16
“He who believes and is baptized shall be saved; he who does not believe shall be condemned.” These are the words of Jesus concerning the only proper response to hearing the gospel and the promise of salvation to those who respond accordingly. Many point to Jesus’ omission of baptism in the latter half of the verse as justifying their false doctrine of salvation by faith only without baptism. Verse 16 consists of two independent clauses. As being independent, neither clause has any effect on the meaning of the other. The first tells us what we must do to be saved; the second tells us what to do to be lost. Personally, I am not interested in being lost. Been there; done that. To those who make this quibble regarding verse 16 need to answer the question, “What did Jesus say one must do to be saved?” Answer that question and you’ll have the answer to the matter today. Jesus did not say, “He who believes and is not baptized will be saved.” Neither did he say, “He who believes is saved and may be baptized later.” Why do so many refuse to hear the voice of the one Whom they claim to serve?
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