CHRISTIAN BAPTISM – THE SHARING OF THOUGHTS FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURES

NOTE: In this message I have put in writing, I am using the English spellings that I know differ from some American spellings.

This subject, when mentioned, seems to have people jumping into various corners of the debate. In fact, there should not even be a debate. Attitudes from a few are hardened, and some take the swords out to defend their positions, yet all the time, the ears are shut to hear what is being said. It is a strange thing about human beings that many want to hold to a particular belief, be it right or wrong or between, and if someone wants to talk about that belief or even have a non-confrontational discussion, it is perceived as a personal attack. That’s not good.

I wrote a poem called “TRUTH WITHOUT ARROGANCE,” and I want to quote just one stanza from it:

“I am the Way, the Truth and Life.”
Why do we see such Christian strife
Among the ones who love the Lord,
When over “truth” some draw the sword?
Without the life, just truth alone,
Will cause the empty soul to groan.
But truth alone, without the love,
Dishonours Christ, the Truth above.

Having said all that, I wish to share my understanding of Christian baptism as it was practised in the New Testament. Some of what I will say will line up with parts of what is held by those called Baptists. If you have any interest in understanding this subject, please read. Even if you find yourself unaccepting of this, then share what you want with me. I will not mind. However, everything must line up with scripture and scriptural practice.

[A]. THE FIRST MENTION OF BAPTISM IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

We find this:

Matthew 3:1-6 “Now in those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea saying, ‘REPENT, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea, and all the district around the Jordan, and THEY WERE BEING BAPTISED BY HIM IN THE JORDAN RIVER AS THEY CONFESSED THEIR SINS.”

John’s baptism was a baptism of confession. They confessed their sins as they were baptised. It was also an entry into the Kingdom of heaven, the Jewish kingdom that will be on earth that John expected to be set up with the coming Messiah, but I am not doing that aspect here. Mark states it this way: Mark 1:4 “John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

This baptism differed totally from Christian baptism because in believers’ baptism, one does not confess sins in baptism. John was correct for his age in what he preached and practised. The gospel of the kingdom he preached is not the gospel of grace we preach.

Before we pursue this any further, the practice of the Roman Catholic church is to “baptise” infants, which can also be called christening. It is the sprinkling of water on the head of the infant, and some call this “infant baptism.” I understand in the Greek Orthodox church that the infant is dunked, that is, immersed. Of course, Greeks know the meaning of baptism, the word applied today to the dyeing of material where the whole lot “goes under.”

The Roman Church does not practise “believers’ baptism” or adult baptism, but I think if it was requested, then it might be done.

At the time of the Reformation, the reformers, like Luther, did not want to leave the Roman church, just reform it. Certain Catholic doctrines and practices were retained, and the sprinkling of infants was one of these. The Roman Catholic practice has not changed, but among non-Catholics, there is a certain variation on the understanding of baptism. Some adopt the exact position as the Roman Church, while others are more flexible. At the other end, you have the Baptists and smaller groups who see full immersion as the only position that is biblical. One other group teaches “baptismal regeneration,” where one is saved by being baptised.

We could go into all that a lot more, but I have only skipped quickly over it to state the major positions in baptism. I really want to look into the scriptures for baptism teaching.

[B]. BAPTISM IS A REQUIREMENT FROM JESUS

There is one scripture that locks in the necessity of baptism for the believer, this one, the Great Commission – Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and MAKE DISCIPLES of all the nations, BAPTISING THEM in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, TEACHING THEM to observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

I ask a question. What part of that Great Commission can we leave out? There are three parts to it, all equally balanced. Some might think the preaching for new disciples is the main part, but that is not correct in the way this Commission was given. It has three parts to it, each one dependent on the other two, and each as important as the other two.

** There has to be preaching for conversion to make disciples. That is a given.

** There has to be baptism of those who just became disciples. That is a given.

** There has to be correct biblical teaching for growth and assurance. That is a given.

Those three points satisfy the Great Commission. Well, what about those who don’t baptise their new converts?

Don’t you see that as a failure to carry out the Lord’s Commission in full? After all, it was the Lord Jesus who commanded it. What about those who don’t faithfully teach the great truths of the Bible but only engage in “play church”? Yes, they have failed as well. Maybe so many have been paying lip service to the Great Commission and not executing it honestly and faithfully as Jesus gave it.

[C]. A CLOSER LOOK AT BAPTISM IN PRACTICE

For this, we have it demonstrated in the Acts of the Apostles. The first occasion of baptism was following the preaching of Peter at Pentecost – Acts 2:41-42 “So then, those WHO HAD RECEIVED HIS WORD WERE BAPTISED, and there were added that day about three thousand souls, and they were continually devoting themselves TO THE APOSTLES’ TEACHING and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

Let us see there the obedience to the Great Commission –

(a). MAKE DISCIPLES. “who had received his word.” That is conversion.

(b). BAPTISING THEM. “were baptised.” That is baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

(c). TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE. “devoting themselves to the Apostles’ teaching.” That is teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.

There you have it, a perfect example of the way it should be done. Why has the church departed so much from that?

Over time, the church became corrupted by adopting aspects of paganism and departed from the perfect teachings of the Bible, and substituted myths and non-biblical doctrines.

Every single person who believed in the Acts was baptised immediately upon conversion/being saved. Why do we not do that? Is it uncertainty or lack of conviction or just carelessness? I am not standing on a podium pushing some new thing. I show what the Bible tells us. I am not going to cover all the baptism examples in the Acts but will do one of them, one of my special passages that happened in Philippi.

Acts 16:26-27 “and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer had been roused out of sleep and had seen the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.”

Paul and Silas were in prison, having been beaten, and instead of being in misery, feeling sorry for themselves, they were praying and singing praises. God intervened dramatically, and the fearful jailer, supposing the prisoners had fled, was about to do himself in.

Acts 16:28-32 “But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Do yourself no harm, for we are all here!’ He called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas, and after he brought them out, he said, ‘SIRS, WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?’ They said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household,’ and they spoke the word of the Lord to him together with all who were in his house.”

What a perfect opportunity to preach to a captive audience. The jailer knew he was lost/unsaved, and Paul shared the simplicity of the gospel with him.

I think that night, all who were there were saved, including the prisoners. The word of God is mighty, you know. It created the universe. I need to say that a man’s family or household is not considered saved just because the man is. It means they, too, must embrace the message, and I am sure in that case, they did.

Acts 16:33-34 “He took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and IMMEDIATELY HE WAS BAPTISED, HE AND ALL HIS HOUSEHOLD, and he brought them into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, having believed in God with his whole household.”

This is about baptism, so what happened? Yes, the jailer was saved, and before he was baptised, he had one thing to do.

He wanted to clean up Paul and Silas.

It was probably the jailer who whipped the prisoners and Paul and Silas. He washed their wounds in water, and then he himself was baptised in water! ALL those who believed were baptised. Can you not see there the absolutely necessity of baptism, not for salvation, but to honour and obey Christ and be faithful to his command in the Great Commission? It happened like that all the time. Not one believer in the New Testament was unbaptised, immersed in water, which has an important teaching we will now look at.

[D]. THE SYMBOLISM AND TEACHING OF BAPTISM

Baptism must not be an issue Christians accept or refuse. In the New Testament, not one single person refused to be baptised and still claimed to be a Christian, for that was an impossibility, a direct rejection of what Jesus commanded in Matthew 28:19-20.

One point of observation here throughout my many years: Baptism is a public testimony to what has just happened in the saved life of a believer. That does not mean you have to appear before crowds. No, it is not that, but it is declaring that you have become a Christian and that you now have a new life, and the witness is before believers. We will look at that in this section dealing with the teaching of baptism. From my experience, those who have been baptised straight after conversion are stronger in their faith, as baptism is the first step forward in one’s walk with the Lord.

Why do you think the Ethiopian asked Philip about baptism? Very important. He knew that in any testimony, what counted was not the words coming from people’s lips but their baptism, their action and commitment. That confirmed more than anything else that this person was now a Christian, a new person with the old life dead and buried and raised to a new life in Christ.

Acts 8:35-38 “Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, he preached Jesus to him. And as they went along the road, they came to some water, And the eunuch said, ‘Look!

Water! What prevents me from being baptised?’ And Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ And he answered and said, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’ He ordered the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him.”

We look at Paul’s words to the Romans – Romans 6:3-5 “or do you not know that all of us who have been baptised into Christ Jesus have been BAPTISED INTO HIS DEATH? Therefore WE HAVE BEEN BURIED WITH HIM THROUGH BAPTISM INTO DEATH, in order 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 be also in the likeness of His resurrection.”

The doctrinal teaching of water baptism is put before us in these verses. It is the picture of Christ’s death and burial and resurrection demonstrated in our own baptism. When a person/Christian is baptised, he/she goes down into the water (that is the symbol of death) and under the water (the symbol of burial), and rises up (the symbol of resurrection). ONLY immersion can do that, not any other way. Every single example of Christian baptism was by immersion.

By baptism (in immersion), what we are saying from scripture is this – “(Because I have now received the new life in Jesus Christ), I am showing by my baptism that I have died to my old life which is buried, and I have risen to a new life as a believer in the Lord.”

There is an important clause at the end of Romans 6:4. It is “SO WE TOO MIGHT WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE.” Those words are truly meaningful when a person is BAPTISED IMMEDIATELY AFTER BEING SAVED, not years later, as is the practice in many churches. Most Baptist churches I have seen (I don’t live in the USA) seem to have this “probation period” where there is a subtle thought, “Before we baptise anyone, let’s see if they are really saved and walking with God.” In fact, by doing that, you have taken away the most important step of growth that a Christian could have.

Standing in front of other believers and/or friends and being baptised is one of the greatest strengths a person can have at the start of the Christian walk.

Don’t deny people that. Maybe it is the reason you have inconsistent Christians.

The other thing that gets under my skin is the practice of some churches – and I know this happens in some Baptist churches as well – to have what are termed Baptismal Classes. Where this idea came from, I do not know, but what are you trying to do? Did the eunuch with Philip have baptismal classes before he was baptised? Did the 3000 who were saved on the day of Pentecost have baptismal classes? And what about the Philippian jailer? Throw that nonsense away. Actually, it is similar in a way to the Roman church that has Confirmation classes for those around 12 to 14 years of age. Baptismal classes are NOT biblical.

We should return to the New Testament practice and be real about our faith. Paul is saying that we are baptised into Christ, a very important truth.

If you read this and have not been baptised by immersion, then be obedient and be baptised as a matter of obedience. Baptism does not save you but confirms and demonstrates your salvation.

Paul says that those who are baptised into Christ have clothed themselves with Christ. I won’t expand, but it means we have “put on Christ,” that is, a full immersion into the Lord, and a full walk with the Lord, being fully part of Him.

[E]. ONE OTHER BAPTISM PASSAGE

Galatians 3:26 “You are all sons of God THROUGH FAITH in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:27 for all of you who were BAPTISED INTO CHRIST have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

FAITH HAS MADE US SONS OF GOD. It is through saving faith in Christ, in His Calvary work, that we are added to God’s family. We say sometimes, “sons and daughters of the living God.” It is a whole new family relationship where we become members of the Church, the Household of God, the Spiritual Building, and the Bride of Christ and part of the wonderful Pearl of great price. Salvation will always be “through faith,” never by works or any action you might do.

Paul looks at the entry to God’s family apart from faith (more to the point, “following after faith”). It is because of baptism we have entered into the family of God or, to use Paul’s term, “were baptised into Christ.” I will be very clear here: baptism of itself will never save anyone. Salvation is through faith. Baptism is the first step in stepping out with Christ on life’s journey to heaven.

Water baptism is very important, and – AS STATED EARLIER – there is not the case of even one unbaptised person in the New Testament. It is abundantly clear in the Acts of the Apostles that every single believer was baptised. Why has the church changed that and overridden the Bible? It got passed on down through the Roman Catholic church, through the Reformation, and many couldn’t be bothered to change it to make it right. When we know the truth and don’t defend it, there is something wrong, or when we don’t practise the truth.

I say again, not a single Christian in the New Testament was unbaptized, and if you read this and have not been baptised, it is an act of obedience in your walk with Jesus Christ. I am not speaking of sprinkling or christening either.

Both the meaning and practice of baptism is immersion. There is no argument about that, so we should not try to defend an indefensible position.

[F]. PAUL REINFORCES THE TEACHING ON BAPTISM

Colossians 2:11 “and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, Colossians 2:12 having been BURIED WITH HIM IN BAPTISM, in which you were ALSO RAISED UP WITH HIM through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. Colossians 2:13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions.”

Verse 11 is salvation.

Verse 12 is the picture of baptism – dead to the old life, buried, and raised to a new life in Christ.

Verse 13 is the practical aspect of what baptism shows. From death unto risen life.

[G]. THE BAPTISM OF THE SPIRIT IS ALTOGETHER DIFFERENT AND MUST NOT BE CONFUSED

The second baptism all believers also have is the baptism of the Spirit, and I do not refer to some second blessing that some think we have to have. That is not biblical because there is only one Spirit baptism. Ephesians 4:4-5 “There is one body and ONE SPIRIT, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, ONE BAPTISM.”

The place where the baptism of the Spirit is taught is in this verse – 1Corinthians 12:12-13 “Even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ, FOR BY ONE SPIRIT WE WERE ALL BAPTISED INTO ONE BODY, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”

The Greek tense for “baptised” there in Corinthians is Aorist, and it means a once for all action never to be repeated. It happens at conversion and only then, and is the means of bringing all believers into one Body, the Body of Christ. It matters not what ethnic group you are, or your social status, or rich or poor – all believers are baptised into the Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit to unify them with their Lord. That, and only that, is the baptism of the Spirit.

I have to end as it’s getting a bit long.

ronaldf@aapt.net.au

 

 

Recently, we posed some questions for the reader regarding a few passages that speak of those who would be Ashamed at the Rapture.

We essentially asked the readers – Bible students, teachers, and writers alike – who they thought those would be who would be Ashamed at the Rapture and what their immediate fate would be.

Here are the categories of professing Christians we offered to the reader as possible candidates, with additional information that we did not offer in our earlier article.

True Spirit-Led Christians

This is an easy category of professing Christians to define.

True Spirit-led Christians are those who have understood and accepted the gospel, believed Christ is the eternal Son of God who came in the flesh to live a sinless life, paid the penalty we as sinners deserved, shed His perfectly sinless blood on the cross for our sins, and have truly given their hearts to Him as Creator, Lord, and Savior of their lives.

Spirit-filled and Spirit-led believers are fruitful Christians, full of good works that God had prepared for them to do.

Carnal Christians

Paul gives us our best definitions of Carnal Christians in 1 Corinthians:

“And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” – 1 Corinthians 3:1-3

Basically, Carnal Christians are true believers, but they live in and are led by their flesh and not by the Spirit.

In the same chapter, Paul goes on to explain the Bema Seat of Christ and their position – if they do not change, allowing their lives to be led by Christ’s Spirit – at Christ’s judgment for believers after the resurrection/rapture of the church regarding rewards or loss of rewards.

“Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” – 1 Corinthians 3:13-15 (Underlined Scripture passages are my own emphasis.)

Carnal Christians, at the Bema Seat of Christ, will have their works burned up because their works were done in the flesh, in pleasing themselves and man, and not in the Spirit totally committed to pleasing God for all He had done for them. They “shall suffer loss” (of rewards they should have had, had they been led by the Holy Spirit and not the flesh) but “shall be saved, yet so as by fire.”

Carnal Christians are true converts, saved by grace through faith, but their lives are unfruitful as they quench and grieve the Holy Spirit of God in their lives.

“Quench not the Spirit.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:19

“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” – Ephesians 4:30-32

Paul, in his epistle to the Romans, addresses a very real concern for those who are currently living in the flesh as professing Christians:

“For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

“For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

“So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” – Romans 8:5-8

Therefore, professing Christians desperately need to reflect on their spiritual state and standing before God!

False Converts

We have discussed False Converts in many of our studies in the past.

Recently, in our study Matthew 25:1-13 – The Parable of the 10 Virgins, we highlighted the five foolish virgins that clearly represent False Converts in the church when we observed:

“And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.” – Matthew 25:10

The time was at hand: “The Bridegroom came… and the door was shut” to the five foolish false convert virgins, as the five wise virgins “went in with Him to the marriage.”

While the false converts were seemingly earnest in trying to know the Lord and His Word and obtain the Holy Spirit from an actual conversion – something they should have done and made certain long ago – their opportunity to be a part of the marriage was lost.

“Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.” – Matthew 25:11

The foolish false convert virgins are now desperately trying to get into the marriage, pleading their case to the Lord.

Please pay close attention to these foolish false convert virgins when they say, “Lord, Lord,” as we will note the parallels between their statement and what our Lord taught in Matthew 7 below.

These five foolish false convert virgins can still come to Christ and obtain the Holy Spirit, but they will have to do so during the pouring out of God’s wrath on a God-hating, Christ-rejecting world, and under the most excruciatingly intense period in human history.

“But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.” – Matthew 25:12

As false converts, the Lord knew them not. Therefore, they would have no choice but to go into the Tribulation and come to Christ then, if they so choose, by truly humbling themselves and earnestly seeking salvation on Christ’s terms with a contrite heart.

These same Words from our Lord will be heard from these foolish false convert virgins at The Great White Throne Judgment if they do not truly come to Christ in the Tribulation:

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” – Matthew 7:21-23

As in Matthew 25:11, where we read of the foolish false convert virgins exclaiming, “Lord, Lord,” these false converts in Matthew 7:21-23 who are judged at The Great White Throne Judgment also cry out, “Lord, Lord.”

Four of the saddest words anyone could ever hear from the Creator and Savior is, “I know you not” and/or “I never knew you.” Here is an important truth: Not only is it vitally important that any professing Christian comes to the real Jesus of Scripture in faith and to know Him personally, it is equally of vital importance that the real Jesus of Scripture personally knows you!

False Converts have always been in the church, and this is why the Bible speaks of them often and warns professing believers to be certain of their true conversion to Christ. After all, this was the clear message that John was trying to establish in his first epistle, that of knowing one’s salvation.

Here is just one example from the Apostle Peter, admonishing those in the church to make their calling and election sure, as in John’s first epistle, that they may know their salvation:

“Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” – 2 Peter 1:10-11

Christians Who Are Not Watching and Waiting for Christ’s Return

Christians who do not believe or understand the Biblical doctrine of the Pre-Tribulation rapture of the church and are therefore not watching and waiting for our Lord’s return for His bride are another category of Christians we may want to consider.

On this subject, may it not be said of us who do believe and understand the Biblical doctrine of the Pre-Tribulation rapture of the church that we are not in a constant state of readiness, soberly watching and waiting for our Bridegroom’s return for His bride!

The Passages and Our Questions

Here are the passages we cited in this article and our questions regarding them:

“And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.” – 1 John 2:28

Who will “be ashamed before [Christ] at His coming?” Just who are these people who will be Ashamed at the Rapture?

What is their immediate fate?

“Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.” – Revelation 16:15

[Note: In Ashamed at the Rapture we gave many reasons for why this verse is a rapture passage.]

Who is it that will “walk naked” and have “shame” at the rapture?

What will be their immediate fate?

Are these the same people in 1 John 2:28?

“For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.” – Luke 9:26

“Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” – Mark 8:38

Who will be ashamed of Christ and His Words? Just as they were ashamed of Christ and His Words, Jesus will be ashamed of them when “He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels?”

What will be these people’s immediate fate?

Are these complementary passages speaking of the rapture, too?

If you have opinions on these passages and would like to share your answers to these questions, I would love to hear from you!

Blameless and Shameless at the Rapture!

With this foundation laid, we would now like to examine the other side of this issue, which is the focus of our study theme; namely, who are those who will not be Ashamed at the Rapture. What are their characteristics and what might the contrasting differences be to those who will be Ashamed at the Rapture?

Blameless

Logically and Scripturally, those who will not be Ashamed at the Rapture will be blameless.

“That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 1:5-8

Only true Spirit-filled Christians are able to be “enriched by Him” in all things concerning Christ’s will for their lives. Messiah’s testimony is confirmed in His disciples, and He will impart to them the spiritual gifts He so desires to give each believer, enabling every child of God to edify the body of Christ.

“Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.” – 1 Corinthians 12:4-7

We will also be found to be “waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” who will “confirm [us] unto the end, that [we] may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” in the rapture of His bride.

“Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching…” – Luke 12:37a

Shameless

Not surprisingly, those who will not be Ashamed at the Rapture will be those who “shall not be ashamed” because they have saving faith in Jesus Christ.

“… whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” – Romans 9:33b

Only true Spirit-filled Christians who “believeth on Him shall not be ashamed.” Saving grace through faith in the Messiah is an absolute necessity for those who “shall not be ashamed” at the rapture because of their faith in the finished works of Christ for their salvation.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life.” – John 6:47

Serving God

Those who will not be Ashamed at the Rapture will be serving God all the days of their life following their conversion.

“… how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.” – 1 Thessalonians 1:9b-10

Once more we see that “wait[ing] for His Son from heaven” to rapture His church is intrinsically linked to fruitful service to “the living and true God.” The Imminency of the Rapture has a purifying effect on the believer and their service to their Lord.

As we “wait for His Son from heaven,” Jesus Christ will indeed “deliver us from the wrath to come” as our Bridegroom will take us back to heaven in the resurrection/rapture of His bride just before God pours out His wrath on a God-hating, Christ-rejecting world.

“But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

“Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:8-11

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” – Romans 5:8-9

Seeking Those Things from Above

Those who will not be Ashamed at the Rapture will be seeking those things that are above, pleasing their Lord in all things, and living in His will.

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

“When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” – Colossians 3:1-4

Our affections are to be our Lord’s heavenly affections as Jesus desires that all be saved and come to repentance and faith.

“Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” – 1 Timothy 2:4

A true Spirit-filled believer’s “life is hid with Christ in God” as we live for Him on Earth, loving and serving Him and loving and serving others, until He calls us home in death or the rapture. In both instances, at the resurrection/rapture of the church, when He “shall appear, then shall [we] also appear with Him in glory.”

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” – 1 John 3:2-3

Not In Darkness, Nor Sleeping, But Soberly Watching and Waiting

Those who will not be Ashamed at the Rapture will be found not in darkness, nor sleeping, but soberly watching and waiting for His return.

“But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:4-6

The rapture should never “overtake [true Spirit-filled believers] as a thief,” as we “are all the children of light, and the children of the day,” not found to be asleep in our service to Him, but to be found watching and waiting for our Lord at all times as we live out His will for our lives.

“Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” – Matthew 24:40-42

Obedient in Hope and Holy Living

Those who will not be Ashamed at the Rapture will be obedient in hope and living a holy life.

“Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” – 1 Peter 1:13-16

Christian living is an active life from fierce spiritual battles to joyous and momentous moments. As such, we must “gird up the loins of [our] mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto [us] at the revelation of Jesus Christ,” which is the resurrection/rapture of the church.

For the believer, obedience in love is our calling and one of many confirmations that we are His.

“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” – 1 John 5:2-3

And we are called to holiness because He is holy.

“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” – Hebrews 12:14

And as we “hope to the end,” we find that…

“… hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” – Romans 5:5

Righteousness, Godly Living, and Zealous of Good Works

Those who will not be Ashamed at the Rapture will seek righteousness, godly living, and will be zealous of good works.

“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” – Titus 2:11-14

Righteousness can only be attained by Christ’s righteousness living within us.

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” – 2 Corinthians 5:21

Godly living can only be produced by our total surrender to God’s will for our lives.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” – Romans 12:1-2

Being zealous of good works is only obtained when we strive to do those things the Lord has ordained and prepared for us to do.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:10

Keeping the Faith, Fighting the Good Fight, Loving His Appearing, and Receiving the Crown of Righteousness

Those who will not be Ashamed at the Rapture will be keeping the faith, fighting the good fight, love His glorious appearing, and will receive the promised Crown of Righteousness.

As Paul said of himself, we should also be able to say of ourselves…

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” – 2 Timothy 4:7-8

Those who are God’s children, led by His Holy Spirit, will finish the race strong in faith.

“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.” – 1 Corinthians 9:24-25

“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” – Romans 1: 17

We fight the good fight in full confidence of God’s good work within us.

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ [the resurrection/rapture of the church] …” – Philippians 1:6

And in that glorious “day of Jesus Christ,” when we obtain that wonderful “crown of righteousness,” we shall rejoice together with joy unspeakable, for “we shall ever be with the Lord.”

“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

“Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18

“And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” – Daniel 12:3

So, get out there, beloved Saint, and “turn many to righteousness” today, so you may “shine as the brightness of the firmament” and “as the stars for ever and ever!”

May we all keep Answering the Call of The Great Commission, and giving an answer to every man and woman who so desperately needs Jesus and asks us, “Why Am I Here and What Is It All About?”

Love, grace, mercy, and shalom in Messiah Yeshua, and Maranatha!

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