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7. Faith and Baptism in Salvation (Mark 16:16)
MARK 16:16
16 “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who disbelieves will be condemned.”
Jesus explained the result of faith in salvation. Faith is not mere thought, logic, or adherence to belief. It is rather the knowledge of the life of God, the experience of the power of Christ, the heart trust in him, walking with him, commitment and continuance in him until he who believes in him becomes freed from worries about facing death, and preaches the sweetness of the divine life.
Faith is a growing relationship with Christ, which is strengthened with increasing love. Are you still alone, or are you committed forever to Christ? You are a believer if you have given up your own freedom and independence, and hold fast to Christ, your Savior.
Are you still selfish, and willing to live for yourself? Do not be proud of yourself, for you are not free, but enslaved by your sin, lusts, and experiences. Christ came to save you. Open yourself completely to his salvation, that he may touch your weakness with his right hand, overcome death, and give you growing trust in his love, that your eyes may be opened and you may see your Redeemer in his beauty, righteousness, and compassion. Come to the Savior today, and stand fast in him forever. The external sign of our commitment to Jesus is baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. By this firm decision, he who is baptized experiences the love of God, to die to his selfishness, and live in the power of the Holy One.
Are you living outside God, or are you firm in him? The true baptism carries you from straying from the unity of the Holy Trinity, and makes you partner in the life of the Lord. Of course, baptism as a formal practice is useless. There must be faith with baptism. Yet, if you confess your faith, and hold fast to your baptism, then you will no longer be your own, but belong to God.
Have you become your heavenly Father’s own, committing yourself to Christ? He who believes in his continuance in the Son of God experiences the comfort of the Holy Spirit, and the flowing of the love of God into his life, and he ascertains the sweetness of everlasting life.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. This salvation began on Golgotha, when the Crucified cried out: “It is finished.” There he reconciled all men to God. Therefore, whoever accepts this, will experience salvation for himself. There is truly, lawful, universal salvation for all men. Salvation has been completed, and it is not necessary for Christ to die once again. This salvation is realized in the believers through faith. Without faith, there is no salvation. Your meeting with Christ, and your trust in him, bring the salvation of God to you. Beside the complete, objective salvation, we find the realization of personal salvation in the individual through faith.
Baptism is the beginning of salvation in you. The Lord wants you to grow and become mature, that you may bear much fruit, and that many may be saved through your example and testimony, so that your salvation is not only your own, but it also leads others.
He who experiences salvation wants to save others. The Spirit of God does not rest until the greatest possible number of men is saved. He wills to use you in spreading the salvation of Christ in your surroundings. Ask your Lord to show you to whom you must speak today about Jesus and his salvation.
In his own life, Jesus experienced that not all men are prepared to believe. They become hardened, turn away from him, mock him, hate him, and oppose him. There is not only lack of growth in faith, but also apparent contradiction through hardheartedness. Whoever does not accept complete salvation will destroy himself.
Jesus does not reject or destroy anyone, for he is Love. But he who refuses his salvation willfully, will be obliged to bear his own sins by himself. The judgment of God begins today on him who mockingly neglects the judgment of God, for he who does not believe will be condemned.
Christ is the true way to salvation. No other religion, party, or philosophy can save you. There are no different ways leading to God. Whoever claims syncretism as a way to God is not aware of the truth. He is rather a liar. Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him. Judas condemned himself because increasingly he separated himself from Christ.
What about your heart? Are you prepared to show the salvation of God, to stand fast in your Lord, and to love him over all, or will you neglect, deny, and refuse him?
Be careful! You have to decide either to live or to die, either salvation or destruction. He who does not believe in Christ will be condemned. This decisive statement prompts us once again to preaching, perseverance, and patience. God calls the world to turn and believe in his Son. He who believes will live, and he who does not accept his life will remain dead in sins. So, where are you, dear reader?
PRAYER: We worship you our Holy Father because of the salvation of your beloved Son. We glorify you because you opened the eyes of our hearts through the Holy Spirit, that we might see the mysteries of your life, and be filled with your love. Jesus has saved us from our sins, from the power of death, and from the trick of Satan. Teach us to show the life of Jesus given to us to all those who moan in death and sins. Create true faith in those who seek the truth and long for it, that they may live and not be condemned. Amen.
QUESTION:
- How is faith connected with salvation?