Jesus Alone

I would like to simplify something here today that a lot of folks often have religious disputes and conflicts about. Some believe that people should be baptized ‘in the name of Jesus,’ some 'in the name of Jesus Christ,’ others 'in the name of ‘the Lord Jesus Christ;’ and still yet others believe that everyone should be baptized 'in the name of the Father, the Son, and the holy Ghost.’ Then there are those who feel that the Sabbath day is on Sunday, and others say it is on Saturday. And we could continue with more in regard to 'communion’ and many other ceremonial type of ordinances, days and such things. But if you really want to cut to the chase on all of this, there is a rule of thumb so to speak, that can and must be followed if you truly want to honor Jesus for what he came to this world and accomplished for us. This is that rule: If it could be or was done before Jesus suffered, died, and rose again; then it is no longer in effect. The only thing that God recognizes and honors is what Jesus had to die and raise again to establish. So just what DID Jesus die and raise from the dead to provide for us? He answered that question with bare simplicity just before he ascended to heaven in the sight of his followers. This is what he deemed necessary and significant to tell them when he was about to leave them: “And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence… But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you” (Acts 1:4,5,8). Now THAT my friend is what IS in effect, the power of God imparted to the souls of men for the remission of their sins, and for power to live free FROM sin! As the apostle Paul simply stated: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Rom. 8:2-4). Paul really covered the whole kit and kaboodle right there. He lets us know that the Spirit of God literally sets us free from sin and gives us the power over death that we desperately needed; and he also shows us that the old covenant law is FULFILLED IN US if we are in Christ and we follow after the Spirit that we receive. It should be no surprise that the baptism of the holy Ghost that Jesus told those first followers to wait for is what PUTS us 'into Christ,’ and subsequently gives us that power over both sin and death (I Cor. 12:13; I Cor. 4:20; Rom. 14:17).

The law, meaning the ceremonial law, is fulfilled in those who walk after the Spirit, and is no longer in effect. That means that there is NO baptism in water that God recognizes, but rather the one that his Son suffered and died to baptize with, meaning the holy Ghost (I Cor. 1:17; Eph. 4:5). There is no ceremonial day of rest, but rather 'rest and refreshing’ in the holy Ghost is available and required 24/7/365 (Isa. 28:11,12; Mat. 11:28; Acts 3:19). As far as physical rest, REST WHEN YOU NEED IT! The communion that God requires and recognizes is the intimate “communion of the holy Ghost” that every believer can and should have with Jesus because he died and rose to give it to us (II Cor. 13:14; Rev. 3:20). As the apostle Paul said so plainly: “for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law” (Gal. 3:21). But NONE of those ceremonial ordinances or animal sacrifices could 'give life,’ so Jesus came to make that life available by his suffering, death, resurrection, and heavenly priesthood (Jn. 10:10; Heb. 10:4,11-15). If we’re going to say that “it’s all about Jesus,” then we’re going to have to throw everything overboard that is NOT Jesus. So what does that leave us with? “Now the Lord IS THAT SPIRIT: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (II Cor. 3:17). That is correct my friend, it comes back around to the holy Ghost and the liberty, or freedom from sin that God’s Spirit provides. The baptism of the holy Ghost, which by the way is still evidenced by “speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance;” is the WHOLE REASON that Jesus came from heaven and did what he did for us (Acts 2:4; Mk. 1:7,8). The Spirit is the ONLY thing that can take sin out of the hearts of men and make them a “new creature” without sin, and Jesus had to conquer both sin and death in order to provide us with the means to do the same (II Cor. 5:17). That’s what it’s all about, conquering sin and death. That is the ONLY PROBLEM we had, that we were in sin and we had a death sentence because of it (Rom. 6:23).

Jesus has given us divine life through a new birth, with power to overcome the very nature of sin that we were born with; and the promise of the resurrection from the dead with immortality like his (I Cor. 15:51-54; Philip. 3:21). As far as all this other ceremonial stuff that religious folks like to quibble about, Jesus has fulfilled it all, and it is all fulfilled in us if we have the Spirit and are led thereby (Mat. 5:17; Rom. 8:13,14; Gal. 5:16). “The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost which is given unto us,” and the “new commandment” that Jesus gave us is, “That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (Rom. 5:5; Jn. 13:34). Jesus also said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Mat. 22:37-40). We can neither love God nor can we love one another as he did unless and until we have received the Spirit of HIS love to do it with. It really is that simple. There simply is NO ceremony, day, or any other thing that can empower us with that divine love; but only the Spirit of the living God that dwells in the hearts of Jesus and the Father, that Jesus has now provided for us (Jn. 5:26). As the apostle Paul stated with certainty: “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain” (Gal. 2:21). Yes my friend, it IS all about Jesus, and that means it is ALL about the Spirit of life, love, power, holiness, and truth, that he sent back to us in his stead to dwell in us; so that we can manifest both he and his Father to this dying world, that the world might be saved through him (Rom. 8:2; Rom. 5:5; Rom. 1:4; Jn. 14:16-18,23,26; Jn. 3:16,17; II Cor. 3:17). Anything apart from the power of the Spirit of God is just a distraction from that purpose, as well as a detraction from that purpose. It really is that simple. Amen.