A Sinner's Death

“And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them,

and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees

until the evening. And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun,

that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees,

and cast them into the cave wherein they had been hid,

and laid great stones in the cave’s mouth, which remain until this day.”

—Joshua 10:26-27

 “When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph,

who also himself was Jesus’ disciple….

And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,

And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock:

and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.

 — Matthew 27:57-60

What a perfect foreshadowing of Jesus’ own death and burial we have in Joshua 10! Unlike virtually all other religions, events predicted or foreshadowed in Scripture are fulfilled perfectly over and over again.

The law given to Moses had clear protocol for corpse removal:

“And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.[1]”

It is clear that Jesus died the death of a sinner but that is where the parallels between Him and the Amorites end. He that knew no sin became a curse for us. The Amorites are buried in a tomb covered with a rock and they stay there, because they were judged by God for their sin as Leviticus 18:24-25 explains. But Jesus, being fully God and fully man did physically die and sleep in the grave as others. As Hebrews 9:27 says, it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment…” Jesus, when his mortal life ended the deeds done in the body were judged by the Father, and he was declared righteous. His resurrection from the grave confirms this. The Law says that the one that doeth these things shall never be moved and shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness.[2] Paul says that the justification bestowed by the law is not of faith. Notice:

And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them[3].

We are justified by faith alone, not by the deeds of the law. Faith alone will not absolve the guilt of the person who seeks to keep the law but stumbles in any way[4]. The picture throughout the Old Covenant sacrificial system of a lamb without spot or blemish indicates the sinless perfection of Christ. You must believe from the heart that Jesus Christ was no mere man with good moral teachings or a mere example for us that we can all attain to ourselves. If we were all spotless lambs there would be no need for a sacrifice. The true gospel attests to our total depravity and inability to observe all of God’s commandments to do them. Again and again the children of Israel stumble and fail to keep the law, and yet with every generation rises up “teachers” who think that somehow they are going to do better. Jesus had a strong rebuke for the presumptuous Pharisees of His own day:

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.”

The broken and contrite spirit that the Lord will not despise[5] recognizes that it was indeed I, and the wickedness of my own sin that nailed my Lord to the cross. True conversion produces godly sorrow over sin. Godly sorrow recognizes that I am no better than the revilers and scorners that killed the prophets. It will not so much as look up to heaven, but simply pleads “Lord have mercy on me a sinner.[6]”

Therefore you must confess the sinless life and resurrection from death of Jesus. Otherwise you do not know the true God and he will say to you on that day, “Depart from me, ye that work iniquity[7].”

Selah.

[1]Deut 21:22-23

[2]Ps 15:5, Ps 24:5

[3]Gal 3:12

[4]James 2:10

[5]Ps 34:18

[6]Luke 18:13-14

[7]Matthew 7:23

Whom Shall I Fear?

“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” — Joshua 1:9

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear ?the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident…” — Psalm 27: 1,3

Walking with the Lord produces courage. Faith makes hosts of enemies seem small. Unbelief brings an “evil report” that there are giants in the land and we are like little grasshoppers compared to them (Numbers 13:32-33). Faith brings a good report, knowing that the land is good and the Lord is with us (Number 14:7-9). Unbelief will immediately try to stone the tender roots of faith in your heart if you allow it as the congregation attempted to stone Joshua and Caleb for preaching the good report. (Num 14:10)

Faith allows you to see that the host of enemies in front of you was created by a sovereign God who has promised to be with you “whithersoever thou goest.” That was David’s confidence when he penned Psalm 27.

Thus saith the LORD: Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake. Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. No weapon that is forged against thee shall prosper… Isaiah 54:15-17 

Baptism for Salvation (Acts 8)

When I was "re-baptized", I was very cloudy on why it was required, what it meant, and why it had to happen again. My advice to any adult or new convert being pressured into baptism or worse, "re-baptism", is to read the scripture as many times as it takes until the purpose of it becomes crystal clear.

Acts 8 was the lynchpin for how I ultimately interpreted the sacrament because I saw that new converts received water, but did not necessarily receive the Holy Spirit. When God finally opened up the meaning of this scripture to me, I went from death and despair to a renewed faith in Jesus Christ.

“But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.” Acts 8:12-13

Here we have converts who came to believe “the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ” and then went on to accept the sign of water baptism. According to verse 14, these converts had received the word of God, but it did not equate to their salvation, nor did the water baptism that followed. This is why Peter and Paul came and prayed that they would receive the Holy Ghost.

“Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.” Acts 8:14-17

True baptism is the receiving of the Holy Ghost. It’s not the washing with actual water that makes us clean, but the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon us that does. Until that point, water baptism, is an outward symbol pointing to a spiritual operation that can only come by the grace of God. We must pray for that operation to occur in those whom we love, just as the Apostles did for those who’d received the word of God.

Water Baptism ≠ Salvation

Believing the Word of God ≠ Salvation

Baptism by the Holy Spirit = Salvation = Circumcision of the heart

“For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” Acts 1:5

Acts 8:16 is critical because it shows us that “unsaved” people were water baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.  “For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

More to our chagrin, we have Simon the Sorcerer who was baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, but whose heart was not right with God as we read in verse 21. Surely, he’d heard and believed as the scripture said, yet he did not receive the gift of saving faith.

But Simon the Sorcerer should be a great encouragement to us because he was not immediately cast into a fiery pit due to the mis-step of offering money for the gift of God. In verse 22, Peter tells him, “Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.” We then see a hint of Simon’s repentance in verse 24 when he replies, “Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.” Apparently, there was still hope for Simon.

It is evident from these passages that water baptism is not magic, but it is a sign pointing to the gift of God. It is an initiation into the covenant and it prepares the way for the Holy Spirit as John the Baptizer prepared the way for Jesus Christ. Is baptism required for salvation? YES it is! But it is not the baptism of your doing, nor the doing of an eager pastor.  

John the Baptist says to Jesus in Matthew 3:14, “… I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?”

There is much to say on this subject, especially when considering who and by what means someone should be water-baptized. Where you land on these issues depends on how you understand the shift from the bloody covenant to the covenant in which Christ’s blood was shed. 

Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. -Exodus 4:25

I’ll end this with a brief analysis of Colossians 2:11-12, which was another critical passage that informed my understanding.

“In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.”

This does not mean that we are buried with Christ in water baptism. It means we are buried with him in baptism by the Holy Spirit, when God elects us to die to our works righteousness and to be raised to new life in Jesus Christ. This is similar to the circumcision made without hands, which is referenced in verse 11. It is not the physical cutting of the flesh nor the physical washing with water, nor the physical resurrection which are emphasized in scripture, but the spiritual operation of God upon us.