Discerning is said of those who are capable of discriminating between good and evil. (1)

No one can be truly discerning apart from the mastery of the Word of God. All the desire in the world cannot make you discerning if you don’t study Scripture. Prayer, alone, for discernment is not enough. Obedience alone will not suffice. Good role models will not do it either. Even the Holy Spirit will not give you discernment apart from His Word. If you really want to be discerning, you must diligently study the Word of God. (2)

…let the word of Christ dwell (take up its life) in you richly…

(1) W.E. Vines Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words – copyright 1984, 1996, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, TN.

(2) Developing Your Discernment by John MacArthur, page 31 – copyright 2023.

I have worked in the trades for 46 years and I know that whenever water shows up where it is not supposed to be, people automatically assume it is a plumbing leak. Of course we go to check it out and it often is plumbing but almost as often, it is not.

There are other sources of water in buildings. Condensation can occur in ductwork and on pipe that has not been properly insulated. Condensate pans in HVAC units can overflow if not properly maintained. The roof and fire sprinkler piping can leak. None of these water problems are fixed by the plumber, but we always get the first call.

There is a parallel in Scripture. Whenever baptism is mentioned people automatically think – water! But believe it or not there are other baptisms in Scripture. There is Spirit baptism which is how a believer is placed into the body of Christ (I Cor 12:13 ). There is baptism by fire, referring to the fires of judgment. There is a baptism of deliverance to which Peter refers concerning the waters of judgment that raised the ark thus saving Noah and his family from destruction. There is the baptism of repentance called for by John the Baptist. And there is the baptism that identifies.

The Lord Jesus Himself was baptized by John the Baptist and identified by God the Father (voice from heaven), and the Holy Spirit (alighting on Jesus as a dove from heaven).

Christians follow the Lord in believer’s baptism by immersion, thus identifying themselves with His death, burial, and resurrection (buried in the likeness of His death, raised to walk in newness of life).

So, when you see baptism in Scripture, your first thought should not be water (call the plumber)! Your first thought should be context! What is happening in the context of the baptism at hand?

Baptism is like a wedding ring. It does not make you married. It simply identifies you as one married to Christ. That is why in the context of Scripture, baptism always follows the exercise of faith – believing.

Acts 8:26-38

And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.

And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

The place of the scripture which he read was this, “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth”. And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

...let the word of Christ (Messiah) dwell (take up its life) in you richly…

In 1998 we lost a child. Jessica was still born. The most difficult part of this experience was for my wife in coming home with empty arms. It was a very long time before she could even visit Jessica’s grave. Jessica’s tombstone bears the inscription that is the title of this article – “Safe in the Arms of Jesus”. On what basis could we say that and be comforted?

John 3:18 gives us the answer: He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. The Greek word pisteuo (I believe) means to be persuaded of, and hence, to place confidence in, to trust.” A small child or infant is not capable of belief or unbelief, of being persuaded or not persuaded, of placing confidence in or not placing confidence in, of deciding to trust or not to trust.

The only reason anyone is separated from God in hell for eternity is because of a refusal to accept God’s provision for his or her sin. It is a free gift. God’s provision for us is the substitutionary (in my place) sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. The sinless Son of God took upon Himself my sin so that I might receive His righteousness. His death, burial, and resurrection paid for my sins and completed the work of salvation. A decision to believe or not to believe requires the ability to accumulate this knowledge and to decide what to do with it. Until a child reaches the age of accountability, he or she cannot make this decision.

No one goes to hell for Adam’s sin. We inherit from Adam a sin nature but until we become accountable for our own personal sins, we can neither believe or not believe the gospel. When the child born to King David and Bathsheba died, this account was given of King David:

And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead? But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.

Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat. Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.

And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me (II Samuel 12:18-23). In other words David was saying that he would see the child again.

Scripture records that David was a man after God’s own heart. When Nathan the prophet brought King David’s sins of adultery and murder to light, David repented and sought God’s forgiveness. Psalm 51 records David’s sorrow over his sin, which produced repentance and a petition for forgiveness, giving evidence of genuine belief.

If we possess genuine faith and our child is safe in the arms of Jesus, then we can say with David; I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.

...let the word of Christ (Messiah) dwell (take up its life) in you richly…