Monday, October 16, 2017
Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND OF THE SON AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Every individual in the history of the world has made similar observations and come to similar conclusions. The observations include a world that is clearly a product of design and the fact that there is a universal code of conduct written on the hearts of all people. These two simple observations lead to the natural conclusion that there is a creator or a deity of some sort and this creator clearly has a list of right and wrong actions. We refer to these two conclusions as the "natural knowledge of God" and the "natural knowledge of the law." This then leads to another set of conclusions; namely that the creator/deity is powerful and we answer to this deity! These conclusions lead to a set of questions that form the basis for all religions in the world. The questions are these: 1) Who is this creator/deity?; 2) Is this deity pleased or angry with me?; and 3) how do I get on his/her/its good side? Every world religion tries to answer these questions based on human knowledge.
Thanks be to God that He has revealed Himself as the one true triune God in the pages of Scripture! God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit give us the answers that we would never come up with on our own. God the Father loved the world so much that He sent His only Son to die for our sins and the Holy Spirit works faith in the hearts of sinners to repent, believe, and rejoice in all that God has done for us and revealed to us in the Bible.
We do not proclaim the thoughts of man's imagination as answers to the deep questions of life. We proclaim the truth of God's saving word. The word of the one true and triune God as revealed to us! When we proclaim and baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we do so with confidence of knowing by faith that we proclaim the one and only true way of salvation!
