Old Sandals

“Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’?”   Mark 2:9

If I am still a Calvinist, I’m an imprecise Calvinist.  If one is too precise, no room is left for mystery.  On the other hand, if one is too imprecise, too much room is left for heresy.

John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.  Mark 1:4

The following was read at our youngest son’s baptism (almost twenty-three years ago now).

As we bring our children forward for baptism, we are truly expressing our faith in God, our Father.  We believe it is His divine intention to be to our children what He is to us—a glorious Savior.

We rejoice with trembling.  For we acknowledge that our salvation does not depend on our choosing at all, but on God’s choosing.  And while we don’t say that baptism itself effects salvation, we do presume to say that it signifies the promise of it—the future effectual calling and election of God Almighty.  “The promise is for you and your children…”  Praise the Lord!

And as we are commanded to be diligent to make our calling and election sure, so we will strive to that same end on behalf of our children; training them up in the way they should go, nurturing them in the fear and admonition of the Lord, until the time comes when they can fully appreciate for themselves their own relationship with the God Who called them from their mother’s womb…

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.  Matthew 28:19-20

He is with us always.  No matter what.  He said it. I believe it. That settles it.

Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  Matthew 27:45-46

Christ, the very Son of God, here identifies with fallen humanity and cries out, “Why?, Why?”  He Himself is the only answer to this (and to all) questions.

“Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?  But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”   Matthew 26:53- 54

There are no ifs, ands or buts about our salvation.  Yet here the Lord reveals to his disciples that their salvation, though predestined from before the foundation of the world, is nevertheless based on His own voluntary, free decision.

When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;  I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’   Matthew 25:31-36

This scripture gives me pause.  When the Lord separates the sheep from the goats on that great day, He will do so based on works—what each has done.  This does not mean that we are saved by good works.  But it might mean that if good works do not follow after our faith, it is no faith at all; no saving faith at least.

Therefore when you see the “abomination of desolation,” spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand),  then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!  And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.  For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.  And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened….Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.   Matthew 24:15-31

Some scholars believe much of this has already taken place.  Some scholars believe all of this is yet to take place in the future.  I certainly have nothing to add to this two-thousand-year-old discussion.

I can only agree with the saints who down through the ages have echoed the words of faithful Job when he said, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will stand upon the earth.”

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”   Matthew 23:15

Never man spake like this man.  What blistering words from (literally) the mouth of God!  He who filled the mouths of the ancient prophets sent again and again to the stiff-necked people of Israel here speaks for Himself.  The Lamb of God roars as a Lion.

While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,   saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?”  They said to Him, “The Son of David.”  He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”’?  If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?”  And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.   Matthew 22:41-46

The signs were all there, pointing to Jesus as the Christ.  The wisdom, the probing questions, the miracles.  There are none so blind as those who will not see.  O Lord, grant to me willing eyes and a willing heart…

The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.   Matthew 21:42

In the wisdom of God, the rejected stone becomes the cornerstone.  The foolishness of preaching saves those who believe.