Friday DIVE – 15December2023

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QUESTIONS & RESPONSES (Food For Thought)

  1. What is The Gospel in ‘P’s all about?
  2. What was John’s “baptism of repentance” about?
  3. Does a person have to be baptized in order for his/her sins to be forgiven?
  4. How would Christ “baptize with the Holy Spirit” as John the Baptizer said He would?
  5. What does “baptize with fire” mean?

1.  What is the Gospel in ‘P’s all about?

The Gospel in ‘P’s is a way of understanding and presenting the Gospel. 

It is called the Gospel in ‘P’s because it focuses on four words that begin with the letter P — Purpose, Problem, Provision and Potential.  As we unpack it, we see that the Purpose refers to God’s Purpose … the Problem refers to Man’s Problem … the Provision refers to God’s Provision … and the Potential refers to Man’s Potential.

God’s Purpose = RELATIONSHIP

  • Man was created for relationship with God … Hence, made in God’s image, unlike anything else
  • Man’s relationship with God was to be eternal … Man was created with the potenial to live forever
  • Man’s relationship with God was to be familial … Man was to see God as Father
  • Man given dominion 

Man’s Problem = SEPARATION

  • Man’s real problem was separation from God’s Spirit
  • Man’s problem was caused by sin
  • Man’s problem was exacerbated by death (spiritual)
  • Man’s problem was insoluble

God’s Provision = JESUS CHRIST

  • God’s provision was a gift (by grace)
  • God’s gift was His Son (Jesus)
  • God’s gift was Emmanuel (God with us)
  • God’s provision took care of Man’s sin problem
  • God’s provision took care of Man’s death problem

Man’s Potential = RECONCILIATION / RESTORATION

  • We, in the Church, have already been reconciled.
    • 2 Corinthians 5:16-18  Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,    
  • The rest of the world, too has been reconciled, hypostatically.
      • 2 Corinthians 5:18-20  18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not [d]imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.   20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.   
      • Colossians 1:15-21  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or [e]principalities or [f]powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

        21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled

  • That reconciliation just needs to be received … by faith
      • Romans 5:10    For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

 

2.  What was John’s “baptism of repentance” all about? 
Mark 1:4-5  4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance  [b] for the remission of sins. 5 Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

The phrase “baptism of repentance” implies there was something that persons who went to John needed to repent of.

Given that repentance (from the Greek, metanoia) means, essentially, change of mind … and given that John was pointing to Christ — as he prepared the way for Him — it seems than one thing the persons need to repent of was their view of Jesus of Nazareth.  They had to start thinking of Him as more than just a carpenter’s son, indeed, as more than just a man … They had to start thinking of Jesus as Emmanuel (God with us).

But there is more to John’s “baptism of repentance” than that … and to help us get a better idea of what that might involve, I want to share a passage from Barclay’s Commentary on Mark 1:1-4 …

John came announcing a baptism of repentance. The Jew was familiar with ritual washings. Lev.11-15 details them. “The Jew,” said Tertullian, “washes himself every day because every day he is defiled.” Symbolic washing and purifying was woven into the very fabric of Jewish ritual. A Gentile was necessarily unclean for he had never kept any part of the Jewish law. Therefore, when a Gentile became a proselyte, that is a convert to the Jewish faith, he had to undergo three things. First, he had to undergo circumcision, for that was the mark of the covenant people; second, sacrifice had to be made for him, for he stood in need of atonement and only blood could atone for sin; third, he had to undergo baptism, which symbolized his cleansing from all the pollution of his past life. Naturally, therefore, the baptism was not a mere sprinkling with water, but a bath in which his whole body was bathed.

The Jew knew baptism; but the amazing thing about John’s baptism was that he, a Jew, was asking Jews to submit to that which only a Gentile was supposed to need. John had made the tremendous discovery that to be a Jew in the racial sense was not to be a member of God’s chosen people; a Jew might be in exactly the same position as a Gentile; not the Jewish life, but the cleansed life belonged to God.  

 

3.  Does a person have to be baptized in order for his/her sins to be forgiven?
There are some persons who believe, and some who teach, that a person must be baptized in order to be saved.  The thief on the cross may beg to differ, but they would probably continue to believe that anyway.
One of the reasons they hold to that view could be because two passages in the NT: Mark 1:4 and Acts 2:38.
  • Mark 1:4  John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance [b] for the remission of sins. 
  • Acts 2:38  Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the [k]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.   
As you can see, both passages contain the phrase “for the remission of sins” in the English versions of the Bible … and, in both cases, the word “for” is translated from the Greek preposition eis.  The challenge for us as students of the Bible is that the English word “for” has different meanings … and the meaning that you apply to the passage will determine how you interpret and understand the passage.  In order to get the correct understanding of the passage, therefore, one needs to apply the correct meaning to the word being considered.  So, let us look at some of the meanings of the English word “for” to see if we can decide which meaning should be applied.  

According to the Cambridge Dictionary … the word “for” is a PREPOSITION, which can have any of the following meanings …

1.  intended to be given to:
    • There’s a phone message for you.
    • I’d better buy something for the new baby.
    • There’s a prize for the fastest three runners in each category.
2.  having the purpose of:
    • There’s a sign there saying “boats for hire”.
    • This pool is for the use of hotel guests only.
    • I’m sorry, the books are not for sale.
    • They’ve invited us for dinner on Saturday.
    • Everyone in the office is contributing money for his leaving present.
    • I need some money for tonight.
    • Which vitamins should you take for (= in order to cure) skin problems?
    • Put those clothes in a pile for washing (= so that they can be washed).
3.  because of or as a result of something:
    • She did 15 years in prison for murder.   
    • I don’t eat meat for various reasons.   
    • I couldn’t see for the tears in my eyes.   
    • The things you do for love!  
    • He’s widely disliked in the company for his arrogance.   
    • She couldn’t talk for coughing (= she was coughing too much to talk).   
    • Scotland is famous for its spectacular countryside.   
    • He’s best remembered for his novels.   
    • I didn’t say anything for fear of (= because I was frightened of) offending him.   
Which of those meanings should be applied to Mark 1:4 and Acts 2:38?
  1. intended for
  2. having the purpose of
  3. because of … or as a result of
To be honest, the answer to the question is that it often depends on the theology of the person doing the interpretation.
  • For example, if your theology is that a person must repent before he/she can be forgiven by God, then you will probably use meaning #2 (for the purpose of).
  • On the other hand, if your theology is that God forgives a person long before he/she repents, then you will probably use meaning #3 (because of … or as a result of).
If you use meaning #2, then the passages in Mark 1:4 and Acts 2:38 read as follows:
  • Mark 1:4  John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance [b] for the purpose of the remission of sins. 
  • Acts 2:38  Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the purpose of the [k]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.   
If you use meaning #3, however, then the passages in Mark 1:4 and Acts 2:38 read as follows:
  • Mark 1:4  John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance [b] because of the remission of sins. 

  • Acts 2:38  Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ because of the [k]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.   

Interestingly, the superscript [b] in the NKJV of Mark 1:4 (before the word “for”) shows that “because of the forgiveness of sins” is an alternative translation.

For what it’s worth … I agree with that alternative translation, using meaning #3, because I believe my sins were forgiven before I repented … indeed, even before I was born … for (because of) the following verses (among others)

  • Ephesians 1:7   In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
  • Colossians 1:13-14  He has delivered us from the power of darkness and [a]conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
  • Romans 5:8-10   But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 
  • NB … We were reconciled through the death of His Son, NOT through faith in the death of His Son.  The implication, for me, is that my reconciliation hinges on the death of Christ,  NOT on my faith in His death.  That said, I did not receive that reconciliation until I put my faith in His death on my behalf.
      • 2 Corinthians 5:14-19   For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.   
      • 16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.  17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not [d]imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.   

 

4.  The purpose of the “fire” that Jesus Christ will baptize with …   

 

Mark 1:7-8   And he preached, saying, “There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. 8 I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”   

  • Matthew 3:11-12  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit [a]and fire.
  • (Compare Luke 3:16)

What is that “fire” all about?  Is it the ability to speak in tongues, as some claim?  Or is it a reference to the lake of fire?  And, if it is a reference to the lake of fire, is it a fire of total destruction and annihilation?

 

Malachi 3:1-2  “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me.  And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight.  Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord of hosts.  

2 “But who can endure the day of His coming?  And who can stand when He appears?  For He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderers’ soap.

Luke 12:49  “I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!

 

Hebrews 12:28-29  Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we [a]may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For our God is a consuming fire.   (Cf. Deuteronomy 4:24)

 

Luke 3:16-17   John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.”

 

1 Corinthians 3:9-15  For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building.  10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it.  But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.  14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.  15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.  

 

Presenting the Gospel

 

God’s PROVISION:  Jesus Christ

1 Peter 2:24  He himself bore our sins … so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness ….   

There is A GAP between LIFE and Death…between God and Man  

 

MAN                                                              GOD

(sinful)                                                          (holy)

Rom.3:23    All have sinned                     1 John 3:5   In Him is no sin

Rom.6:23    Wages of sin is death           John 1:4  In Him was life

Man has tried many bridges to reach a holy God   

    • Philosophy    
    • Good works    
    • Morality     
    • Church membership   
    • Water Baptism

None of these bridges can bridge the gap … b/c they are all incomplete  

Thankfully, for us and for all men, God has provided a way to bridge the gap.   

John 3:16    God gave His Son…

Jesus is God’s Way…of bridging the gap

          Not “a” way…But “the” way.

John 14:6    “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
Acts 4:12     There is NO other name…by which man can be saved

How did Jesus bridge the gap?

Rom.6:23a  wages of sin = death

             :23b   gift of God = eternal life

          He died …    for you

          He rose …    for you

          He lives …   for you

Rom.10:9    Believe in your heart…that God raised Jesus-

                               He is coming…      for you!

Jesus bridged the gap…by dying in your place.

But He did more…

Rev.3:20

He is seeking…you

You can respond and receive Him…by letting Him “come in”

 

Just what is God’s Provision?   

  • John 3:16       “
  • According to John 3:16, God’s provision was the gift of His only Son.
  • 1 Peter 3:18 (NKJ) For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 
  • John 14:6 (NKJ) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.”   
  • John 17:3  “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.   

What motivated God’s provision?   

  • John 3:16  For God so loved the world that He gave  
  • John 15:9  “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.  

What is it that God provided for man by giving His Son?   

  • To understand the provision, we need to understand the problem … b/c the provision must deal with the problem.
  • The problem = sin and death (i.e. DEATH…caused by Sin, making death the greater part) 
  • God’s Provision must therefore deal with a) sin, and b) death. 

 

 

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