Pictures of my Pilgrimage

This is a picture I took of the chapel located at the traditional site of where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. It is on a hill just a stones throw from the Sea of Galilee. It is very interesting to me how that this particlar location forms a natural amphitheater making it possible to address a multitude and be heard by everyone present.

The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew, chapters 5-7) tells us how God expects His people (Kingdom people) should live. It was never meant to be a plan of salvation. In other words, no one can claim that "If I live by the sermon on the mount I'll go to Heaven when I die." No one, except Jesus, could live up to all these teachings 100% of the time. This sermon tells us how we should live after we are converted to faith in Christ, not in order to be saved, but because we are saved.

Pictures of my Pilgrimage

This is a picture of me at the Jordan River at the "traditional" site of Jesus' baptism. Obviously we cannot know the precise location but we do know that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist (Matt. 4:13-17) and we know from the language of the scriptures that He was immersed. After all, it is difficult to come up "out of the water" if one is merely sprinkled.

Baptists have always held strict views of baptism and in times past many were tortured and killed because of these views. We reject sprinkling and pouring as invalid because they are never taught in the New Testament. It is hard to make the claim of being a New Testament church if that church ignores or changes what the New Testament teaches.

The word baptize only has one meaning and that is to dip, or immerse. Besides immersion only can portray the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and our identification with Him in that when we are obedient to the divine command after our conversion. Baptism is not essential to salvation, but it is essential to obedience. "But aren't they the same? Aren't we saved by our obedience to God?," someone may ask. No, we are saved by Christ's obedience to the Father. We are not saved by what we do, we are saved by faith in what Christ has already done for us in giving His life on the cross for our sins. If baptism was essential to salvation we could not sing such hymns as "Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe..."

If there was something for us to do, we could claim some of the credit for our salvation but we read in Ephesians 2:8,9..."For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works lest any man should boast." Baptism is important and certainly every Believer should be baptized and unite with a church, but beyond repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ there is nothing we can do to save ourselves because Jesus Christ is the only Savior and He paid our sin debt on the cross. All we can do is admit our need and accept that sacrifice as full payment for our sins.