You put the cart before the horse

BIBLE MEDITATION:

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord…. 2 Peter 1:2

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Did you know that God puts certain things in a certain order in the Bible? For example, the Bible says, “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you.” It never says “peace and grace”—always “grace and peace.” Why? You’ll not know peace until you know grace.

Here’s another one: “Believe and be baptized.” The Bible never says “be baptized and believe.” That’s why we don’t baptize little babies. They can’t believe. The Bible teaches believer’s baptism, “...if thou believest with all thine heart.”

Now if you were immersed or sprinkled before you were saved, dear friend—that’s not believer’s baptism. Believer’s baptism signifies “buried in the likeness of His death. Raised to newness of life.” If you’re baptized before you truly come to know Jesus Christ as Savior, that’s like having your funeral before you die. 

God’s order is “believe and be baptized.”

That’s not all. Here’s another order: repentance and faith, in that order. If you’re having difficulty, say, with faith, try repentance first! There’s nothing more debilitating, more smothering to faith than a sin you’re harboring in your heart.

ACTION POINT:

The Bible speaks of a sin “that so easily besets us.” We all have our “besetting sin.” Do you know what yours is? Have you confessed it to God and repented of it? If you’re going to run the race of faith, you’ve got to do some personal conditioning.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers