What Shall We Do?
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam
When John the Baptist appeared as Christ’s forerunner, God’s
chosen people had lived under the law of Moses for fifteen hundred
years but had not kept it. Hence John’s call to repentance and
baptism for the remission of sins (Mark 1:4).
John was in earnest, too, for when the thoughtless multitude came
to him to be baptized, he sent them back, saying: “Bring forth
fruits worthy of repentance” (Luke 3:7,8).
Their lives were to be changed and they were to show it.
When the people asked: “What shall we do, then?” he told them to
live for others rather than for self (Luke 3:10,11). When the tax
collectors asked: “What shall we do?” he demanded that they stop
cheating the tax payers and live honestly (Vers. 12,13). When the
soldiers asked: “What shall we do?” he told them to forbear
violence, false accusation and bribery (Ver. 14).
Clearly, righteousness was demanded under John’s message. His
hearers were to repent, be baptized, and bring forth the fruits of
true repentance. When our Lord appeared, He proclaimed the same
message as John (Matt. 3:1,2; 4:17). A lawyer asked: “What shall I
do to inherit eternal life?” and He replied: “What is written in
the law?” When the lawyer recited the basic commands of the Law,
our Lord answered: “This do and thou shalt live” (Luke 10:25-28).
God was still demanding righteousness. They were all under the Law
(Gal. 4:4,5; Matt. 23:1,2; etc.).
Paul was the first to say: “But now the righteousness of God
without the law is manifested… [We] declare His righteousness for
the remission of sins” (Rom. 3:21-26). When the Gentile jailor fell
on his knees and asked: “What must I do to be saved?” Paul
replied: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved”
(Acts 16:30,31). This is God’s message for sinners today, for “we
have redemption through [Christ’s] blood, the forgiveness of sins
according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7).
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