WHEN FAMILY DOES NOT MATTER
Matthew 3:5-9 NKJV
5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him 6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
I know, I know, the title is clickbait. But bear with me for a moment.
Matthew is relating the story of John the Baptist. John was a prophet who preceded Jesus in ministry. John's job was to prepare the way of the Lord. To get the hearts of the people ready for Jesus. And while Jesus ministered in grace and truth, John was straight up bold and did not refrain from calling out the religious leaders of the nation. And by calling them out, John did exactly that. Brood of vipers, or we would say sons of snakes, John did not couch his words in flowery phrases.
John was baptizing people, but not in the way we baptize today. His baptism was a baptism of repentance. The people were coming to John, confessing their sins and symbolically being cleansed by baptism in water. Today, we baptize as an outward sign of what has taken place inwardly. Baptism today, as in John's day, does not cleanse us from sin but rather identifies us with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. If you have confessed Jesus as your Lord but have never been water baptized, by all means, do this. Baptism is a step of obedience to the Lord and a landmark in your own life, a testimony to being identified with Christ.
John was the most exciting person to arrive in Israel for hundreds of years. Hundreds! People were coming to him from all across the nation. Those people included the Pharisees and Sadducees. And John was less than welcoming. He called them sons of snakes. And said something that is still very poignant today. "Bear fruits worthy of repentance." In other words, don't just get baptized because it's the trendy thing to do in Israel. If you are truly repenting, meaning to turn and change direction, then your life should indicate that. Fruit was a metaphorical term to indicate what is produced in a life. Jesus said we know a tree by its fruit. John was saying that if you are truly repentant, your life will show it. This principle is still applicable today. I have had people say, "I'm sorry but…" As soon as you hear "but", you can pretty much discern that genuine repentance has not taken place. True repentance apologizes. Makes no excuses and begins to show up with a change in behavior.
But here is the reason for my devotional title. John told the religious Pharisees and Sadducees that they could not claim Abraham as their father and use that as a basis for being justified in their actions. These religious leaders would lean on the fact that they were covenant children of Abraham, and that made them right with God. Not so fast, says John. Having a lineage that went back to Abraham would not make them right before God. God is looking at the heart and the fruit, not the family tree.
Today, it does not matter if your family was made up of generations of preachers and godly people or generations of atheists. When you stand before God, it will be your personal reception of Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior that will determine your right standing with God. Having generations of godly people can certainly be the best influence you could ever hope for. And if that is your story, you are blessed. But you still have to make Jesus your own personal Savior and Lord. What your family did or did not do is not going to be the issue. In Romans 14:12, Paul wrote, "So then each of us shall give account of himself to God."
I have said for years regarding the scriptures that when it becomes personal, it becomes powerful. But when it comes to salvation, Jesus must become personal to be powerful in your life. Your family background alone will not get you there.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, thank You for paying the price for me to be forgiven and made right with God. I believe God raised You from the dead. And I receive You as my personal Lord and Savior.