THE EASIEST WAY TO PLEASE GOD BY SAINT SAMUEL PB

 Jesus Christ forgave all the people of this world their sins even when He had not  yet died on the Cross . Why didn't God let Jesus die on the Cross before He could forgive sins? I mean why could God forgive the sins of the people when Jesus was not yet crucified on the Cross? It is to tell you about the indispensability of the holy baptism of Christ. It was as a result of the POWER OF HIS BAPTISM.There is an easiest and a surest way to please God. You don’t need to do something, but only to believe in the mystery of truth revealed in the gospel of water and the Spirit fulfilled by Christ Jesus by His Baptism and Blood shed on the cross.

After the Lamb of God went to John the Baptist for him to pass the sin of the world onto Him through the baptism of consecration which fulfilled all righteousness for mankind, God was so delighted and proud of the baptism of His Son. That’s why He said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).

We can therefore see that in all the 33yrs of Jesus’ earthly life, it was when He received the baptism that God was pleased. WHY? This is because if the LORD had not been baptized to accept all the sins of the world onto Himself, His birth, death and resurrection would have all been meaningless.  Christ Jesus Baptism and Blood shed on the cross as well as His righteousness are one and they can't be separated or divided.

It is the baptism of Jesus that gave meaning to why He was born, why He died, and why He resurrected. This is the main reason why God was so pleased with the baptism of the MESSIAH when He received it from John the Baptist at the Jordan River. This Baptism Opened the gates of heaven wide open for all to enter God's kingdom after receiving His righteousness through faith in His only begotten Son.

HOW CAN WE ALSO PLEASE GOD?

The Bible tells us how we can please God. It says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him (God)” (Hebrews 11:6). It says here that we can please God only by faith. We also know that Jesus pleased God when He was baptized for the sins of the world to be laid on Him. 

This simply means that when we have faith in the baptism of Jesus, we please God perfectly. If Jesus baptism pleased God and the Bible also says that it is our faith which please God, then we must know that having faith in Jesus baptism is the surest way to please God. 

Two things that pleased God is THE BAPTISM OF HIS SON and the BELIEVERS FAITH in this baptism. But someone might say, “But what about His death and resurrection?” The answer is that His death and His resurrection were all included in His baptism. Therefore after Jesus was baptized, God even saw the work of salvation as already completed. His baptism was a complete package.

That is why even though Jesus was not yet death on the Cross after receiving baptism from John, He could say to a paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you” (Mark 2:5). He also told a sinful woman, “Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you. God in peace” (Luke 7:48,50). He also told an adulterous woman, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more” (live by faith in My righteousness) (John 8:11).

So you see, Jesus could forgive sins outright  due to the baptism that He received from John the Baptist. And I want to say emphatically that the baptism of Jesus is the light of the gospel. The eyes of our understanding can never be enlightened without faith in His baptism. His baptism is a BLESSING for us, and the moment you believe in His baptism by which all your sins were transferred onto Him, faith in His death and resurrection becomes automatic for you.

The baptism of Jesus Christ was planned by God even before the foundations of the world. It was a baptism for the salvation of humankind, and God was looking forward to it for His only begotten Son to be baptized. That is why He was so pleased after His Son received the baptism. 

When Jesus was baptized, it was to fulfill the words of the angel when he said, “...And you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).Jesus baptism is a great mystery. BELIEVE in His BAPTISM, and you will also please God. Amen.

St Samuel PB