First Corinthians 10 Part 4 God's Intent For Our Profession Of Faith & The Danger Of Unbelief

Baptism and a public profession of faith is essential for each Christian. 

1 Corinthians 10:1-4  Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2)  And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3)  And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4)  And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 

Paul shows us how Israel going through that cloud and the parted waters of the Red Sea is a picture of being baptized into Christ, by the Spirit of God.

We looked at baptism by water immersion  in order to make sure that believers today understand what that baptism is. 

It is a public testimony, an outward profession of faith that says "I am identifying with Jesus Christ and His Spirit has given me a new heart."

A public profession of faith honors Christ and edifies other Christians. 

Romans 10:9-11  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10)  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11)  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 

Paul is also speaking about a public profession of faith in Jesus Christ. In the context of a local church this is known as giving a testimony. 

New converts to Christ at our church will give a public testimony of their conversion to Christ before they are immersed in water baptism.

A public testimony is when a new convert to Christ tells other other Christians about hearing the gospel and being born again. 

It tells how a new convert responded with repentant faith and how the Spirit of God gave him or her a new heart through the washing of regeneration (See Titus 3:4-6).

Notice what Paul says about giving a public profession of faith. 

Confessing our faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ and believing the gospel with all our heart, is how a sinner can be saved.

Paul tells us that we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ with our heart and we publicly confess with our mouth what Christ has done for us. 

In other words, making a public declaration of our faith in Christ with our mouth is essential, because all who believe in Jesus will not be ashamed of faith in Him.

If we are ashamed to tell what Jesus did for us, He will be ashamed of us,

Luke 9:26  For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels. 

Jesus said that we must take up our cross and follow Him each day. Then our Lord said if we are ashamed of Jesus and His teachings, then He will be ashamed of us at judgment day.

Water baptism pictures a clean conscience before God.

1 Peter 3:21-22  The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: 22)  Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him. 

Peter wrote about the flood of Noah and tells us that the flood is a picture of baptism by water immersion. All living souls died except for Noah and his family. 

Baptism is a picture of a believer being buried with Christ into his death, just as being raised from the baptismal waters pictures the resurrection of life.

He also tells us that water baptism does not save us.

Water baptism, like giving a public testimony, is the answer of a good conscience toward God. 

That is, we now have peace with God through faith in Christ. We know that all of our sins have been forgiven and that Jesus has given us eternal life.

Thus, each believer in Christ should be happy and willing to testify of faith in Christ by sharing their testimony and by being baptized.

Wonderful truths to think about and I hope these are helpful in setting forth our spiritual duties. 

Now, the apostle Paul set the example of the cloud, and Israel going through the Red Sea for a reason. 

Paul taught us that the manna God gave them in the wilderness, and the waters that flowed out of the Rock, were also clear pictures of Christ. 

We previously looked at these pictures.

The apostle is going somewhere with the examples that he gave, and it has to do with idolatry and immorality. 

Paul illustrates this from the historical narrative of the Old Testament. 

God was not pleased with an entire generation and He overthrew them. 

1 Corinthians 10:5  But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 

Paul now uses an illustration from Israel's history. 

Moses was ready to lead Israel to conquer the land of Canaan and he sent out some spies to explore and report back their findings.

Ten spies discouraged most of the people with an evil report. 

Numbers 13:25-33  And they returned from searching of the land after forty days. 26)  And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. 27)  And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. 28)  Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. 29)  The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan. 30)  And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. 31)  But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. 32)  And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. 33)  And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. 

Moses sent one man from each of Israel's twelve tribes to search out the land of Canaan in preparation for taking the land that God promised to give them.

The land was everything that God said it was. A land of abundant crops, rolling hills, productive farmland, plenty of water sources and flowing with milk and honey.

However, ten men brought an evil report by saying that the walled cities were too hard to conquer. 

They claimed that the land was too hard to work and that their lives would be shortened if they attempted to live there. They feared that their children would die in Canaan because of harsh conditions. 

They claimed that giants lived in the land and the inhabitants were so strong that the men of Israel were like grasshoppers in comparison to the men of Canaan. 

What does this indicate about the majority of that people's hearts? Unbelief. 

The evil report from those men was because they did not believe the promises of God. They doubted His ability to bring His Word to pass.

Jehovah's stern judgment upon their unbelief.

Numbers 14:28-33  Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: 29)  Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, 30)  Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. 31)  But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. 32)  But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness. 33)

  And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. 

Jehovah heard the murmuring and complaining from most of the Hebrews. In fact, the vast majority of the places where the words "murmur, murmuring or murmurings" are used are in connection with the generation that dies off in the wilderness. 

Only Joshua and Caleb were ready to go and take the land of Canaan because they believed what God said to them, that He would drive out the inhabitants of the land before them. 

All the generation of the unbelieving ones were going to die in the wilderness. They would not enter the promised land. 

In addition, Jehovah said that the very children the parents said would die in the conquest, would be the very ones to enter and take the land. 

This is the reason why Israel had to wander in the wilderness for forty years, until all the unbelievers died off as God said they would. 

Yet, God's grace was manifest each day. He sent them manna from heaven, He gave them water from the rock. Their shoes and clothing never wore out during the forty years of wandering.

Even so, many of the people murmured and complained against God and Moses. Their ingratitude invited judgment.

Faith is taking God at His Word and believing that He will do as He says. 

Hebrews 11:1-3  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2)  For by it the elders obtained a good report. 3)  Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. 

Faith is the opposite of unbelief. Faith believes that God can and will keep His Word and that He will make good on each one of His promises.

Unbelief doubts God's ability to do what he said and looks at the external circumstances as being too great to overcome, even for God.

Faith is the substance of what we hope for, eternal life, a home in heaven with Jesus, and faith is the evidence of the things we do not yet see.

The writer of Hebrews reminds us that the patriarchs of our faith had a good report. They believed God's promises even though they never lived to see their fulfillment.

It is by faith that we believe in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.  

All of the things that we can observe with our senses convinces our heart that though we do not see Him, God did create all things and holds it altogether by the word of His power (See Hebrews 1:1-3).

We cannot please God without faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Hebrews 11:4-6  By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. 5)  By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6)  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 

Abel believed what God said He would accept as a sacrifice for his sins and he offered a lamb as God instructed him to do.

Enoch was a man who walked with God in close communion, similar to that  relationship enjoyed by Adam and Eve.

He loved God, lived for God's glory and told others about God. For his faithfulness, God took Enoch home to heaven as proof that this man's faith pleased God.

Here is the heart of why Paul is using the Hebrew's unbelief as an example for us. Without faith it is impossible to please God.

The first generation all died in the wilderness because they did not have faith.

Only Joshua and Caleb with their respective families, lived through the wilderness wanderings and entered the promised land. It is because they believed God!

If you are born again and have never made a public profession of your faith in Christ, I urge you to do so.

If you are born again and have never been immersed in water baptism, I encourage you to do so.

Making a public profession of our faith by our mouths, and identifying with Christ by water baptism, are something each believer in Christ should do.

We must never be ashamed of our Lord. God's Word clearly shows that we must honor Him with our mouths and water baptism.

May the Spirit of God bring these truths home to our hearts so that we can live a full, productive Christian life.

May we walk by faith and please our Father in heaven.

Bob