I’ve started writing another book. It’s titled the same as this post. What I’m feeling in this writing is to explain the simplicity of salvation.

As I started the book I found myself wanting to focus on the Good Shepherd by introducing Him to the reader from the 23rd Psalm. I opened up with the nature of the shepherd by explaining it to people with an inviting picture of the Savior. We tend to throw around a lot of Christian terms. I find them already passe’, if not outmoded. I consider them thrown around so often without explanation that we just let the terms “salvation”, “savior” “baptism” and such flow right past our thinking without stopping to seriously consider the import of these very important life-giving terms.

I cite a concern of mine in the term baptism. It seems in my circle of church folk that several people seem to think being baptized several times to be okay. I guess that would be okay if it were truly meaningful, but I think it’s becoming a bit abused. There is this thing Baptists quip about in there churches that so and so got saved “again” this past Sunday. How does one get saved every other Sunday? The idea of being born again is a once in a lifetime event. Rededication would be a better term I suppose if it is truly expressed, but it has become something of an inside joke with Baptist to be saved in every service practically.

I was baptized three times, yet each time I felt a sincere need, not so much for myself as it was that my wife and I be baptized together into one flesh. My dad questioned me when I was baptized the second time as to the first baptism’s effectiveness. It was a cutting remark I’d say as he thought the need for only being baptized once was only right. I tended to agree with his assumption, yet for some reason felt the need at that time. Since that second time I met with divorce and found my life in shambles. I won’t detail that out except to say I fell into darkness and walked away from my Christian values.

With the help of God’s unrelenting love for me and His gift of a woman that became my second wife, I have recovered. Our walk (and I say all three of us, God, my wife, and me) has become a solid foundation. Upon that foundation was a pressing need for a new commitment, so my wife and I were baptized together. I have no doubt there will never be a need to do this again.

The first baptism was entirely for me. My soul needed to show that outward evidence of the inward work of God in my life through Jesus Christ. This last one was intended for joining into a covenant with God with my wife and me as one. It didn’t seem so much as the original reason as it was for a display of covenant with God.

This book will likely be a good bit bigger since I am feeling there’s a lot to explain to get the simplicity across. This sounds kind of complicated, but it’s not. I hope to show people that don’t think they have a need to be saved just what the need is. Man has a hollow spot in their being from the first Adam that only the second Adam can fill. This will be explained in the book.

I’ll stop here, but I must tell you one thing. If you are a Christian, God wants you. You are valuable enough to send His Son to die for you that you may be saved. The value you hold is found in the sacrifice God gave for us to regain fellowship with Him. Don’t ever think you are worthless. Never.