HARMONY WITH GOD Part 3 of 3 by Zane C. Hodges - Chafer ...

Palestine after the Cross
Harmony with God 25
We need to recall that impressively large numbers of
Israelites accepted John’s baptism. Mark records that all the land
of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all
baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins (Mark
1:5; underlining added). Matthew and Luke refer as well to all the
region around the Jordan (Matthew 3:5, underlining added; Luke
3:8). What amounted to a national revival appeared to be taking
place.
But the spiritual movement begun by John eventually
collapsed. True, many Israelites believed in the One John had
proclaimed (and thus entered into harmony with God through
forgiveness of sins), but many more did not. What had begun as a
wave of national repentance was reversed over time into a national
rejection of God’s Christ, with the people loudly demanding that
Jesus be crucified and invoking the dreadful curse, His blood be on
us and on our children (Matthew 27:25).
This tragic departure from an initial movement in the
direction of faith in Christ and harmony with His heavenly Father
left Israel more estranged than ever from her God. It is not at all
incomprehensible that God should withhold the privilege of
harmony with Himself until a repentant Israelite submitted to
baptism in the name of His beloved Son, whom Israel had
crucified. The evidence of the book of Acts points unmistakably to
the conclusion that God insisted on this kind of baptism before He
would forgive the sins of the believing Israelites or grant them the
gift of the Holy Spirit.
Let it be clearly said that the simple way of eternal salvation
was not changed, even for the Israelites of Palestine. Eternal life is
always received on the basis of faith alone in Christ alone. Thus
the Judge of all mankind accepts the faith of any and every human
being who believes in Christ for eternal life. No such person is in
any danger at all of eternal damnation.