by Oscar M. Baker

I was a child of God for many years before I knew that I could have the adoption as a son and have my citizenship in the heavenlies, the holies. I was content to remain a child, since I knew nothing else. Ignorance may be bliss at times. But somebody pointed me to the truth.

In view of Ph'p 3:20, I changed my address. I have been quickened, raised, and seated with Christ in His Father's throne. And all that by simple faith. I never deserved it. The Father was glad to give it to me. All I had to do was to believe and ask. It was that simple.

And all that time that I was a child of God, I never dreamed that I was a saint. But I was. Not by anything I had done, but because of my relationship to Christ. I had died with Him, and was buried with Him, and I was resurrected with Him. That made me a saint. No person or group of persons conferred that sainthood upon me. It was by God's grace. For you see, I had been clothed with the righteousness of Christ. And God looked upon me then as if He were looking at His own Son. The Son had my sins imputed to Him, and I had His righteousness imputed to me. That was one trade in my life that I got a real bargain, got the best of the deal.

And there is plenty of the same for you in the storehouse of the unsearchable riches of Christ. All you do is ask and it shall be.

I had had some puzzles in my former life which I just could not make out. But I kept wondering why the church during Acts was so different from what was called the church in my day. There were few similarities. Why no longer the gifts of the Spirit? I never saw anybody raised from the dead. No families in the groups I attended ever observed the passover as they did back then. Why? And why could Gentiles now take part in the services and sit in the congregation, when back during Acts they could not do so (Rom. 9:4)? I wondered why folks then would be stricken dead when they lied in the assembly, but now even preachers can get away with lying. It just did not make sense. But then I brought up the traditions of the church and I dared not question these things. That would be heresy.

Also the meek were to inherit the earth. What earth and where? Did I have any part in this? I later found that this inheritance was for Israel, the promised land or earth. I also found out that the promise of long life in this land was for honoring father and mother. Again, this did not make sense for today.

But the last straw was the realization that the church of Acts period was to go through the great tribulation and then caught up into the air (not heaven) at the last trump. And they do not go to heaven, but have part in the kingdom here on earth.

I needed a key to all this, and I finally found it. It was hanging right at the door and I had never seen it? Have you seen it?

(Taken from Truth For Today Vol. 27, January 1975)