“You” is a word everyone understands.  No matter the situation, “you,” whether in a singular or plural context, is understood.  Nowhere is this truth more important than in the salvation process.  Read The Process of Salvation.  Key word–Process.  Many times throughout the Holy Scriptures the Lord emphasizes the role of the individual (“you”), first in the conversion (born) process and later in the salvation (born again) process.  Read The Hope of Salvation and Born Again.  Key words–Hope and Born respectively.  The first 18 verses in Mark’s gospel (good news) serve as a miniature bible relative to God requirements for those who seek Him so that they might find Him.  We will study this passage on a verse-by-verse basis with the usual additions and side trips.  Let us begin.

In verse one Mark sets the stage for “the gospel of Jesus Christ.”  He also notes that Jesus is the “Son” of God, not God Himself.  Among the people of the Middle East, a son was equal to his father in that he had the authority (permission) to operate in his father’s power.  The Jews hated Jesus because He called Himself the “Son of God,” thereby making Himself equal with God, meaning able to use God’s power to heal the sick, cast out demons, multiply food, raise the dead, walk on water, kill a tree with His Words, know what men were thinking, where they had been, etc.  In this life God’s true saints are called “sons of God.”  Think about it.  While you think on that Truth, I will remind you of what Jesus told the disciples to do before sending them out: “… as you go (ministering), preach, saying, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,’ heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils, freely you have received (power from God to do such things), freely give (use His power)”–Matthew 10:7,8.  They were to make disciples in every nation, who would in turn make other disciples, who would in turn make other disciples ….  This process was to continue until His return.  Through the medium of the internet and television, this world will soon witness the ministry of Christ repeated, and exceeded.  He prophesied that this would take place in the latter days in John 14:12: “Verily, verily I say unto you (disciples), he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also, and GREATER WORKS THAN THESE  WILL HE DO because I go to the Father.”  His returning to the Father enabled true disciples to receive His Holy Spirit of power.  Jesus said: “You will receive power after the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be My witnesses ….” (Acts 1:8).  Their witness will include large scale healing, deliverance, raising the dead and other types of signs, wonders and miracles.  Unless, that is, Jesus lied to us.  My money is on Him fulfilling His Word.

Note the word “HE” (the same as “YOU”) in this statement.  Individually we must believe and obey God’s Word in order for His Word to come to pass in our lives.  Note how Jesus equates God’s WORD and His WORKS in verse 10.  His WORKS take place in conjunction with His WORDS.  When God’s Words are in us, God Himself is in us in the form of His Holy Spirit. Notice in verse 10 that as a man, Jesus had no power of His own.  The power He used in ministry was the result of God’s Words and His Spirit abiding in Him.  God and His Words are inseparable.  This truth cannot be overemphasized.  Jesus spoke His Father’s Words and the Holy Spirit manifested His Words in the form of His (Christ’s) Works.  Recall that He spoke to the storm and it subsided; He spoke to a fig tree and it died; He spoke to demons inside a man and they departed (see Mk. 1:25).

THE WORD, THE WORD, THE WORD.  As goes God’s Word, so goes God.  The Bible is God in written form.  Jesus (“the Word”–Jn. 1:1-4,14) was God in human form.  Jesus Himself is also called “the Scripture” in Galatians 3:8 and Genesis 22:18.  I cannot overstate the importance of GOD’S WORD.  I am not referring to church doctrine which is nothing more than man’s perverted version of God’s gospel (Gal. 1:6-9).  We all can identify the father of perversion.  The Introduction to this website reveals the results of his work within what is known as “the church.”  Jesus condemns his perversions.  Those who believe and practice them condemn themselves.  In Matthew 15:9 Jesus warns those who substitute their perverted gospels (church doctrine) for His Words (the Holy Bible).  Here He is addressing professing Christendom in these last days.  The Catholic/Protestant religious system constitutes the Laodicean era of church history that the Lord addresses in Revelation 3:14-20.

In Mark 1: 2,3 we find John the Baptizer described as one who was sent to lead God seekers in preparing to receive Jesus Christ.  Note in verse three that John uses the word “you” in the preparation process.  He is telling seekers that they, themselves must prepare their hearts (minds) for Christ’s “way” (a narrow and restricted path by which He can enter their hearts) (Mat. 7:13,14).  One must reject all religious teaching that does not agree with God’s Holy Word–the one and only way.  We will all be judged by that Word (Jn. 12:44-50–see vs 48).  In verse 50 Jesus states that God’s Word, which He (Jesus) spoke, was itself LIFE ETERNAL.  Note it: GOD’S WORD ITSELF IS ETERNAL LIFE.  There is no eternal life without belief in and obedience to God’s Word.  Note the Word “commandment” is singular.  God views the entire Bible/Law/Gospel as ONE ENTITY.  Not one jot or tittle can be changed.  Nothing can be added to it or removed from it.  This is what Jesus was referring to in Matthew 15:9.  Notice that those who make such changes will stand before Him, call Him their Lord and remind Him of the “wonderful works we have done in Your name.”  He will tell them that He NEVER KNEW THEM.  They had never obeyed His Word.  Rather, they had obeyed Satan’s church doctrine while believing that they were obeying God.  Truly Jesus was right: “Satan has deceived the whole world” (Rev. 12:9).

Mark 1:4,5 tell us that John’s baptism was a “baptism of repentance” (vs 4) which must follow the confession of one’s PAST sins (vs 5).  John’s baptism was not Christian baptism which, as he explains in verse eight, entails the receiving God’s Spirit of righteousness, holiness and power by which a convert can grow in faith and manifest God’s righteousness and holiness that are necessary for salvation (Rom. 5:21; 6:22).  Such faith growth enables one to obey God’s Word until one “comes to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13) that is necessary in order to be part of God’s “firstfruits” (Jam. 1:18) who will be resurrected first upon Christ’s return (I Thes. 4:14-17).  Read The Three Resurrections.  Key word–Resurrections.

As Jesus tells us, repentance is the first step.  The next step is to “believe the gospel” (vs 15).  To “believe THE (one and only true) Gospel is to have faith in it, meaning to take God at His Word.  This is the process by which one “makes straight paths for Him” in one’s heart so that one can receive God’s Truth, embrace it, believe it and walk it as did Jesus of Nazareth.  This, John tells us (1 Jn. 2:6), we must do if we are to call ourselves His people.  We must use the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome Satan’s temptations (“fiery darts”–Eph. 6:16) exactly as did Jesus in order to join Him in the Kingdom of God (Rev. 3:21).

Jesus’ command to believe the Gospel is not the end of the salvation process.  It is only the beginning.  As He tells us through the Apostle James, faith without works (obedience to God’s Word) will gain us nothing in that such faith is dead.  Dead faith produces a dead believer.  Without works of obedience, one’s faith will have no effect.  Remember Matthew 15:9.  Read James 2:10,14,17,18,20,24,26).  L.J.