"God's Word provided me with a moral compass."

Ian's "Faith Story"
October 2006

I had the good fortune to be born into a Christian family. Throughout my childhood, I was presented with the gospel message and understood the reality of the scriptures. In 1992, I made my first trip to Anchor Point Bible Camp in Western Michigan. It was there that I was first presented with the true meaning of the cross with the true meaning behind the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

I'd always recognized the deity of Christ, but for the first time I became aware of my complicity in His murder. I finally understood that my sin had mandated a sacrifice to truly render me faultless before God the Father. By virtue of my establishing a true relationship with Christ on that day, I spared myself a number of the problems encountered by teenagers and young adults. God's Word provided me with a moral compass with which to navigate the world's ethical landscape.

Not only did God's word equip me to recognize that the wisdom of the world was wrong, but also to understand why it was wrong. More importantly, it taught me to understand that God's Word is always right.

Shortly after birth, I was baptized. While well-intentioned, this form of baptism is not referenced in the Scripture. Nor does it accomplish what the Lord intended when a believer is baptized. A few years ago, I watched from out there while my father, in his mid 50s, was baptized on this very platform. At the prompting of the Spirit of the Lord, he humbled himself and submitted himself to be baptized at a relatively late stage of life. I was forced to recognize the truth of scripture, and to confront my own errors.

The sixth chapter of John says that God the Son came to the world to die for those God the Father appointed for him to save. My earthly father submitted to the will of his Heavenly Father and presented himself for baptism. I now follow the example set by my earthly father and present myself to the Lord as an act of submission and love.