​It seems that everywhere you look this month, the “pride” of the homosexual community is being flaunted in some way accompanied by the colors of the rainbow.  Not only is this lifestyle sinful in the sight of God (Rom. 1:26-32), but the “pride” in which they engage is also sinful.  Pride can be defined in a few different ways. Most of the time it is negative and associated with sinful behavior.  For instance, when God said that He hates a “proud” look (Pro. 6:17).  He was detailing the kind of pride that rises from arrogancy.  According to Webster’s Dictionary, another kind of pride is “disdainful behavior or treatment.” God pronounced punishment upon the Ammonites for their rejoicing against Israel treating them in this way as inferior.  Pride is also defined as an “ostentatious display” of those seeking to attract attention by gaudiness or obviousness.  This was the goal of Haman who wanted to be honored by riding on the king’s horse, wearing royal apparel and the crown royal on his head (Est. 6:8,9).  It could even be said that this is the goal of the homosexual community as they ostentatiously parade their sin in the face of a country that was built upon Christian principles.
It should be that every child of God is proud of the rainbow and what it means.  The rainbow was not given as a symbol of homosexuality, but as a covenant between God and the earth (Gen. 9:13).  So, by definition, we can be proud by delighting in this wonderful act of God.  This type of pride rejoices in the fact that God spared Noah and his family from the worldwide flood because “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Gen. 6:8).  The wickedness of man was running rampant, and we can appreciate the fact that God did not want this to continue.  No doubt, He had our Savior in mind as He would bring Jesus to the earth through the godly lineage of Noah to extend grace even to us (1 Pet. 1:20; Luke 3:36-38; Titus 2:11).  This makes me proud to be a servant of God.
I am also proud that God is faithful to His covenant.  The rainbow in the sky tells all of us that God is true to His Word in every way; specifically, that the waters will never destroy all flesh again.  God made an “everlasting covenant” with every living creature and will keep that covenant to the end of time (Gen. 9:16).  Because God has kept this covenant, it tells me He will keep every promise that He makes.  That means I can be proud in knowing He will never forsake His people (Heb. 13:5), we have nothing to fear with Him (Heb. 13:6), He will always provide for us (Psa. 37:25), He listens to us (1 John 5:14), and the faithful will receive eternal life (1 John 2:25). 
Be sure the pride that you have is based on God’s Word.  Remember, “God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble” (1 Pet. 5:5).  It should be our goal to live in such a way that in the end, God will be proud and not ashamed of any of us (Luke 9:26; Mat. 25:23). 

~Derrick Coble

​The Scriptures are clear that baptism is necessary for salvation.  Jesus taught Nicodemus that he “must be born again” of “water and of the Spirit” (John 3:7,5). He also said that one who “believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16).  Not only that, but throughout the book of Acts when a person was told what to do to be saved, it always included baptism (Acts 2:38; 8:12,37,38; 9:6,18; 10:48; 16:15; 18:8).  With this knowledge, some have made the decision to be baptized on that teaching alone.  In other words, there are times when people are baptized without fully understanding the nature of baptism, the steps leading to it, and the commitment involved.
Through the years it has been common to hear people say, “I was just baptized because everyone else was doing it.” Others have admitted they were baptized to please their family members or friends.  Still others, have been baptized to be accepted as a member of a denomination.  It is in these situations that many find themselves with a need to be “re-baptized.”  The inspired example of some in a similar condition involves the 12 men of Ephesus who were students of John the Baptist (Acts 19).  These men had been taught the necessity of baptism for the forgiveness of sins and were baptized with John’s baptism after Jesus had died (Mark 1:4).  That was a problem because John’s baptism required faith that Jesus would die for sins in the future, whereas Christian baptism is based upon faith that Jesus has died for sin (Acts 19:4).  So, these men were not taught correctly.  They knew nothing about the connection between baptism and the blood of Jesus (Rev. 1:5) and nothing about the Holy Spirit—His gifts and how He dwells in those who are Christians (Acts 19:2; 2:38; 1 Cor. 3:16).  Upon learning the truth they were all “re-baptized” with the proper knowledge (Acts 19:5).
It could be that some find themselves in the same situation today.  If a person is baptized in a denomination, they have done so with the wrong teaching.  Even if they believe their baptism was possibly for the remission of sins, they were still not taught correctly concerning worship and the uniqueness of the Lord’s church being undivided (1 Cor. 1:10). In this case, they need to be “re-baptized.” Others may not have been immersed as the New Testament requires (Rom. 6:3,4) or they may not have done it with the right attitude of truly repenting and giving up their old lives (Col. 3:5,10; Eph. 4:22-24).
Salvation is a serious matter and each one of us should examine ourselves thoroughly to make sure we have followed God’s plan in the right way.  God requires full faith and repentance before a person is baptized (Acts 16:31; 17:30), along with an understanding of the cleansing blood of Jesus through His sacrifice and the one church for which He died. Do you need to be re-baptized? 

~Derrick Coble