In his first Epistle Saint Peter begins to stir things up with regard to what is expected of a believer in his or her very personal life relationships. In 3.21-22 we read: and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also, Let us understand that merely using water will not bring about salvation, nor is it just a matter how much water one uses. What matters is the faith of those who are presenting this one to God.

Nor is it a matter of trying to clean up the individual by using that water of salvation. We will never be able to make ourselves acceptable to God by our own efforts: not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It is the heart which determines one’s position with the Lord rather than anything else, and it is the desire of He who is holy that each heart will be freely given to him.

Jesus Christ is the one and only key to salvation and entry into that perfect relationship with the Lord God. It is the blood of Jesus which makes it possible for us to be with God in a loving relationship at all: It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand, And if we ever expect to spend eternity with our Lord we must submit to his perfect plan for each and every life.

What a joy to anticipate spending eternity with the Lord and his family: with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him. How we relate to those with whom we spend our lives on earth will be a clear forecast of how we will spend forever in heaven. Submission to God is the key to the door of life into God’s presence forever, and each of us must make that decision for the self. I choose to submit to God!