2 Corinthians 6:2
“Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today”
This is a familiar proverb which reminds us not to delay, procrastinate, or hesitate to do something if we can finish or accomplish it right away. Such great advice is even more beneficial when it comes to our relationship to God.
Procrastination is to be avoided at all cost when it comes to our response to God’s word. “There is no better time than the Present”.The Bible, the word of God, stresses the utmost importance of acting on our faith without any delay. To convey this great truth to the Corinthian brethren and to all Christians in general, the apostle Paul said, “As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 2For he says, In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:1-3), NIV
We agree with Coffman that this passage was addressed “To the Servant of Jehovah, the type primarily of Christ, and then of all who are `in Christ.” Thus, it is clear that in his appeal to this scripture, Paul was referring to the gospel age as “the day of salvation” and the “acceptable time.” However, Paul at once added some inspired comment of his own making the application personal and immediate. Now is the acceptable time … now is the day of salvation …
Presuming to have time is not a wise thing to do. Do not presume that you have time. As Bother Dave Schmidt points it out, James implies this thinking in his admonition of James 4:13-15 “13Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
In Luke 12, the rich farmer was planning for a tomorrow that he did not have. “And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” (Luke 12:19)
The author of Hebrews also stressed the urgency of immediate acceptance of the gospel. For example, warning his readers against unbelief, he wrote in Hebrews 3:7-9, 7So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, 8do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness, 9where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did.” Also, the writer said, “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” (Hebrews 3:13), NIV
The above-mentioned passages and many others support why the Church of Christ stresses the urgency to obey the gospel ASAP, once one believes and understands the commitment they are making when they decide to obey the gospel, putting on Christ through the water of baptism (Galatians 3:27). The urgency to obey God’s word without delay jumps off the pages of the Bible.
To our friends and relatives who may have heard or taught otherwise and wonder why such a rush, it is always a pleasure to share the rationale for doing what we do. We believe that, as Christians, we need to speak where the Bible speaks and keep quiet where the Bible is silent. Because, we don’t want to be ashamed when the Lord returns. In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul said to Timothy and to all Christians, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
Therefore, as we strive to do our very best in handling the word of truth, we go to the New Testament and particularly the book of Acts to find the examples of how people obeyed the gospel to become members of the Lord’s church. And, every single example we find shows that it was always immediate.
- So for example, in Acts chapter 2, about three thousand people believed and were baptized the same day (Acts 2:41).
- In Acts chapter 8, once the Ethiopian Eunuch understood what he needed to do to obey the gospel, we read in Acts 8:36-38, “As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized? And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.”
- Similarly, in Acts chapter 16, the Philippian Jailer and his family believed at around midnight, and they were baptized at once. (Act 16:33).
Therefore, when it comes to obeying the gospel, do not procrastinate. Today is the day of salvation.
Toronto, Ontario