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Why
Stop the Chariot When
persecution against the church intensified to the point of murder, the saints in
Jerusalem scattered (Acts 8:1). However, they did not leave empty-handed. They
took the gospel with them. Philip
went down to Samaria and preached to the people with much success. Then an angel
of the Lord led him into the desert where he met an Ethiopian eunuch. The
eunuch, who had oversight of the queen’s treasure, was riding in his chariot
on the way home from worship in Jerusalem. Philip
entered the chariot and preached the gospel to the eunuch, who then confessed
his belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and commanded the chariot to stop
near some water on the side of the road. This
begs an interesting question: Why stop the chariot? Why was that necessary? The
truth is, there would have been no need to stop the chariot if what many teach
today were true. Why
Stop the Chariot, If… (1) Being
a good person is all it takes. The eunuch was certainly a man of honesty and
integrity, for the queen put him in charge of all her treasure (v. 27). (2) Being
a religious person is enough. The eunuch was obviously spiritually minded,
for he had travelled a great distance to worship in Jerusalem and was reading
the Scriptures on his way home (vv. 27-28). (3) A
person is saved by faith alone. The eunuch was undoubtedly a believer, for
he confessed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God (v. 37). (4) Reading
the Scriptures is all that is required. The eunuch was clearly an avid
reader of God’s Word, for he was still reading it on his way home from worship
(v. 28). (5) Baptism
is not necessary. The eunuch commanded the chariot to stop because he
understood the urgent need for immersion in water. All other things aside, he
still had to contact the blood of Christ and have his sins forgiven (Romans 6:3;
Acts 2:38; 22:16). If
any of the five things mentioned above were true, there would have been no need
to stop the chariot. If being a good or religious person is enough, keep moving!
If a person is saved by faith alone, roll on! If reading the Scriptures is all
that is required, onward! The eunuch did not believe he was in a right
relationship with God until he was baptized. That is why he stopped the chariot! Have
you stopped the chariot?
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