Does Luke 1:15 mean John the Baptist was born saved?

Question:

"Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary`s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit." (Luke 1:39-41 NASB) Does this mean John the Baptist was born saved?

Answer:

The Scriptures tell us that John the Baptist was “filled with the Holy Spirit” even before his birth: “…He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb” (Luke 1:15b). The verse you referenced (Luke 1:41) states that his mother Elizabeth was also filled with the Holy Spirit!

Does this mean John the Baptist was born saved? An interesting question!

“Saved” – as the term is used biblically – refers to salvation from the penalty of sin which is granted upon receiving through faith alone the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior from sin (Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9-13). This salvation is available only because of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in behalf of sinners (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 3:21-26; 1 John 4:9-10).

John the Baptist was born before the atoning work of Christ; thus, “saved” does not accurately describe this filling of the Holy Spirit before Christ had even been born.

To get a little “technical,” John was born during the Old Covenant (Old Testament) time – when Israel was under (and the whole world was judged by) the Law (Galatians 4:4; Romans 3:19-20). The New Covenant/Testament was/is the result of Jesus shedding His blood on the cross (1 Corinthians 11:25); everything up to that point was/is considered to be under the Old Covenant. During the age of the Old Covenant, the Holy Spirit would often enable various individuals for specific service for God (e.g. Samson – Judges 13-16; King Saul – 1 Samuel 11; David – 1 Samuel 16; et al).  John became the final Old Covenant prophet (Matthew 21:26; Luke 7:28) who was enabled by the Holy Spirit to fulfill the specific ministry God had given him to do (John 1:19-28).

The Scriptures tell us that while locked up in prison, though He knew full well Who Jesus was/is (John 1:29-34), even John had doubts about Jesus (Luke 7:19ff). Not long after that, John was beheaded by Herod (Matthew 14:1-13). Not much else is stated in the Bible about John the Baptist, except what we have considered above, in fulfillment of many Old Testament prophecies concerning him – which is remarkable, to say the least!

Was John the Baptist saved? It is my opinion that, indeed, he was “saved” in the same manner as all other Old Covenant saints (e.g. Abraham, Moses, David, Daniel, et al) – through faith in the coming atonement that would be provided by God Himself, Jesus Christ.

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If Christianity and Judaism is true, why is Hinduism the first religion? And if Christianity is true, why do some say the Egyptian civilization called Kemet started the monotheistic worldview and others adopted it?

Question:

If Christianity and Judaism is true, why is Hinduism the first religion? And if Christianity is true, why do some say the Egyptian civilization called Kemet started the monotheistic worldview and others adopted it?

Answer:

The answers to your questions lies in addressing your presumptions within those questions. You are presuming that Hinduism and Kemet existed before Judaism and Christianity; and from a purely and only humanistic point of view, there is some level of historical truth to this. Formal Judaism and formal Christianity did form some time after other pagan religions. However, Judaism and, later, Christianity, according to the Bible (God’s point of view) were simply formally organized approaches to God as designed/commanded by Him Himself; thus, they could be traced back to Genesis, which was much earlier than any other religion.

Formal religions (as man has designed the various kinds) are nothing to God. He says that “true religion” is this: “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27). “To visit orphans and widows in their trouble” is to provide practical help to those who are helpless – that is an outward or public evidence of practicing “true religion.” Most of the world’s formal religions have some sort of activity with that focus – which is commendable. However, “to keep oneself unspotted from the world” is an entirely different matter; for it is an unseen aspect of “true religion.” Every world religion has a series of rules and regulations that make an attempt at this holiness, but every one of them fail – including formal Judaism and what is now recognized in most places as formalized “Christianity” (which is, for the most part, a terrible deviation from what Jesus Christ Himself taught). Why? “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). If you read the first three chapters of the Bible’s book of Romans, you find quickly that no matter what man tries, he fails to impress God with the second portion of that definition of “true religion” (see especially Romans 3:9-20 for God’s summary of all of man’s efforts).

That is why Jesus Christ came – not to start a formalized religion, but to make men holy before God (Hebrews 12:14-15; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 3:21-26). This holy righteousness is found only through personal (not formalized religious) faith in the Person and atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:1-14; 3:16-36; 1 John 4:7-10; Romans 9:10-13; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Ephesians 2:8-9). Religion may impress men, but not God. What God is looking for is faith in His Son (1 John 5:12-13).

This is what the Bible (God’s inspired Word – 2 Timothy 3:16-17) states. A person may choose to disbelieve the Bible, because it is not as “old” as some world religions or religious texts. But never forget that upon that choice hangs one’s eternal destiny. The Bible has never been proven wrong; all other religious texts have been proven to be errant and inconsistent, over and over again. Think about it!

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