Only One Way Home

Chapter 4: Chaplain David

Chaplain David entered the room with a gentle, unhurried demeanor that seemed to bring a sense of calm with him. With close-cropped gray hair and a face etched with compassion, he had an innate ability to connect with patients on a deeply human level. He made his rounds regularly, providing comfort and spiritual counsel to those grappling with illness, despair, and questions of faith. For Emma, his visits had become a cherished respite from the harsh reality of her hospital stay.

"Good afternoon, Emma," David greeted warmly, settling into a chair beside her bed. "How are you feeling today?" His voice was soft, infusing the air with a sense of safety that immediately eased some of Emma's apprehension.

"I'm managing," she replied, glancing out the window where the sunlight projected warmth across her pale skin. "The days blend together here, but I appreciate your company."

David nodded, his expression attentive as he listened to her. "In times of pain and uncertainty, it can be helpful to reflect on faith and purpose. What do you think about that?"

Emma contemplated his question, feeling a whirlwind of emotions within. With everything going on, and the end seeming to be near, I find myself questioning everything."

David's gaze remained steadfast, full of understanding. "That's a natural response, especially in the face of hardship. Your mind and wit is a great strength for you at this time."

After a moment of silence, David shared a verse that resonated with him, one he believed held profound meaning for Emma's current journey. "I'd like to read some good news to you, Emma. In Acts 2:38, Peter said, 'Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.' This speaks to the importance of repentance and baptism in the life of a believer."

Emma's heart raced as she absorbed his words. "But what if—what if I can't find the words to repent of every single sin I've ever done? I can't even get out of bed to be water baptized..." Her voice caught in her throat, laden with apprehension. "Doesn't that mean I'm not doing it the right way? Isn't salvation at stake? How is that good news?"

As David's gentle words hung in the air, he tried to calm her as best he could, letting her know that sometimes God doesn't really mean what he says and lots of times letting others do the interpretations and studying for you can clear everything up. Yet again, that left Emma cold, confused, and questioning if people are really hearing themselves when they use the bible verses that they present to people. 

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins" Let's start here. This is not a new message. This is a message that Peter, at Pentecost, in Acts Chapter two is only building upon. John the Baptist showed up before Peter with this message to Israel in the wilderness in Matthew Chapter 3. "In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins."

Israel was told to repent of their wicked ways since they stopped following the 613 laws of Moses that God gave to him back in Exodus. Even in the days of Ezekiel, he told Israel to repent. "Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations." Ezekiel 14:6. John the Baptist builds on that message.

 The next part of Acts 2:38 states to Israel, "and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Again, not a new message, but an old message. Even in Proverbs 1:23, it is written "behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you". The "you" is not Christians today, but the audience to whom King Solomon wrote Proverbs. Israel. 

Essentially what we're reading in context for Acts 2:38 is for Israel to repent of their idolatry and abominations, and engage in water baptism, a ceremonial priestly cleansing ritual (Leviticus 8:6) that John the Baptist continued in, for them to do this in the name of their Messiah, the Lord Jesus, and they would receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Why? Jeremiah 31:33 states why. "I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people." This supernatural enduement of the 613 laws written by God on the hearts of Israel (per Jeremiah 31:31) will allow them to obey the laws they once couldn't keep. All 613 of them. Believers today do indeed also get the same Holy Ghost, but not for this purpose. 

Ephesians 1:13 states that the Holy Spirit is our seal, that seals us until the day of redemption. "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise," The struggle today is to properly hear and trust the correct gospel of our salvation. It's not John 3:16, it's not Romans 10:9-10, and it's not Acts 2:38, although a multitude of denominations make it so without examining the context, and millions blindly repeat it out of a loyalty to their manmade doctrines, neglecting the literal context of God's plain words.

"But what if I can't be what I 'should' be?" Emma replied, feeling that familiar swell of doubt creeping back. "I'm so far from perfect and so unsure of everything that feels like 'good news.' How can someone like me ever be accepted?"

Though David offered no assurances of salvation with his verses, Emma left their conversation quietly thankful. She felt that amid her doubts and pain, the faintest glimmer of connection lingered—a bridge formed in the quiet moments of shared faith and vulnerability. As the chaplain took his leave, Emma pondered how to draw closer to the God of the Bible she longed to understand, and salvation she was clearly in dire need of, however imperfectly that journey might unfold.