Baptism
Last Sunday was the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
I was thinking quite a bit about the importance of baptism this week.
From the deserts of Judea, after years of austere discipline and divine teaching, John(the Baptist!) came among the Israelites. He called all men to repentance and announced that the “kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 3:2.)
He made it clear that his mission was to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. The repentant he baptized with water, but he proclaimed that one mightier than he would come “whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit, and with fire.” (Matt. 3:11.)
Age 30 was, significantly, the age at which the Levites began their ministry and the rabbis their teaching. When Jesus “began to be about thirty years of age,” he went to be baptized of John at the river Jordan. (Luke 3:23.)
Have you been baptized ?
I was baptized a couple of weeks after I was born and we baptized our children in the same kind of timing.
Each baptism at our church was such a beautiful ceremony and I am so happy we offered up the lives of our children to God. At our baptisms we ‘put on Christ’ and become a new person.
At our current church it is fun to watch the babies’ reactions to having the holy water poured over their wee heads. Sometimes they are placid and sometimes they just wail ! The congregation always gets a chuckle out of that.
In some countries adults are fully immersed in a river for their baptism and in Malta( we recently found out) they used to have the women or men (a different day for the opposite sex) walk down three stairs in their naked state and then after dunking in a deep pool and exiting up three stairs on the other side, they would be given a new, white garment as a symbol of their new life in God.
Christians believe Jesus was baptized so that he could become like one of us. This shows his great humility. He set an example for us to follow. Jesus' baptism was also an opportunity to show his authority as God confirmed he was his Son……. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he came up out of the water. Heaven was opened and he saw the spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. Then a voice said from heaven, “This is my own dear son with whom I am pleased.”
At church, baptism has to be by immersion or by pouring the water three times. Mere sprinkling is insufficient and invalid.. What He requires of one person to be saved, He requires of all. What He required then, He requires now. There is nothing special or miraculous about the water; therefore, it can be water in a pool, lake, river, bathtub, or baptistery (as long as it is deep enough for immersion).
Some biblical points of which to be aware:
-No one is earning salvation through baptism (Eph. 2:8-10).
-The blessings of baptism are God’s fulfillment of His promises (Mark 16:16; Gal. 3:27; 1 Pet. 3:21).
-If you have not obeyed the commandments of the one baptism to receive forgiveness, you must answer God one question. “Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name” (Acts 22:16)!
Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19–20).
The action of being immersed in the water illustrates dying and being buried with Christ. The action of coming out of the water represents Christ’s resurrection.
Let’s become ‘new people’ this year. People who love more readily, people who strive for a purity of heart, people who will go out to their communities and promote kindness. Let’s put on the new and embrace our baptisms.
Not baptized? What are you waiting for?
