Repent, and be baptized every one of you in
the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38
This week we have been taking a look about truthfulness and
our own sin. I know they have been
heavier reading but I hope they have helped you to be honest with yourself and
let go of sin you are holding onto.
…and be Baptized…
We are wrapping up the devotionals this week with a look at
the second thing Paul said needed to be done to receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit. Some confusion exists concerning
this verse. Some people believe it to teach baptism as essential for salvation
rather than a testimony of salvation. The
essential means of receiving the forgiveness of sins and receiving the gift of
the Holy Spirit is the decisive two-sided spiritual act: repentance and belief
in the name of Jesus.
HOWEVER, baptism, as the outward expression of this repentance and faith
is not to be underemphasized.
·
Christ calls us to confess Him before men if He
is to confess us before the Father.
· Many
a “spiritual miscarriage” has occurred when someone comes to the very edge of a
“saving faith” and backs away when called to confess. Never underestimate the
call the baptism!
The Meaning of Baptism
What is the biblical meaning of
baptism? We can capsule this meaning by considering two significant words—believer
and symbolic. Once you have
repented and accepted Jesus as your savior, you will want to follow through
with the ordinance of baptism. Baptism's
meaning begins with the fact that only a
believer, a saved person, should be baptized. This biblical truth rules out
baptizing babies or others who cannot personally respond to Jesus in faith. The
truth also denies any practice of being baptized for others—such as people who
have already died. Only a person saved by faith in Jesus Christ can be properly
baptized.
As it says above, for the
Christian, baptism is symbolic. Baptists regard baptism as purely, totally, and
only symbolic, with no power to save. Baptism contains no magical meaning or
power. The Apostle Paul insisted that
people are saved by grace through faith and not by works. (Romans
3:21-31; Ephesians 2:8-10). The works to which he denied any
saving power were religious rituals—such as were practiced in Jewish ceremonial
law. Baptism symbolizes and pictures salvation. It does not give salvation; it
is not required for salvation; and its absence does not withhold salvation. However, it is a proclamation of your faith. People
who are saved and do not follow through with baptism may feel they have not
completed the process. The longer a person waits, it becomes much harder to go
back and do it.
Baptism symbolizes the total
Christian experience. The one accepting
baptism expresses his or her confession of faith in Christ and symbolizes in
the act of baptism their burial or death to sin their confidence in a
resurrection to new life. The act of
being baptized also expresses the believer's vital spiritual relationship with
Christ. Only a saved person can join
such a celebration.
God is willing to cancel all your
debts and then come and live with you, guide you, change you and empower you. You
cannot work to receive this. It cannot be earned, or bought. It is a free gift
to all who repent—who turn from darkness to light—and call on the name of the
Lord. Hand it all over to Him today and
have the abundant life He gives to all who will receive.
Scripture to Claim:
Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection… Romans 6:3-6
Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection… Romans 6:3-6
