Skip to main content

A New Life

“Having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.” Colossians 2:12

Baptism is one of the two sacraments instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ when He lived among us in human form (the other being the Lord’s Supper, also known as communion). Just before He ascended back into heaven, He instructed His followers to make disciples and baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

But why did He instruct us to baptize those who become disciples? Aren’t we saved by faith in Christ and His sacrifice to pay for our sins on the cross alone? Why do we need to go through the additional process of baptism?

The answer to these questions actually demonstrates God’s wonderful love for us. Baptism (and communion) is God’s sign-act of His love and care for us. Sign-acts are acts that convey meaning using actions, words and objects. They are not merely symbols, but much more than that. In the same way that God used the burning bush to communicate important truth to Moses, He works through the water of baptism to impart His grace to us.

In fact, He communicates much more than His grace. God also uses the sign-act of baptism to teach us that through faith in Christ, we die to our old sinful and worldly desires (going under the water), and are raised again to a new life in service to God (coming back up out of the water).

Prayer Focus: Father, help me to live my life as the new creation You have made me to be, serving You instead of myself.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Answers

“An angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Go south to the road, the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ So he started out...” Acts 8:26 Philip is an example of how God calls us to step out in obedience even if it doesn’t make sense at the time. The angel of the Lord gave clear directions for Philip to go from Jerusalem to Gaza. He was asked to travel in the heat of the day through the desert, not the normal paved route to Gaza. Philip did not question God or try to figure out why God was asking him to go. He didn’t pause to wonder how he was going to deal with the physically draining aspects of the journey or who was going to fund his trip. He simply started on his way. As he went along, the Holy Spirit directed him to an Ethiopian eunuch. Philip struck up casual conversations which led to sharing the good news about Jesus. Many people have told me they desire to go on a mission trip but are not sure if they should go. They want to have all the answers ahead of time....
Post a Comment
Read more

The Way We Pray

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 What brings answered prayer in a Christian’s life? Do you ever feel that you pray and God is silent or that you grow weary in your prayer life because it seems that God isn’t answering your heart’s desires? Could it be that many times it is because of the way we are praying? This passage of Scripture goes on to say, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Taking God’s yoke on ourselves is a picture of an animal having a harness around its neck and can’t move to the right or left but only where the farmer is leading. It may seem restrictive to see God in that same way, but He wants us to follow Him looking straight ahead and keeping our eyes focused on Him and His purposes. It keeps us from getting sidetracked in our Christian walk. Then, our praying becomes asking Him for things He is desiring for us and those aro...
Post a Comment
Read more

Finding God in Adversity

“After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.” Acts 27:21-26 Our journey of faith does not happen without challenges. In fact, our greatest growth and greatest opportunities of giving a witness to the power of the Lord happen in the face of adversity. Paul had warned them not to sail, but the owners and captain of the ship craved their profits. And they w...
Post a Comment
Read more