New Life In Christናሙና

Water Baptism – A public statement

In most Western cultures, a married person wears a wedding ring. This ring is a demonstration of the couple’s love and commitment to each other. The wedding ring alone doesn’t make a couple married, but it is an external sign of their personal commitment.

Just like that wedding ring is a public demonstration of the marriage covenant; baptism is an outward representation of an inward transformation. It is a public demonstration of a disciple’s commitment to follow Jesus.

Baptism is not what brings salvation. Salvation is by faith alone in Jesus Christ; baptism, however, is a public display of the change that took place in the life of the person who decided to follow Jesus.

Through baptism, we identify ourselves with the Gospel story in the death and resurrection of Jesus. When we enter the water we indicate that we are burying our old self and past sins. Just like Jesus was risen from the dead, we emerge out of the water as a person clothed in Christ for a new life, now part of the family community of believers.

All disciples of Christ need to be baptized as a step of obedience. It only happens once and is only for those who voluntarily decided to follow Jesus. There is no minimum age in the Bible for baptism, but the person must be old enough to make the choice to repent of their sins and become a disciple of Christ.

It is an individual decision and something that parents should not decide for their children. In most churches, the new believer is immersed in water, while in some churches a leader will pour or sprinkle water over the person who is being baptized.

Baptism is so important that even Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River in Israel when He was about 30 years old. The word ‘baptism’ comes from the ancient Greek language and means ‘immersion’. This word was used when dying cloth in ancient times. Just like the immersed cloth took in the nature of the dye, we now take in the nature of Christ and are completely identified with Him.

Look for a local church near you and tell them you want to be baptized. They will prepare you for this very important step in your walk with Christ.

Tomorrow, we will learn how to tell others about Jesus and help them enjoy a new life with God as well.