Faith Basicsনমুনা

Do you know what to call a deer, a female deer? What about a drop of golden sun? A long, long way to run? A needle pulling thread?

If you know these (Do, Re, Fa, So), then you may be familiar with another line from this famous song from The Sound of Music. Maria sings, “When you know the notes to sing, you can sing most anything.”

The writer of Hebrews would say something similar: “When you live these basic things, you’ll be ready to eat meat.” These basic things are the Faith Basics that followers of Jesus need to know and live out.

Today we’ll talk about baptism and tomorrow the laying on of hands. Both are inaugural ceremonies - they begin something. Baptism inaugurates the new believer’s presence in the church, and the laying on of hands initiates the new believer’s participation in the church.

Christians believe different things about baptism. Some say baptism is the believer’s door into Christianity, while others believe that salvation comes before baptism like love comes before wedding rings. All churches believe that something incredible happens when a person chooses baptism!

We see a bit of that when Jesus is baptized. There is a special, unique encounter between Jesus and our Heavenly Father. Actually, all three members of the Trinity are involved as the Holy Spirit manifests as a dove. The result of that encounter was distinct clarity to everybody that Jesus was indeed God’s Son.

Though not in the same way and to the same extent that Jesus’ baptism did, your baptism also confirms to you and others that you are now a child of God. It demonstrates your desire to obey Jesus, and it becomes a witness to God’s saving grace in your life.

Have you been baptized since choosing to follow Jesus? If not, perhaps this is the Holy Spirit’s nudge that it is time. If you have not already connected with a local church, now is the time to do that and seek baptism.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of baptism and for the visible evidence it provides of your work in a new believer’s life. Please help me to remember my own baptism and to live with confidence that I am your child. Amen.