Be Baptized!
In Romans 6:3, when Paul says that we have been “baptized into Christ Jesus” he’s talking about the ancient practice of water baptism. That’s the practice that Jesus gave us to be the physical symbol of our spiritual reality of being united to him by faith — it showed that in Christ we are now dead to sin and alive to God.
And for the first generation of Christians, there was no category for a non-baptized Christian. Baptism was another way to talk about conversion — it meant that one had believed in the all-sufficient grace of Jesus, been forgiven for all their sins, and received the Holy Spirit. That is what baptism symbolized. To be baptized meant that all those were true of you, which then means:
First, of course baptism is for believers only. And second, if you’re a believer, you should be baptized.
I’ve come to think that I’ve been going about this the wrong way: in talking about upcoming baptisms in announcements or wherever, I’ll say “If you’re interested in baptism, we’d love to talk to you … if you’re interested.” Here’s a better way to say it:
If you are a Christian and not yet baptized, you need to get baptized. It is the Jesus-designed way to show who you are!
And if you not a Christian, you need to believe in Jesus and then be baptized. You need the forgiveness of Jesus. You need his life in the place of yours. Apart from Jesus, you will die in your sins and be separated from God. Put your faith in Jesus today.
Prayer of Confession
Father in heaven, in this room, what every single one of us needs is the humbling presence of your Holy Spirit. We need his guiding and convicting and overcoming power. We need him to help us see and think and feel all the ways that we should when we consider the glory of your Son and his gospel.
But Father, often we can be off. Either distracted, or burdened, or something else, we leave the wonders of your love, and your loving commands, and we try to forge our own way. Have mercy on us, Father, and forgive us. In your mercy, lead us now to confess our individual sins to you…
