Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Baptism (part 1)

What are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name (Acts 22:16).

Christians believe in baptism. But what is baptism, exactly? What does it do for you? What is the value of being baptized?

Baptism is a pledge, the making of a promise. In baptism, God makes a pledge to you—whenever you come to Him for mercy and a fresh start, He promises to show you His love, not His judgment. In baptism, you receive the blessed assurance of God’s tender care.

No one should assume that God will treat them with such patience or generosity. Every man, woman and child is corrupted by sin. Sin is the rebellious attitude we all have towards authority, God's in particular. When told to do something, our first inclination is to refuse, not to obey. We have to be taught to share and wait our turn, to say words like ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’ Each of us has any number of dark and disturbing thoughts that trigger nasty words and cruel behavior. None of us deserve anything from God except His righteous punishment.

This is why baptism is such a wonderful miracle! When you are baptized, God uses that water to wash your soul, removing the stain of your guilt. You are freed from regret over the terrible things you’ve said and done; through baptism, your sin is washed away. You can pray to the Lord with confidence, never having to worry that He won’t listen to you. No matter what you’ve done or failed to do, no matter how many times you’ve made a mess of things, baptism guarantees you God’s love when you come to Him to be forgiven.

Baptism is God’s gift to you, a gift made possible by Jesus. When Christ suffered on the cross, He paid the penalty for your mistakes and failures. The Son of God bled and died to spare you from God’s anger at your sins. Through great personal sacrifice, Jesus has made baptism available to everyone who wants to be set free of regret. Baptism is Jesus’ gift to you, a gift that offers peace of mind every day of your life.

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