The Sacrament of Water Baptism
Total Cleansing
Baptism was not invented by man. It is a requirement of God which He commands us to receive. Jesus promises that “he who believes and is baptised will be saved” (Mark 16:16). There is a saving effect in the cleansing power of baptism.
The outward action of baptism, which Jesus and His disciples demonstrated, involves going into natural flowing water, head bowed, and being totally immersed in water. Baptism must also be performed in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The inward effect of baptism is the cleansing of the soul by the blood of Christ. Baptism is a key moment in your conversion, when Jesus’ blood will take effect on you and restore your relationship with God, making you His child once again.
No sin is too great to be forgiven. God is ready to pardon everyone who turns back to Him and seeks cleansing. However, you determined to follow His words. It is during baptism that you come before your Savior with your heavy burden of sin. As you are immersed in water in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, His blood, which was shed on the cross, will cover all your sins. There, on account of Jesus’ sacrifice, God will pardon all your sins.
Therefore, baptism, along with faith and repentance, is necessary for the forgiveness of sins. For this reason, Peter, a disciple of Jesus, commanded the believers to be baptised. “Repent, and let every one of you be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38).
A New Life Begins
The Bible calls baptism “the washing of generation” because it is a spiritual rebirth and the beginning of a new life (Titus 3:5; John 3:5) This new life is possible because Christ has overcome the power of sin by His resurrection. As your sins are forgiven during baptism, a spiritual transformation occurs— the death and burial of the sinful being and the rebirth of a spiritual, eternal life. The blood of the Lord Jesus brings your spiritual being back to life.
“[You were] buried with [Christ] in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses” (Colossians 2:12-13).
The moment you come up out of the water, you become a new being who has escaped the punishment of sin and now possess the hope of eternal life.
Dead to Sin, Alive to Christ
The change of identity that occurs during baptism must also lead to a change in attitude and lifestyle. Paul, an apostle of Jesus, reminds us that the free grace of God should not be a license to remain in sin. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that man of us as were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into His death? Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:1-4).
Baptism teaches us to say no to sin and yes to God’s will. Before we were baptised, we were rebellious children, going our own ways. But the life that we live after baptism is no longer ours, but Christ’s. We ought to live as obedient children and determine to become as perfect as our Heavenly Father.
Even so, it is not by our efforts that we are able to live according to God’s perfect nature; it is only with God’s grace in our lives that we can have power over our own weaknesses. The salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ is a life-long gift. As long as we determine to be obedient to God, He will continue to transform our lives. Buy building and keeping a trusting relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ after baptism, we can witness how God continues to work wonders in our lives.