After someone decides to give their lives to Christ, and asks Jesus to be Lord of their lives, they’re called to be baptized. Water baptism is a public declaration of your faith in the Lord.
Death and Resurrection
Baptism is like a funeral to the old you, the before Christ version of you. And baptism is also a celebration of your resurrection in Christ, raised to eternal life and washed in forgiveness of sin.
Paul explains that when you gave your life to Christ, you died to your old ways. That’s what [baptism] expresses. Going under the water is an outward expression of an inward reality… going under the water shows you died. Your old ways died. The old ways of sin and unforgiveness and darkness died. And Jesus’s blood washes away all your sins.
When you are raised in the water, it’s an outward expression of how Christ raises you into new life. A picture of how he renews you and washes you clean. Going down into the water and being raised up again is a picture that you are following Christ Jesus died and rose from the grave.
Your old person died and you are now a new creation in Christ.
I’ve seen people come up out of baptismal waters practically glowing, such joy and celebration of their new life! You can sometimes visibly see the old man die in the water and the new creation rise up in triumphant joy. It’s one of the most beautiful sights I’ve seen in my life.
Read it for yourself and decide:
Now, listen to what I have to say about Jesus from Nazareth. God proved he sent Jesus to you by having him work miracles, wonders, and signs. All of you know this. 23 God had already planned and decided that Jesus would be handed over to you. So you took him and had evil men put him to death on a cross. 24 But God set him free from death and raised him to life. Death could not hold him in its power. 25 What David said are really the words of Jesus,
“I always see the Lord near me, and I will not be afraid with him at my right side. 26 Because of this, my heart will be glad, my words will be joyful, and I will live in hope. 27 The Lord won’t leave me in the grave. I am his holy one, and he won’t let my body decay. 28 He has shown me the path to life, and he makes me glad by being near me.”
29 My friends, it is right for me to speak to you about our ancestor David. He died and was buried, and his tomb is still here. 30 But David was a prophet, and he knew that God had made a promise he would not break. He had told David someone from his own family would someday be king.
31 David knew this would happen, and so he told us Christ would be raised to life. He said God would not leave him in the grave or let his body decay. 32 All of us can tell you that God has raised Jesus to life!
33 Jesus was taken up to sit at the right side[b] of God, and he was given the Holy Spirit, just as the Father had promised. Jesus is also the one who has given the Spirit to us, and this is what you are now seeing and hearing.
34 David didn’t go up to heaven. So he wasn’t talking about himself when he said, “The Lord told my Lord to sit at his right side, 35 until he made my Lord’s enemies into a footstool for him.” 36 Everyone in Israel should then know for certain that God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ, even though you put him to death on a cross.
37 When the people heard this, they were very upset. They asked Peter and the other apostles, “Friends, what should we do?”
38 Peter said to them, “Turn to God and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is for you and your children. It is for everyone our Lord God will choose, no matter where they live.”
40 Peter told them many other things as well. Then he said, “I beg you to save yourselves from what will happen to all these evil people.” 41 On that day about 3,000 believed his message and were baptized. 42 They spent their time learning from the apostles, and they were like family to each other. They also broke bread[c] and prayed together.
When we decide to follow Christ, we follow in both His death and His resurrected life. Water baptism is a picture of dying to self in the water and being raised to new life in Christ!
We die to our old sinful ways and Christ raises us from the dead into eternal life. It’s a new day! If you gave your life to Christ but have not been baptized yet, it’s time. What are you waiting for?
Til next time… Toodle-loo, and Peace be with you.
If you want to walk in forgiveness and the full power of the Holy Spirit, here’s a prayer to ask Jesus to wash you clean and lead you in a new life.
If you decided to give your life to Jesus today, please let us know so we can share in your new joy! Seek out someone in your area who loves Jesus and walks in humility who can help show you the way.
