A Noble Note on Baptism
You might have noticed that we’ve had an increase of babies in our church family these past few months/year. I’m rejoicing in that because with each child, God is growing His Church. So, with this happening, it might be helpful for us to revisit the importance of the gift of baptism and the blessings we receive from it.
So let me ask you: How often do you think about your baptism? When’s the last time you talked about your baptism? Oftentimes, we might forget about our baptism, not because we don’t think it’s important, but because it happened to most of us when we were infants. And because baptism is understood as the starting point of our life in Jesus Christ, we tend to think about it as only something in the past. But your baptism was much more than just a holy initiation into the Body of Christ, the Church, it’s your life source for your daily life, and it’s your identity!
Within Scripture, Paul and Peter both remind us that baptism isn’t just a one-time deal done to us a long time ago. Yes, the physical act of baptism only needs to be done once, but we actually live out the results of our baptism every day of our lives! So, in other words, baptism is the center of the Christian life rather than just the beginning of it.
Baptism is a promise given to you by God Himself to be with you whenever you go, for the Spirit to dwell within you and work faith within you, to forgive you all of your sins, to clothe you with Jesus’ holiness, and to finally grant you eternal life. Your baptism is a means by which God unites you with Jesus!
Because you are a baptized Child of God, your life is grounded in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. As Paul puts it, “We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life (Romans 6:4)”.
You and I have the privilege of living within this blessed reality every day. When we go to God in word and prayer, confessing our sins and seeking His forgiveness, we’re brought back to the effectiveness of this sacrament. At those moments, we are re-living that promise of salvation through Christ Jesus. We are to daily remind ourselves that ever since that day, God has claimed us as His own, washes us clean from our sins, and covers us with His mercy, grace, and love.
So rejoice! You are a baptized child of God! Forever loved, always cared for, and never forgotten. May that be your daily focus, the very center of your identity and daily life in Christ. May this also be your battle cry to the devil and all his minions as they try to distract you from God and His Word, that nothing in this world will be able to separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus your Lord (Romans 8:38-39).
In His Service,
Pastor Andrew Noble