Steven A. Bush - September 27, 2020
Baptism: A Joyful Act of Obedience
Baptism, ordained by Jesus, is an joyful act of obedience. It vividly declares and affirms our faith and hope are in Jesus' atoning death, burial, & resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 tells us what Jesus did: "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." (NIV) In Romans 6:4-5 we see baptism depicted personally: "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. If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection." (NIV). Here's the picture: Being laid down under the water portrays our burial; being raised up out of the water portrays our resurrection. Baptism is a personal passion play declaring the Good News of Jesus Christ and how we've been regenerated into new creatures who will dwell with Him forever. And that is joyous beyond words!