As we begin the new year, it is important to go back to the starting point of our relationship with the Lord and evaluate our progress. In the last devotional I shared that in John 3, Jesus explained to Nicodemus that he needed to be born of water and the spirit.
Jesus emphasized the importance of baptism as another foundational step in our relationship with the Lord. In addition, He set the example and asked John the Baptist to baptize Him. God followed this decision by sending His Spirit and showing His pleasure with His son in getting baptized (See Matthew 3:16-18).
Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Romans 6:3
Baptism is a testimony and outward expression of what happened to us spiritually. Our old nature is dead and is buried with Christ. We leave it behind and take on the newly resurrected nature that is governed by the spirit man. Baptism is an act of surrender of the old life.
Is your old nature dead? Do you give it opportunities to die or do you feed it and encourage it to remain strong? Sometimes we use cute or intellectual labels, such as sensitive, introvert, the only child, perfectionist, or type A, to justify not changing in certain areas. Anything that is not of God and is part of our old nature, will keep us in its grip and bondage. We must let the old self die in order to allow the spirit man to fully take control and flourish in our lives. If we rely too heavily on our personality rather than the person of Christ, we are still living with our old nature. Our personality should not inhibit or diminish the work of the Spirit in our lives.
Baptism is a decision that follows accepting Christ and being born again. Some denominations baptize a baby/child, but the Biblical pattern shows that the baptism of an individual follows their decision to accept Christ.
The decision to be baptized is a public declaration to the world that we are in a covenant relationship with Christ, and that we are not ashamed of this relationship. Baptism is a step of obedience and is a demarkation point in a believer’s life. It puts the believer on the spiritual path of growth in their commitment before God. Have you been water baptized as a decision to publicly affirm your covenant and relationship with God?
I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.
