Water Baptism
Water baptism is not a ritual that a person , who believes in Christ undertakes.
Who can be Water Baptized?
There are two important conditions that validate a Water baptism.
Belief: A person needs to put their personal trust and believe from the heart that Jesus died for their sins and rose again from the dead.
Repent: A person needs to acknowledge that he is a sinner and has sinned before God and now is willing to turn away from his old ways of life.
If the two conditions are now being understood by the person then the person should get water baptized as soon as possible.
What is the significance of water baptism?
"Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death ....."
- Baptism is not a ritual but we are buried into His death. What death is Paul talking about? Surely it is not the death on the cross. That death only Jesus could die for our sins since He was sinless.
He was talking about the dying to sin,( Rom 6:2 , 3, 11, 13 )which Jesus lived on a daily basis.
Jesus told His disciples to carry the cross daily .( Lk 9:23 ) What does carrying the cross signify? It speaks about dying to self on a daily basis.( Gal 2:20) . Remember Jesus never preached, what He did not practice. ( Acts. 1:1 ) .
- When we are baptized, we are baptized into this attitude of dying to sin, we learn to say no, to sin. We have a mind which is different from the people in the world.( 1 Cor 2: 16 ).
This is the work of the Lord.
We are baptized into the imprint/ mould of the life of Jesus. Praise the Lord.
Therefore we can confess, we have the mind of Christ.
What is the outcome of this Water Baptism ?.
"As Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.
Romans 6:4 "
🔹Our life is renewed and we have the new walk, not the kind when we did not know Him personally. We begin a new journey, a new walk. Now we understand what the scriptures say " He that is in Christ is s a new creation." ( I Cor 5:17).
🔹 We receive the assurance of Salvation.
( Mark 16:16).
Recap: Two points are essentials for water baptism :
1. Belief in Jesus
2. Repentance from our sins.
A person who has an understanding of these things should be water baptized.
A child is too small in understanding these things, hence "child baptism" is not valid according to the scriptures.