Acts 8:35-38
The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with that very passage of scripture and told Him the Good News about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.
Romans 6:3-5
Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 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.
Devotion
One of the New Testament doctrines that is very important is the doctrine of believer’s baptism. Some faiths baptize babies. This comes from a false teaching that baptism saves. If this were true, of course we would want to baptize every child born. There is no New Testament record of babies ever being baptized. We only see believers being baptized as a declaration of their faith. If you were baptized as a baby, this was a declaration of your parent’s faith. We practice baby and child dedications but not baby baptisms. You can refer back to Monday’s devotion for more about child dedications.
As we learned yesterday, baptism pictures the death of the old self before we trusted Jesus as our Savior. It also pictures the resurrection of a new life in Christ. A baby is not aware of their sinful nature and the need for a savior. So, here at Oak Pointe Church, we believe we are on sound biblical ground by teaching believer’s baptism. We also believe the method of baptism is important. We believe that immersion is the best way to communicate what Jesus did for us. Immersion clearly pictures the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. In the early church, baptism was by immersion. Nowhere in scripture is the sprinkling of babies or adults taught.
Baptism is a joyful experience as a true child of God declares their faith in Jesus! Baptism is something that needs to be celebrated in the life of every believer. In a pamphlet entitled, Baptism My Next Step, the author reveals three different motives for being baptized: obedience, love, and joy. If you have truly put your faith in Christ, you will not hesitate to publicly declare your faith through baptism. In Luke 12:8, Jesus declares, “I tell you, whoever acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God.”
Questions to Ponder
Were you baptized as a baby? Have you publicly declared your faith through believer’s baptism by immersion? Are you a new creation in Christ? In what ways is your life different from your life pre-Christ? Will Jesus publicly acknowledge you in heaven? How does the way in which you live your life testify of your faith in Jesus?
Spend some time in prayer meditating on what God revealed to you today.