I've already "telegraphed the punch" on this one, but all of the power and promise of baptism depends on the answer to this question: "Who does the baptizing?"
Many Christians think of baptism as something that YOU do. It's your repentance, your commitment, your vows, your agreement to live as a Christian. So even though a pastor or another Christian may sprinkle, pour or dunk, it's the Christian being baptized who does the baptism.
Unfortunately, that way of viewing baptism limits it to self-expression, and misses much of what we've considered in the last few posts. Forgiveness, life and salvation are gifts that GOD gives. So if baptism gives these gifts, then your commitment can't be the main thing.
After all, when was the last time you committed yourself to never sinning and followed through on your commitment? Never, right?
Remember what we learned about the work of the Holy Spirit! We can't believe in Jesus on our own and we can't come to Him on our own. We need God to draw us. If baptism is just an initiation rite, then it should come after the Holy Spirit's calling and coming. But if it's just an initiation rite, it doesn't have the power of the promises that Christ has attached to it.
No. We need to turn it around. Although we do "get baptized," we don't "baptize ourselves." Baptism is something that God does to us! And that's a good thing!
No comments:
Post a Comment