| Romans 6:1-4 "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 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." The meaning of baptism is to die, be buried and be resurrected with the Lord. The world is ruled by money, so our eyes often see nothing but dollar signs. The world always values youth, so we adamantly pursue vanity in our appearance. Our old selves like to follow the desires of our flesh, so we often hear people say "I just do whatever I want." That is the way of self-centeredness and worldliness. After we accept the Lord, however, we no longer follow the way of the world and the desires of our flesh. We are willing to put our old selves to death on the cross with the Lord and let the life of Jesus be resurrected inside us. Therefore, Paul said in Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." When the early church baptized new believers, they didn't proclaim "I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost." Instead, they would say "I put you to death in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost." It might sound creepy at first, but it is actually what happens! "I no longer live" signifies that we will die with the Lord, and "Christ lives in me" signifies that we will start to live for the Lord. Baptism is the turning point our life and also a major decision point, so we can take the ceremony lightly. We often hear people say that "as long as you believe, it doesn't really matter whether you get baptized." Actually, believe and be baptized are inseparable spiritual foundations; one is the experience insides, the other is the testimony outside, and they affirm each other. To show that both are necessary, Paul said in Romans 10:9: "...if you confess with your mouth (outside)... and believe in your heart (inside)..., you will be saved." I've seen many who come to church and claim to believe but never baptized. They often wander in the spiritual wilderness and cannot have a breakthrough in their spiritual journey, because they cannot be absolutely sure that they are Christians. They can't say that they are because they've not been baptized, but they are like Christians because they've spent years in the church, so many of them end up drifting away. In addition, baptism is an important testimony. Even non-believers know that once a person is baptized, it means he or she is a just a spectator, but a real believer. Many people never encountered opposition from their family before they are baptized, but as soon as they want to be baptized, their family start to oppose their faith. Evidently, baptism is a clear testimony of faith and it can't be treated lightly. Do you know the true meaning of baptism? Once you know the true meaning of baptism, you will not be able to live for yourself anymore, but you will live for the Savior who has died and was resurrected. 
Pray with Pastor Tong Liu Lord, I thank you because you died for us, and you resurrected us from death. May the Lord help us, let us die and live with you in our daily life, so that the power of resurrection of Christ will be manifested through us. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen! |
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