You have turned my mourning into dancing for me;
You have untied my sackcloth and encircled me with joy,
That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.
Psalm 30:11-12 (NASB)
Series: Hands and Feet
Have you ever been a part of a peaceful, or maybe not so peaceful, protest? Even if you haven’t been a part of one, you may have witnessed one on TV or watched from the sidelines. I think we can agree that, no matter the side you take, there is a great deal of passion involved when we take a stand publicly. Our faith in Jesus is no different. Having faith in Him is the beginning of a lifetime filled with transformation, action, encouragement, and growth.
In Acts 2:41 (NIV) after one of Peter’s sermons regarding the life of Jesus we read:
Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
As believers, our story—our new life—began the day we said YES to Jesus. In order to be the hands and feet of Christ, we must walk humbly forward, allowing God to shape our lives, use us, and truly understand it isn’t by our own ability we operate. Every time we take action to bless someone else or follow a commandment, we make the choice to lay our old life down and rejoice in being a new creation in Christ. Although the good works, or actions, we take because of our faith, don’t save us, they do shout to the world where our heart, mind, soul, and strength abide. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV):
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
This week, we are focusing on Christian believer’s baptism. Baptism is the means by which a person makes a public profession of faith. In the waters of baptism, we proclaim our confession of faith in Jesus. This act displays to those around us that we have chosen to follow Jesus and believe He has cleansed our souls from sin, and we now have a new life through Him. The word baptize in Greek means to be submerged in water. Christian baptism illustrates the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. It also represents our death to sin and new life in Christ.
Water baptism is an outward testimony of the inward change in a believer’s life. It is considered an act of obedience to the Lord. Even though baptism is closely related to salvation, it is not a requirement to be saved. Being submerged in the water represents death to sin, and emerging from the water represents the cleansed, holy life that follows salvation. In Romans 6:4 (NASB), Paul writes:
Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.
My parents baptized me as a baby. This action did not save me, but showed my parents’ willingness to dedicate my life to God. Later, as an adult, I made the decision to be baptized as an outward sign of my growing faith in Christ and out of obedience to the scriptures. If you experienced an infant baptism, and since have made a decision to follow Jesus, you may be ready to make the decision to walk forward in believers baptism. This is one way to mark your own faith. John the Baptist baptized Jesus, not because He needed to repent, but because Jesus set the example for humanity.
If you have accepted Christ as Your Savior but have not yet made a public declaration through baptism, we encourage you to do so. Take this step with passion and with your heart bent toward obedience to Christ. It will be a blessing to you and will be an example of Jesus to those around you.
Holding Fast to Hope,
Jen
Scripture References: Psalm 30:11-12 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:4; Acts 2:38-40; Mark 16:16; Matthew 28:19