Baptism Sunday

Baptism Sunday

By Pastor Kent Munsey

September 5, 2021

And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.

Acts 22:16 (NIV)

Today is Baptism Sunday. It is so easy for us as Christians to overthink and underact when it comes to God’s word. The very first instruction that we have as Christ-followers is to be baptized. If it is first and foremost to God, it should be first and foremost to us.

The Bible says that on the day of Pentecost, the day the church was born, Peter stood up and declared the Gospel. It is the good news of Jesus Christ. The Bible says that the people were cut to the heart. They asked, What must we do to be saved? Peter declared, Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be baptized.

Baptism is not about salvation; baptism is about identification. It is about identifying with the death of Jesus. Jesus loves us so much that he didn’t just die for us, but he died as us. He took the penalty for our sins, he hung on the cross, and he paid the ultimate price.

The Bible says that God has put eternity in the hearts of men because we were created to live forever. Created in the image of God, but sin separated us from God. It ushered in sickness and death. But God loved us so much that he was working to reconcile us back to God. We believe that there is eternal life in Christ Jesus.

Baptism is about an inward belief in Christ Jesus. It is about declaring publicly what we believe about Christ Jesus--that he died and rose again. The Gospel is resurrection. When we step into the waters of baptism, we are obeying the very first command of Jesus. When we identify with Jesus through the waters of Baptism, we are stepping into a spiritual grave. We are saying Jesus, you died so that we could live, so we are going to recognize the price that you paid and surrender our lives to you. We are going to die to ourselves, our flesh, and be buried.

We need for others to see that we have been changed and born again. We were once dead in our sin, but Jesus, in his love, raised us to a new life.

If we believe in the Lord Jesus, we are saved. We are forgiven of our sins. We are a part of God’s family, his eternal family, today and forever. What did we do to earn it? Nothing. What did we do to deserve it? Nothing. It was a free gift. But, we do need to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be baptized.

We do not need to get baptized every time we sin. Nothing can wash away our sins but the blood of Jesus. Jesus is either Lord of all or not Lord at all. If baptism matters to God, it should matter to us.

Reflection/Discussion Questions:

1. Have you identified yourself as a Christian by getting baptized?

2. Have you declared publicly your belief in Jesus Christ?

3. If you have already been baptized, how did baptism mark a new beginning in your life and relationship with God?

4. If you have not yet been baptized, ask Jesus to speak to you and lead you in the next steps in your relationship with him.