Question
6 1Peter 3:18-22,
Genesis
7:6-10 Water is Baptism? Water is God’s way of showing the fullness of
His grace.
“6
Noah was 600 years old when the flood covered the earth. 7 He went on
board the boat to escape the flood—he and his wife and his sons and their
wives. 8 With them were all the various kinds of animals—those approved
for eating and for sacrifice and those that were not—along with all the birds
and the small animals that scurry along the ground. 9 They entered the
boat in pairs, male and female, just as God had commanded Noah. 10 After
seven days, the waters of the flood came and covered the earth.” (Genesis
7:6-10 NLT)
“18
¶ Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died
for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he
was raised to life in the Spirit. 19 So he went and preached to the
spirits in prison— 20 those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited
patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from
drowning in that terrible flood. 21 ¶ And that water is a picture of
baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a
response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. 22 Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is
seated in the place of honor next to God, and all the angels and authorities
and powers accept his authority.” (1 Peter 3:18-22 NLT)
Why
do we fight about Baptism? It amazes me
that we can fight over Baptism which is a sign of God’s grace.
Baptism is
done by God!
Baptism is a symbol of what God does in us!
The important part is not how we do Baptism, but that we by faith allow
God to work in us.
Water is
not the important part! Jesus
will baptize us with fire and the Holy Spirit.
The word fire has the idea of lightning.
Our part is
faith, not the ceremony! Our
faith opens our lives to God’s power and purpose working in and through
us. Infant baptism acts through the
faith of the parents and is seen in scripture in the story of the jailer who
had his whole family baptized in the middle of the night! (Acts 16:25-34)
“That which we do not understand we
turn into ritual or ceremony.”
Saved
through water. Peter reminds us that baptism is like the Ark
and is God’s way of saving us from the flood and from destruction.
Cleansing
power. Baptism is a symbol of God’s cleansing
power. Peter reminds us that God’s
cleansing is not removing dirt but cleanses our hearts and minds through Jesus
Christ!
Symbol of
resurrection. Baptism incorporates us into the resurrection
of Jesus and is a symbol that God enables us to join with Christ in heaven. Peter says it so beautifully:
“18
¶ Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died
for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he
was raised to life in the Spirit.”
God
left the glories of Heaven and made the way for us to call Heaven our home!
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