THE DEFINITION:
Baptism is a traditional Christian rite practiced in almost all Christian churches around the world, regardless of denomination.
According to biblical texts. The water of baptism symbolises both the death by immersion of the believer's old life, given over to sin, and his birth into a divine and eternal dimension. which we also call born again.
UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER BAPTISM IN YOUR LIFE:
In the early days of the Church, due to persecution, water baptism was obligatory because it was the only way for the new member to officially integrate into the Christian community.
From the earliest days of the Church, being baptised in public was mandatory to help the Church know whether your decision to follow Jesus is truly true or false; Also to avoid the infiltration of traitors, one had to go through the water of baptism before being accepted as a member of the Christian community.
NB: We are not born children of God, but we can become children of God.
HOW TO BECOME A CHILD OF GOD?
For you to understand the importance of water baptism in your life, you must ask yourself this question: how to become a child of God ? and According to the Bible, water baptism is part of the procedure that you must complete to you become a child of God or a citizen of heaven.
John 1:12-13 tried to explain to us how we can become children of God. And Mark 16:16 and Acts 2:38 confirm to us that water baptisms are part of this process of our salvation or the process of becoming a child of God
BIBLE VERSES:
John 1: 12-13
But to all who received her, to those who believe in her name, she gave power to become children of God, 13) who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Matthew 28:19
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Mark 16:16
Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Acts 2:38
Peter said unto them, Repent, and let each one of you be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
WHAT DOES WATER BAPTISM MEAN IN THE BIBLE?
1) PUBLIC EXPRESSION OF YOUR FAITH:
It is the outward expression of your faith and your commitment to follow Jesus Christ as your saviour and lord until the end of your life.
2) OFFICIAL CEREMONY THAT WILL INTRODUCE YOU TO CHRISTIAN LIFE:
It is the official ceremony or sacrament that introduces you to Christian life and the community life of the church. This means that from today you are officially a Christian, a child of God and a member of our local church.
3) THE ACT AND COMMITMENT THAT WILL OFFICIALLY OPEN THE DOOR OF PARADISE FOR YOU: It is the act and the commitment that open the door to paradise for you. So being baptised will help you realise your salvation in Jesus Christ and if you die now your soul will be brought to live with God.
4) THE OFFICIAL DECISION DAY TO FOLLOW CHRIST:
This is the day you publicly accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord. To follow him until the end of your life. And you'll never be ashamed of being a Christian or going to church in your life.
5) THE DAY OF CONFIRMATION OF YOUR SALVATION:
Baptism is a life decision, so you need to make sure you understand what you are doing and why you are making this decision. I just want to say that you have to make sure that you are already assured of the salvation of your soul in Christ.
NB: But if your soul is not saved, the act of baptism will do nothing in your life to save you. Thus, your baptism will only have an impact on your life if the water encounters a real change in your soul.
6) THE DAY YOU AGREE TO SIGN AN AGREEMENT WITH CHRIST:
By baptism, you agree to give the Master Jesus Christ the right to use your body as he sees fit, which means that from this day on, your body will no longer be your body; your body will become the temple of God, the house of the Holy Spirit, and the private possession of Jesus Christ.
The same is true when someone gets married, the wedding ceremony will give the husband the right to use your body to achieve his desire. And you can't say no when the other person needs you. Likewise, by agreeing to be baptized in water, you have agreed to give Jesus Christ the right to use your body for His glory until the end of your life.
7) YOU PUBLICLY AGREE TO HONOR CHRIST ALL YOUR LIFE:
Being baptised means you agree to honor Jesus Christ on your body, mind, and soul forever until the end of your life. And from now on, you should do your best to avoid sin in your life and start living the life that will honor Jesus Christ. So you have to make sure that you are holy all the time, day by day, until the end of your life.
Similarly, when you get married, you will definitely stop sleeping with another man because your new status will not allow it. Likewise, your new status as a child of God will prevent you from living a life of sin. So you have to let go of any bad life that might affect your relationship with God.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20
Flee from sexual immorality. Any other sin that a man commits, that sin is outside the body; but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is in you, whom you have received from God, and which you do not belong to yourselves? 20For you have been bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which appears to God.
8) YOU COMPLETE YOUR SALVATION IN CHRIST:
The Bible says that the person who believes and is baptised will be saved. This scripture means that baptism is part of your salvation, so you need to take that into account. without it you are half saved, so you must do it if you can, it is part of your journey of salvation as a Christian.
Mark 16:16
Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
NB: The person who is not baptised is like the person who is not legally married, but they living in the same house doing everything that married people do and they even have children, but there is no legal marriage and no official ceremony or certificate to confirm their relationship in public.
9)THE CEREMONY OF YOUR COMMITMENT AND YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST:
Baptism is therefore the day of the ceremony of your commitment and your relationship with Jesus Christ. You must understand that as of today you are officially engaged to Jesus Christ. And he will pick you up for the wedding ceremony one day, so you have to be ready all the time by keeping your body, soul and mind clean for him everyday.
There are two expressions I want you to understand:
Receive water and be baptised:
Receive water means that I put water in you or in your head. Like some churches do but it's not really baptism, real baptism means you have to go underwater with your whole body, that's why we call it baptism by immersion. which means your whole body has to go underwater. is the word baptism means to pass under.
10) THE DAY OF YOUR FORMER MAN'S BURIAL:
An important meaning that you must also understand about baptism: you must understand that baptism is the day of the burial of your old self. Which means the Adamic sin nature that we inherit from our birth.
So when you go under the water of baptism, it means the burial of your old man and when you come out of the water of baptism, it is the sign of resurrection with your new person in Christ.
NB: So in this case baptism is your burial and resurrection ceremony.
In the same way Jesus Christ died and rose from the dead.
Roman 6:4
We were therefore buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
Colosians2:1-2
So if you're resurrected with Christ, seek things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
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