Do you remember your baptism? This is a question I frequently ask the wonderful people I talk with in many of my visits. Some remember being immersed as a young person, or even an adult. Others don’t remember because they were baptized as an infant. No matter when they were baptized, it marks a significant, life-changing point in their lives.
As a nine-year-old in Vacation Bible School, I made my own profession of faith and was baptized by immersion in my little Baptist church. At that young age, I made the decision on my own, but the journey to know more about Jesus and what He did for me has been a lifelong quest, and it continues as I daily seek to become more like Jesus in my actions and words.
I did not grow up in a church that baptized infants, so I was curious as to why this baptism was “legitimate.” This is one more sign of the Prevenient grace we have in Christ. Jesus claims us as his own and loves us long before we have knowledge or comprehension. I have grown to understand the importance of this public commitment by the parents to raise their child to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. As this child grows, it is the prayer of their “village” that they will confirm their faith as their own—often in a Confirmation class. I am thankful that all three of my grown children (baptized as infants) made their personal profession of faith in Jesus through confirmation.
From Genesis to Revelation, water is a powerful symbol of creation, judgment, purification, and spiritual life. Water represents both physical life and spiritual renewal. In the fourth chapter of John (vs. 13-14), Jesus describes himself as the source of “living water.” Jesus offers us this living water when we are baptized as believers. We will never thirst spiritually when we are born again in Christ.
Baptism is an outward and visible sign of an inward transformation, instituted by Jesus Christ. It symbolizes the death and burial of Christ, and our old way of life. Whether we are baptized as an infant, child, or adult, by sprinkling or by immersion, in the river or a baptistry, we are: “Buried with Christ in baptism, and raised to walk in a new way of life.”
This summer, we will, once again, gather at the river for baptisms. As we celebrate those who are taking this life-changing step of faith in Jesus, we will commit to providing encouragement to them and to one another as we all seek to know more about Jesus and follow in his ways.
Come to the Living Water!
Join us for this year’s River Baptisms & Picnic on July 26 @ Finley River at 5pm. If you have never been baptized but have made the personal decision to accept Christ as your savior, we invite you to talk to a pastor about getting baptized at this year’s River Baptism! Call the church office at 417-881-6800.