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Baptism
by Bobby Bruno Baptism is so much more than the washing away of all your sins for all time; it is the time for a new believer in Christ to show that he identifies with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. Through full immersion we are brought down into the grave (under water) and then raised to new life as a child of God as we come "out of the grave" into the Body of Christ. Infant baptism cannot accomplish this because the infant can not make a personal declaration of his/her desire to follow Jesus in all His ways, including being baptised of their own free will. Unfortunately, there are still some adult believers who have yet to be baptised in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These people are walking around following Jesus only up to a point. Until they are baptised into the family of God, they stand outside looking in, for immediate baptism after conversion was commanded (Acts 2:41, Acts 9:17-18, Acts 19:15). In the Old Testament, male infants were circumcised as a sign of baptism into the Jewish membership eight days after being born. Still, all Jews, after accepting Jesus as Lord, had to be immediately baptised, as many Scriptures point out to us (Acts 8:38). So we see that baptism is not something that is to be put off until later. Once you have professed Jesus as Lord, you must be baptised as a seal, like circumcision was to the Jews, as a sign that you wish to follow in Jesus' footsteps from the day you took His name, Christian. Comment: "I can see you feel very strongly about this Bobby, but just out of curiousity, how old do you think a child should be before he/she is mature enough to make that decision for themselves? I was nine, and even though at the time I probably didn't understand the full implications of baptism, I remember it clearly and know it was then that I began to feel the Holy Spirit moving in me...even though I didn't know that was what it was at the time! In fact it took at least another 8 to 10 years before I fully understand that the Holy Spirit was the one leading me at all. Just curious..." Author Response: Like a lot of people I believe that to be saved you must have some idea of what you are being saved from. I'm from the camp that believes that through suffering of some kind you can truly appreciate the salvation of Jesus Christ, and can understand just how loving and supportive He is. For example, I have known people who were saved as children before the age of seven (before they suffered in any way) and have not made Jesus a part of their lives. I believe this is so because they were never truly saved from any kind of pain or illness. Their lives just went on without any change because there was nothing to change in their lives because they haven't "lived" enough yet. More so, I have seen people who have suffered greatly give their entire lives to Jesus, and who praise Jesus greatly for giving them a new start and for making their lives mean something to someone. So, not to be judgmental, I believe that the more junk you had to go through in your life before being saved, gives you a better appreciation for what Jesus did for you, and how much He has changed your life. You yourself are one of the few who has followed Jesus from the time you were saved at a young age. Praise the Lord! Not many do so because the world gets in there at the teenage years and steals away their belief in following Jesus. Oh, they are still saved, but they "lose" Jesus when they see what the world has to offer. I've seen it happen too many times. I actually "accepted" Jesus in 1983, but I let the world get back in and didn't truly follow Jesus until I was "officially" saved in 1999. then I gave Jesus my whole life and now I follow Him closer than anyone on this earth. I hope this answers your question. May God bless you with His wisdom to understand Him, and other people, in all His ways! Bobby Bruno was saved 15 years ago in a way that left him no doubt that Jesus wanted him to reach others with His great and abounding love. He started writing at the age of 12 and hasn't stopped since. He achieved Associates Degree in Biblical Studies from Ohio Christian University in early 2014. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |