Neighborhood Church of Redding
Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Baptism

Baptism
 
May 15th and 16th there will be Spring Baptisms.

In early times baptisms were conducted in public places where family and friends could observe. This public witness marked the person as a follower of Christ. Though today baptisms are often done in church buildings for convenience, a public statement still is a part of the meaning. The person who is baptized identifies with Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

The Apostle Paul explained that baptism also symbolizes the believer’s union with Christ:
“Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:3-4)

Immersion in the baptismal waters symbolizes the end of the old way of life. Coming up out of the baptismal waters pictures the new life found in Christ. The person who was previously dead in sin has been made spiritually alive by the same power that raised up Jesus from the grave. United with Him, the believer is released from the power of sin in order to obey God.
Paul portrays this life change this way:
“ ... for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” (Galatians 3:27)

Water baptism identifies a person as a disciple of Christ and celebrates the passage from an old life into a new life in Christ. Simply stated, it is an outward sign of an inward change