WHY STUDY YOURSELF PART 5

Exactly what is the purpose behind being baptized? The washing of baptism symbolized a radical cleaning up of a person’s life wiping the slate clean of all previous wrong-a return to God, for the Jew, a new life for the non-Jew. The baptism, unlike the ritual cleansing in the Jewish temple of the washing of the hands is a once-only thing. Once only unless you are led by the Lord to do so again.

The baptism also represents the death, burial and resurrection of our Savior Jesus. As He died in this world, was buried and arose again. We die to this world, giving our life to the Lord, we are buried by going under the water, and we rise out of the water as a new person in Christ.

There are also the promises that come with being baptized. Promises that at the moment we might not know and surely are not concerned with. In giving our life’s to the Lord, it is a deep desire to fill emptiness in our life’s. An emptiness that nothing else can fill. We at that moment care for nothing else but to know Him and have Him become a part of our life’s.

It is only afterwards that we find out that now we have rights and privileges that belong only to those that walk for Christ. Our study here is of baptism, and not the gifts so I will not list scriptures, but give a sample list of some of what comes to us as a result of this baptism. The gift of the Holy Ghost living in our life, the evidence of which is speaking in tongues. We are promised health, prosperity, long life, and much more. No they are not handed to us on a silver platter, nor do we earn them. To get the promises we are to be obedient to the Word of the Lord.

Baptism is a public or private step that we take to show our commitment to the Lord. Do we have to be baptized? Do we have to in fact go under the water? What of those who are not baptized? That is in part 6.

God Bless,
rECj