Lesson: The Grace of God (Day 18) Let us continue our study about the grace of God using the word of God. Today, let us tackle Matthew 3:16-17. The passage is as follows: “After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened [for him], and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove [and] coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’” (NABRE) In Day 14 of this series, we have discussed Mark 16:15-16 where Jesus said that only those who BELIEVE in the gospel AND are BAPTIZED will be SAVED. In Day 16 of this series, we have discussed Acts 2:38 where Peter told his believing audience to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins and they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. In yesterday’s post (Day 17), we have discussed Galatians 3:26-27 where Paul reminded the Galatian Christians that we were already CHILDREN of God through faith in Christ Jesus because ALL of them who were BAPTIZED into Christ had CLOTHED themselves with Christ. I hope by this time, we are already convinced that salvation will only take place after baptism. But what is baptism, and why was Jesus baptized? First, let us discuss what is baptism. In Matthew 3:16 we can read that after Jesus was baptized, HE CAME UP FROM THE WATER. Why did He come up from the water? It means that He first went down into the water. The baptism that Jesus commanded is BURIAL or IMMERSION in water. So one has to go down into the water first, then he/she will be baptized, then he/she will come out from the water. So the question is, “Did you come up from water after you got baptized?” If not, then you have to think about it. Remember baptism answers the question, “When is a sinner saved?” It is ONLY AFTER HE/SHE GOT BAPTIZED. So without the “WHEN,” salvation has not taken place yet. Now, let us discuss why was Jesus baptized, when in fact, He has not committed any sin (1 Peter 2:22)? John the Baptist also knew this because He tried to prevent Christ from being baptized (Matthew 3:14). But Jesus insisted saying, “it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). Well if we have observed carefully what happened after His baptism, we will understand what will happen after our baptism. The first thing that happened was that the heavens were opened for Him. What does this mean? This simply means that after one gets out from water after baptism, he/she can die and enter heaven because it is already open. This is true because Jesus assured us in Mark 16:16 by saying, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” Peter also assured us in Acts 2:38 that after baptism our sins are forgiven. The second thing that happened was that the Spirit of God descended like a dove. This will happen to us after we come out from water because Peter assured us in Acts 2:38 that we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The last thing that happened was that a voice came from heavens saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” This can happen to us after we come up from water because Paul informed us that those who were baptized into Christ have clothed themselves with Christ, which made them children of God through faith in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26-27). Can we see now the important role of baptism in a sinner’s life? But many people are allergic to baptism. It is because Satan does not want them to be saved. Many people teach that one can be saved without baptism. It is because Satan does not want them to be saved. Do you want to follow Christ or Satan? If Christ who was sinless got baptized, what more for sinners who need to be saved? I hope we will not let Satan win the battle. I encourage you to BELIEVE in the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-5), REPENT of your past sins and beliefs, and be BAPTIZED so that you will be SAVED from the penalty of second death.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:44:06 +0000
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