We are not obedient in following the Lord Jesus Christ in baptism:
When I first accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my savior, I didn’t understand the purpose of what many call “believer’s baptism.” After all, I was attending a Baptist church and for nearly three weeks after I had accepted the Lord as my Savior, I heard sermons about how baptism was not an essential part of salvation, of how the thief next to Jesus on the cross was not baptized. As a young and unlearned Christian, I knew that my salvation meant something special. I understood what the apostle Paul wrote, Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (II Corinthians 5:17). What I did not understand is the important and symbolic meaning of baptism for the born-again believer which is spelled out clearly by the apostle Paul, Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead (Colossians 2:12) and, Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).
Baptism is a public declaration that we have accepted the free gift of salvation; we are identifying with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection and are claiming his completed work as the only means of our reconciliation with God. Baptism serves as the doorway that new Christians must pass through to belong to a local New Testament church: Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls (Acts 2:41). Our baptism also follows the example set by the Lord Jesus Christ, But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Matthew 3:14-17).
As a child of God, our spiritual growth cannot move beyond our disobedience; disobedience is willfully not doing what we know to be the right and proper thing but choosing to do things our own way. The apostle James wrote, Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin (James 4:17). We cannot expect further spiritual growth as a young Christian if we have not followed the Lord Jesus Christ through his example of baptism.
About this particular series of devotionals:
For some time, I have felt the Lord pulling me into the teaching ministry. By vocation, I teach history courses at a local community college and have always enjoyed the excitement of learning something new. What I am finding is that the more serious I get about my walk with the Lord Jesus Christ, the greater the want is to teach others about the Christian faith. I began working on this devotional last night, feeling led to focus on the stumbling blocks that often keep us from spiritual growth. This morning, as I continued to put the devotional together and to develop it more, I feel that God would have me spend more time discussing the stumbling blocks that cause us to stop growing. Next Friday, the devotional will cover another area that can cause difficulty for some Christians to spiritually mature.
