MCGI Topic Review| What Does The Bible Say About Baptism?
One of the most significant teachings in bible is baptism and when I read extensively on this subject, I understood the seriousness and significance of this teaching in the Christian life.
Baptism is only a religious activity to many people but after reading the Scripture and hearing various teachings, particularly that of MCGI, I realized that baptism is a spiritual process that links a believer to Christ at a personal level.
To begin with, the Bible reveals that baptism is a God order. In Mark 16:16, Jesus Himself stated: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. This implies that baptism is not a choice.
It is an obedience step following the belief in the gospel. It occurred to me as I reached this that real faith needs to have action after it. The initial step of commitment is through faith, and this step is finished through baptism.
Second, the Bible gives the meaning of baptism in a direct manner. According to Romans 6: 4, the Scripture states, we are buried with Him at baptism into death. This demonstrates the fact that baptism is analogous to being buried with Christ and resurrected together with Him.
It is the image of forgetting about the old sinful life. When I read this critically, I realized that baptism is not about water but it is spiritual transformation. It marks the beginning of a new life, a new beginning and a clean conscience with God.
The other significant aspect that I acquired is that baptism should be performed properly. People have been baptized in the Bible, as the immersion in water was carried out. This is how Jesus Himself was baptized in Matthew 3:16 when it reads that, Jesus, upon baptism, went up immediately out of the water.
This demonstrates that bible baptism was not through sprinkling. It was a complete baptism with complete submission to God. This fact was quite significant to me as it teaches us that we must do what is demonstrated in the Scriptures but not what has been taught in traditions.
Baptism is also related to forgiveness of sins. Acts 2:38 Peter answered, Repent, and be baptized, [repentance] unto sins. This helped me to realize that the baptism is a process that cleanses the sins not the water but it is the power of God through obedience. With this in mind, I contemplated on this and it brought to my mind that God can use mere things to bring a great deal of spiritual blessings.
Lastly, I understood that baptism is the start and not the finish. Once a believer has been baptized, he or she has to obey God and grow in faith in addition to leading a holy life. This is the same thing that baptism is coming into a new family; the family of God.
Researching on this topic helped me to appreciate baptism more and view it as an understanding step that every believer must take.
To sum up, it is clearly taught in the bible that baptism is a command, a sign of new life, an act of obedience and a way of spiritual cleansing. This study taught me a lot, and I found it easy to appreciate the profound meaning attached to this significant practice of Christianity.