You Need to be Baptized

What if I told you that becoming a follower of Jesus is much like a couple joining together in marriage? The moment we decide to make Jesus our Lord, we enter a covenant relationship with him. The word covenant means “to cut,” and it describes a sacred, permanent, all-in relationship! In this scenario, Jesus is the one who was cut, his blood was poured out, and he sacrificed his life that we might have an intimate, permanent relationship with him! Much like a couple exchanges rings in a marriage ceremony as a sign of their covenant, Jesus instituted the act of water baptism as a sign of his covenant with us. It’s the first thing Jesus commanded us to do as believers. Getting water baptized means we are choosing to be publicly identified with Jesus—declaring our love and loyalty to him! It is a public display of the internal choice that we have made. As we go down into the water, it is symbolic of the death to the sin that was in our life. It also represents our choice to die to living for ourselves. As we are raised up, it is symbolic of being a new person ready to live for God. It is a representation of being born again as a completely new creation. Water baptism is an expression of us receiving Jesus' death as the payment for all our sins and failures. Much like when you get up in the morning and take a shower to clean your body, water baptism is a picture of how Jesus' blood cleanses our hearts and consciences. The difference is while I may need to take a bath every day, what Jesus did is a permanent, everlasting act! If you’re feeling the pull to be baptized again, as a new declaration of your choice to follow Jesus, Just do it! The worst-case scenario is that you get an extra bath that week! If you’re ready to be water baptized, don’t hesitate to reach out to your local church! Here at TFC if you would like to learn more about baptism, visit TFC.org/baptsim to sign up today! Matthew 28:18-20 - “Now wherever you go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Romans 8:1 - "Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."