Last week, I shared the story of Nicodemus and his encounter with Jesus the Christ. This esteemed Rabbi of his time snuck into Jesus’ abode to seek answers and perhaps power. In His infinite wisdom, Jesus shifted His focus to what truly matters—to be born again,born of water and the Spirit of God.
As I continue the New Birth series this week, I will focus on water baptism—the aspect my Jesus emphasized to Nicodemus as being born of water. A closer look at the lives of our Lord Jesus Christ’s disciples reveals that water baptism was an essential part of their new journey. They began their journeys with Jesus Christ with water baptism interwoven into the very core of their new births. These men led lives alive in the flesh, dead to the life-giving spirit of God, but as soon as they met with Jesus Christ, there was a turn around – there was a realization of the kind of lives they led. I vividly recall Peter’s reaction when he encountered Jesus Christ at his workplace, probably for the first time. LOL! I say “vividly” like I was there. Anyways, turn to your bible with me to Luke 5: 1-11, Simon Peter and his friends were men stuck up on their old ways until they saw the miraculous through the power of Jesus Christ. As soon as Peter saw the miraculous sign of Jesus, he exclaimed for Jesus to depart from him! “Depart from me for I am a sinful man!”, he said- Luke 5:1-11. Unknown to Him, he was loved and the Lord had great use of him. Perhaps you feel unloved, you think you are so sinful and way beyond redemption, the lord is saying to you today – “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.”- Luke 5:10.
I digressed a little because the Lord needed you, yes, you to read the above. You are loved and in need of by the King of Kings, stop running.:)
The Significance of Water Baptism
Back to water baptism, I was building up a case for the disciples of Jesus Christ, trying to show you that they all got baptized in water to pledge their allegiance to Jesus Christ and their new life in Him. In Acts chapter 10, our dear brother, Apostle Peter, visited Caesarea under the Lord’s direction. He preached the good news of Jesus Christ to Cornelius, his family, and friends – they got baptized in the Holy Ghost(about Holy Ghost baptism I have shared about here, here, and I will still share in the coming weeks under the “New birth series”) – Acts 10:45. Clearly, the Lord jumped protocols, He switched things around here and Peter was astonished- Acts 10:444-45. The order of receiving the New Life of Christ starts with first confession of Jesus as Lord and Savior, water baptism, and Holy Ghost baptism. This interaction shows us clearly that God can not be boxed, His ways are way higher than ours and He can choose to do as He pleases.
So, Acts 10:47-48 records Peter’s response to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on God’s people. He asked, “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” Then, he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Emphasizing “just as we have” in verse 47, it is clear that Peter was affirming that these men and women should partake in the same baptism that he and the other disciples had undergone. Moreover, a mentor-mentee or shepherd-sheep relationship involves the mentee or sheep following the example of the mentor or shepherd to achieve similar results.
We also see that Peter issued the command for these people to be baptized in water after they had already received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I am certain that Apostle Peter would never subject his mentees to experiences he had not gone through. Finally, to elaborate on the fact that water baptism isn’t some doctrine that someone coined out of the air – our very own Jesus Christ, who is our standard, was baptized in the river Jordan by John the Baptist – Matthew 3:13-17. As soon as He was baptized, God expressed His joy and pride in Jesus Christ. Matthew 3:16-17 says that as soon as Jesus had been baptized, a voice from heaven said, This is My beloved son, in whom I am well pleased”. It is safe to say that it pleases God to see His Children become baptized of water in the name of the Lord.
Now what is water baptism?
In 2016, when I gave my life to Jesus, Christ, and went through foundation class for new believers, I remember my teacher gave an analogy about water baptism and this is how I understood it: water baptism as recommended by Jesus Christ should be done after genuine repentance has occurred in a man’s life. A man or woman or girl or boy who decides to forsake his or her old way of living to live fully for God should become baptized in water by immersion, not sprinkling of water – immersion. I was baptized in water as a baby, but that did not count because: 1. I was a baby girl straight out of heaven, I was clueless about sin, 2. There was no consciousness or knowledge of the love of Jesus Christ.
Secondly, water baptism by immersion is so symbolic and has spiritual potency; it is symbolic of one’s death of the old man, symbolic of our baptism into the death of Jesus Christ. And our upliftment from the pool of water is symbolic of our resurrection to a new life through Jesus Christ. Apostle Paul puts it so well in Romans 6:3-4
3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Romans 6:3-4 Nkjv
I love that “The Passion Translation puts it in such a way that we both can easily comprehend,
or have you forgotten that all of us who were immersed into union with Jesus, the Anointed One, were immersed into union with His death? Sharing in His death by our baptism means that we were co-buried with Him, so that when the Father’s glory raised Christ from the dead, we were also raised with Him, We have been co-resurrected with Him so that we could be empowered to walk in the freshness of new life.
Romans 6:3-4 TPT
In my “lingo” when you decide to get baptized in the name of the Lord, aka water baptism – once you are deeped or submerged into the pool of water, it puts a seal to your union with Christ Jesus. It symbolizes your union to death with Him on the cross. And as soon as you are lifted from the pool, it symbolizes your resurrection with Christ Jesus, your resurrection to the Glory God made for you, symbolizes freedom from sin and slavery, resurrection to the new life in Christ Jesus, resurrection to live and reign forever with Jesus the Christ.
Apostle Paul puts it this way in verses 5 and 6
“For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection. Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.
Romans 6:5-6 Nkjv
Therefore, my dearest friend, I hope and pray that you consider these details I have shared with you. I hope you see the significance of water baptism and take steps to become baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Yaweh Shalom 🙂