Articles
Water Gives Life
Just as water breathes life into the natural world, water can also bring life to the spiritual world through the act of baptism. The first question that may come to mind is, "Why water?" In the Bible, God never comes forward saying, “This is the reason why I chose water to represent renewal and cleansing.” But, in the Old Testament there are examples of using water for ritual cleansings such as with Naaman (2 Kings:5) as well as in Leviticus chapters 14, 15, and 16. There are examples in the New Testament as well, but one that really says it plain as day is in when John the Baptist says, “I baptize with water…” (John 1).
Regarding baptism, there are many different thoughts as to the amount of water that is required. The New Testament of the Bible shows evidence that full immersion into water is required for baptism. In John 3 when both John the Baptist and Jesus were baptizing near each other, it is said that they were using the Jordan river because it is a plentiful body of water. Also, in Acts 8 when the Ethiopian eunuch got baptized, both he and Philip went into the body of water. Even if we look at the first four verses in Romans chapter six, we see that in baptism we are buried with Christ. When one gets a body ready for burial, you do not sprinkle a handful of dirt on the top of the head and pronounce the body fully buried. A pit is dug and once the body is placed inside it is covered in dirt. If this how it works for the body, then why should it not be the same for the spirit?
Ultimately it is not the power of the water that cleanses your body and spirit, it is the blood of Christ in combination with your faith. This is also why the baptizer is not the one with the power, as also demonstrated in John 3. John the Baptist’s disciples saw that Jesus was baptizing as well across the river and started debating over it. John told them that, “a person can only receive what is given to them by heaven.” It is the power of heaven and the power of Christ’s royal, heavenly blood that can take away our sins and bless us in this life.
When we are baptized, we are blessed with the best Guide and Deliverer not only as our advocate to God which is Jesus Christ but also in our heart as the Holy Spirit. Baptism is only the first step in our blessed spiritual journey; the continued faith and reverence we have for God should be forever growing in us, that we may reach our spiritual goal. When we strive to be as Christ-like as we can with love and zeal for our Lord, our efforts will lead to not only a content life on Earth but also our eternal salvation (also in Romans 6).
