(Part 2 of
2)
“Then Jesus came from Galilee to the
Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to
be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now;
it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.”-Matthew 3:13-15.
The second
reason it was proper for Jesus to be baptized by John was that it allowed Jesus
to identify with sinners. Jesus understood that he was providing a path of
spiritual growth for us to follow. Although Christ had no sins to be repented
of or washed away; he modeled what would be the initial step of obedience and
demonstration of our faith upon accepting Christ:
“God made his who had no sin to be sin for
us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”-2 Corinthians
5:21.
Lastly, it
was also proper for Jesus to be baptized because it fulfilled scripture:
“A voice of one calling in the desert,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord, and make straight paths for him.’”-Isaiah 40:3.
Isaiah the
prophet revealed hundreds of years before this moment that John would come to
prepare the way for the Messiah. It was a significant moment in the life of
Christ as scripture was fulfilled and as prophesies came to pass.
Jesus was
baptized in keeping with the will and righteousness of God; because of this we
too must embrace baptism as an imperative milestone in our own faith walk.
Peter recognized this in Acts 2:37-39:
“When the people heard this, they were cut to
the heart and aid to Peter and the other apostles, “Brother’s what shall we
do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of
Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin.
And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
After we
repent, we must publically accept Jesus Christ. Baptism is the outward
expression of that inward commitment. He was baptized to identify with us; now
we are baptized in order to identify with him. As we are baptized we identify,
through immersion, with his death, burial, and resurrection; proclaiming that
He is our Lord and Savior.
We proclaim
through baptism that we have died to sin, Satan, and worldly desires; and are
now a new creation in Christ Jesus having been raised to life with him. The old
is gone the new has come.
If you have
repented of your sins and asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, the next step
in your Christian walk is baptism
Pastor Scott
Burr
Dayspring
Community Church
No comments:
Post a Comment