|
Immersion There are two physical attributes about water,
which may help us understand why God put water in His plan to save us. 1. Organically,
water helps promote life. Humans
cannot live but a few days without a drink, our bodies are more than half
water. Spiritually too, we need water to survive, so we must drink
spiritually, Psalm 143:6. God doesn't
want our souls to be parched. Jesus
said, "If anyone is thirsty, let Him come to me and drink", John
7:37. He promised the woman at the
well, that if she drank of His water, she would never thirst again, John
4:13-14. Paul taught that we are made
to drink of the Spirit, 1st Corinthians 12:13, by faith in baptism. The scriptural analogy of Jesus being the
Bread of Life and the Spirit being the water of life is appropriate
here. This is the reason why God chose
the element of water to play such an important part in the gospel. It is a refreshing experience to be
forgiven and this is why Peter proclaimed forgiveness of sins by repentance
and water baptism, Acts 2:38-39. He
called it times of refreshing, Acts 3:19-20. Jesus taught
Nicodemus that to be born of the water and the Spirit is essential for
entering into the Kingdom of God, John 3:3-5.
It is no coincidence that from the beginning of the suffering
sacrifice of Jesus, there was water involved when He shed His blood for our
sins to be forgiven. Water in the
perspiration and blood while praying in Gethsemane and also water with the
blood when the soldier pierced His side on the cross, Luke 22:44 & John
19:34. Indeed there is something good
about water which deals with evil, Jesus said demons seek dry places when
they are not able to possess and torture humans, Luke 11:24. Indeed baptism does
ALSO save us, 1st Peter 3:21. We can
not have just a little of it sprinkled on us, to enjoy the full meaning of
water’s place in God's plan, water is indeed
an element God uses as a burial into Christ's death, where we join His life
through his victory over death, Romans 6:1-7. 2. Hygienically,
water attracts foreign elements, therefore promoting cleanliness. Water throughout the globe has minerals,
nutrients & bacteria in it, because the molecular structure of water
attracts other molecules. Spiritually we might imagine the waters of baptism,
or the burial of Christ we are joined with in His death, to attract our sins
and wash them away from our heart. This would be a good picture of the
circumcision of Christ, cutting away what is unnecessary from our hearts in
baptism, Col. 2:11-12. The shadow of this
part of God's plan in the Old Testament was the large immersionist laver for
the priests cleansing. Exodus 40:11-15.
The Laver was used for priests to wash in, before they could serve in
the Temple and perform any duties.
They were not acceptable for service unless they had washed. This is the shadow of our reality, because
God calls every Christian male & female, a “royal Priesthood”, 1st Peter
2:9. The Christian's service is not acceptable to God, our good works aren’t
even acceptable/sanctified unless our souls which motivate our works are
cleansed by the blood of Jesus in baptism, this is where we meet His blood in
his death by faith, the watery grave of baptism. Please do not misunderstand God’s ordinance
of baptism from Jesus, it is not our work which saves us, it is His work or operation which he uses in the
circumcision of Christ upon our heart. Colossians 2:11-12. Baptism is our
expression of faith in his work of the
circumcision of Christ made without hands upon our heart.
Get the mark of the covenant, if you haven’t already got it now! The
circumcision of our heart is desired by God from ancient times and performed
today in modernity. Dt. 10:16, 30:6 & Jer. 4:4. This week’s pointer in prayer; Do we request
God to cleanse our heart for us, after we have entered into Christ’s covenant
in baptism? |