Water Baptism
Jesus commanded all those who believed in him to be baptized in water. Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt.28:18-19). To be 'baptized' means to be 'totally immersed'. When a person repents from his sins and believes Jesus died for him, he or she is to be taken to water, put right under it and brought up again.
Understanding Water baptism is the key to a victorious and liberated Christian life. The act of going under the water and rising up from it is a picture demonstrating what has happened to the Christian believer.
FOUR STAGES OF CHRIST'S WORK
1 He died... we died.
"For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin - because anyone who has died has been freed from sin." (Rom 6:6,7).
2 He was buried... we were buried. "Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death" (Rom.6:3-4).
3. He was raised... we have a New Life in him (Rom.6:4-5).
4 . He ascended... I ascended in Him.
"And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6)
WATER BAPTISM IS...
1. Our funeral service! A burial service is not to kill a man off. This is only performed when the man is dead already. And so, because we have 'died' in Christ, we bury our old life in water baptism.
2. Our resurrection to New Life. WE rise out of the water demonstrating and declaring you are a new creation in Christ (Rom.6:8-11).
In water baptism we declare to all our friends and acquaintances that we are no longer part of Adam's race and the kingdom of darkness; but that we are a new creation in Christ, belonging to the Kingdom of God!
Bro Erick Mutai (Sosiot, Kenya)
