Christian Baptism, Grace and Holiness

Length: 10 minutes

Congratulations! You have chosen Life. That life is Jesus Christ. It is the desire of the almighty God to save everyone. God has demonstrated His willingness to save mankind by raising Jesus Christ up from the dead. After his resurrection, our Lord Jesus asked his disciples to go the whole world and preach this gospel (good news) of salvation to all people.

15  And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation
16  Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 

Mark 16:15,16

Baptism and repentance

Jesus is clear enough that ‘whoever believes and is baptized will be saved’. This means that baptism is an important step a believer must take in order to be saved. But that baptism will not be effective if there is no belief or conviction in the gospel of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 8:12). This belief must make the candidate grief, confess and repent from his sins. God is willing to forgive us our sins and this forgiveness is perfected in the baptism which in symbol is also the washing away of our sins.

What then is baptism?

We can understand baptism by looking at the scripture itself.

3  Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 
4  We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life
5  For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 
6  We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 
7  For one who has died has been set free from sin. 

Romans 6:3-7
Christian Baptism

Therefore, by accepting to be dipped or immersed into the waters of baptism, we symbolically associate ourselves with the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Once we come out of the waters, all our sins will be cleared and forgiven because of our new association and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

16  And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’ 

Acts 22:16

6  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 

John 14:6

All examples of baptism in the Bible are done in a river or pool where there is sufficient water to completely immerse the candidate. The advice of other brothers and sisters in Christ will be sought after prayerfully if one finds himself in a rare place where there is no water like in the desert places or perhaps, where persecution will not allow an immersion in water or pool to take place.

We are saved by Grace

Grace is nothing but unmerited favor we get because we are in Christ Jesus. We are not deserving of God’s love, but He loves us. This salvation of God and forgiveness of sins is freely given to us in Christ by God.

8  but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us

Romans 5:8

For us to understand grace better, consider also these words:

7  so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 
8  For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 

9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 

10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. 

Ephesians 2:7-9

Here are some of the points we can pick out to understand that we are saved by grace:

  1. We are saved by faith through Faith in Christ Jesus
  2. Salvation is not by our works but a gift given to us by God. Praise be to God!

Grace and call to Holiness

Unfortunately many people think that grace means that a believer must inherit the kingdom of God after baptism even if they continue in sin. But grace is only asking us to try to be holy since we are now new creations in Christ.

11  For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 
12  training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age
13  waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 

Titus 2:11-13

So we have read that this grace of God is here to train us to renounce all ungodliness and worldly passion.

Now that you seek to be baptised into Jesus Christ, you also must understand that you have to live a new life and say goodbye to your former life of sin. This grace of God is still available to us for forgiveness of sins but it must not be abused.

1  Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain

2 Corinthians 6:1

1  What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 
2  By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 
3  Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 
4  We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 
5  For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 
6  We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 
7  For one who has died has been set free from sin. 

Romans 6:1-7

You are in Christ after your baptism. Because you are in Christ, God will forgive you when you sin and repent of it. Abuse of grace is when a believer thinks he can manipulate the gift of grace given to us by God. No one can manipulate God. Like when one consistently sins willfully and say “after all God will always forgive me”. Please read Hebrews 10:26,27.

The Christian must strive to be a light wherever he is. The world now looks to you to shine. God’s spirit will live in you and because you believe and you are baptised, even if you died, you will rise again at the last day and our Lord Jesus Christ will give you everlasting life in his kingdom!

Repent and be baptised!

Let nothing stop you from repenting and getting baptised!

36  And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 
38  And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 
39  And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 

Acts 8:36-39

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