WHY WATER BAPTISM? - PASTOR ED CALDERON

https://youtu.be/0FEMIa_iILc

 

WHY WATER BAPTISM?

ACTS 2:38

38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ

for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus established water baptism as a commitment opportunity for believers when He

gave the Great Commission message in Matthew 28:19 and Mark 16:16. Water

Baptism is far more than a ritual or religious exercise. It is not only our personal choice,

but it's a command for us as believers.

Water Baptism is a public, outward declaration that reflects a personal, inward faith. It

associates the believer with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and

signifies the believer's death to the old life and his or her resurrection as a new

creation in Christ (Romans 6:1–8; Colossians 2:12, 2 Corinthians 5:17). In order to

understand the reason for being water baptised, it is important to carefully consider

what the Bible says about it.

It is a symbol of Christ's burial and resurrection. Our entrance into the water during

baptism identifies us with Christ's death on the cross, His burial in the tomb, and His

resurrection from the dead.

"...Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was

raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." 1 Corinthians 15:3,4

"...having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in

the power of God, who raised him from the dead." Colossians 2:12

We bury the 'old life' and we rise to walk in a 'new life'. Baptism is like a wedding ring it

is the outward symbol of the commitment you made in your heart, a commitment that

has to be followed through and lived out on a daily basis. "Therefore, if anyone is in

Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17