Baptism... What's the Point? ☁

25 September, 2015

I was baptized as a wee baby... like, way before I could remember a thing. In fact, I don't remember anything until kindergarden when a boy named José gave me a ring he won with a quarter at a pinball machine and asked me to be his girlfriend. I believe we held hands during recess that whole day. Unfortunately, things didn't work out. On top of that, the ring has been MIA since 2nd grade. Bummer.

That being said... baptizing a baby can be nice. It's a good way to dedicate little Tommy to the Lord and get things started in the right direction.

BUT, in the New Testament of the Bible, babies were not baptized, not even once. In fact, only grown adults were baptized; adults who could choose for themselves to dedicate their lives to following God.

Am I poking fun at infant baptism? No. But I do think there's something very remarkable about adult baptisms.

I was baptized as a baby. But more importantly... I was baptized again as an adult. At 21 years old, I was baptized at Pepperdine University with 20 best friends beside me. It was one of the best nights of my life.

Often, people wonder what the big deal is about getting baptized. "Why can't we just follow Christ on our own? Why do we need to get baptized? It's kind of awkward... soaking ourselves in water in front of other people. What's the point?"

Let's start by breaking down what baptism signifies. Jesus said NO ONE will enter the Kingdom of Heaven unless they are born again. That means a person must be born TWICE in order to be given a one-way ticket into paradise. Through baptism, we are going under the water to let go of our old life and begin anew.

Our "first life" starts when we are born and lasts until baptism. Our "second life" starts at baptism and NEVER ends, as we are given the grace of Jesus to live eternal life in Heaven.

Of course, baptism is not a necessity to make it into Heaven. But, it's an outward portrayal of our acceptance of Him. And frankly, I do believe God views baptism as important. Jesus and all His apostles were baptized, after all.

So often women daydream about their wedding day (guilty as charged). But, it can be argued that baptisms are even more special than a wedding day. Our weddings unite us with a man, but once we reach Heaven we are no longer married. Our baptisms unite us with Christ, and once we reach Heaven we are STILL one with Him. Always and forever.

Baptisms prove we have let go of our old selves and become new. We get "washed by the water" to clean our dirty sins. Although we still sin every day (we are human, after all), God will allow the blood of Jesus to cover them. We no longer have to sin in the dark... the light of Jesus will shine so brightly on His children that our sins will be burnt away.

Baptism cleans us forever. Not just in this life, which will be gone in less than 100 years, but FOREVER. Once we die, we will be standing at the gates of Heaven. While those who haven't accepted Jesus won't make the cut, we will confidently walk through the doors knowing our God has supplied all we need.

Praise God for baptisms. We are made NEW!