Have you been baptized?
Have you been baptized?
Text/ Matthew 28:18-20
1. Introduction
The most important of the Christian sacraments are Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism and the Lord's Supper have a double meaning. One is the formal meaning and the other is the content meaning. Today, I would like to share grace while meditating on the meaning of baptism.
2. Origin of Baptism
Baptism is a ceremony in which a person pledges to maintain religious purity and conversion to a new religion by washing with water. Baptism with this meaning is believed to have originated from the ritual of baptizing a person who wants to convert to Judaism with water just before the founding of Christianity in Judaism (around the 1st century AD). According to HHRowley, this rite of Judaism is It is said that it was not only a form of simple religious conversion and purification, but also included spiritual and physical devotion to the God of Judaism.
3. The Meaning of Baptism in the Bible
first. Baptism of Serenity John
The baptism proclaimed by John the Baptist differed from the conventional Jewish baptism in that it was required not only for converts, but also for those who have already become Jews and for those who do not live according to God's law. His baptism was ethical and required eschatological decisions.
second. Baptism in the Early Church
After the Pentecost, the early church performed water baptism to those who decided to join the church community (Acts 2:38, 41). In this water baptism, repentance for sins, faith in the gospel, and the need to receive the Holy Spirit are deeply connected and harmonized (Acts 2:37-41, 8:12, 16:14-15).
third. Baptism in the Apostle Paul's Epistles
In <1 Corinthians 12:12-13>, baptism means union with Jesus Christ, the body of the church. It is said that those who are baptized through the baptism of the Holy Spirit can overcome the differences of race, status, and gender and become one in Christ. In <Galatians 3:26-29>, baptism is also related to faith and becoming a child of God, and baptism is compared to putting on Christ. Therefore, it is said that through baptism, we can again break down all the walls that divide people, such as race, status, rich and poor, and gender.
These words of the Apostle Paul were, “I was baptized, and it is finished. All saved!> is not a simple logic. In the words of the Apostle Paul, how precious it is to be baptized, but again, we must overcome the present life and strive to achieve a more perfect salvation.
4. A Comprehensive Understanding of Baptism
first. To be baptized is a spiritual commitment to one's religion and a personal promise. Therefore, it means that you can confidently say <I am a Christian!> in front of anyone, anytime, anywhere.
second. To be baptized means to believe and follow the teachings of my religion, not my thoughts and theories. It means keeping the commandments. Therefore, in some cases, it means that you may be martyred for the teachings of your religion.
third. Being baptized means that I will love people of the same religion as my family more than anyone else.
5. Am I really baptized?
If you read Christian companies, there are cases where the church was divided because of the problem of <What is baptism?>. In terms of the form of baptism, baptism? Do you just baptize with holy water? Is it right to baptize children because of differences of opinion and in terms of the content of baptism? Is it right to baptize collectively in the military? Is it right to baptize a person whose rituals come and go? Does the baptism you receive have any effect? It was because of the problem. Both those who are right and those who are wrong are looking for the basis in the Bible. I am saying that the issue of baptism is a sacrament so important that the church is divided.
However, I have a feeling that today's awareness of baptism has become too frivolous. Isn't it? So let's ask ourselves. Am I really baptized?
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