Baptized into Christ’s New Creation

-

 

Scripture: Galatians 3:27-28 (NRSV)

27 As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.

Devotion:

            We who have been baptized in the church hold a special status according to Paul in these verses. The act of baptism ushers you into a new world. A world of freedom from labels and categories that bind you into a certain identity. In the earliest days of the church adults were only baptized. Infant baptism came in later. Either way the baptized person was declared to be with Christ. Your sin debts have all been paid for and you start with a clean slate.

            Ethnic and racial divisions are done away with in baptism. All people are equal in God’s sight with regard to the color of their skin or the language they speak. Baptism undoes the confusion the worlds races fell into after the tower of babel incident. No longer prisoner or slave but free men and women ready to live a life of freedom in Christ. Male and female are no longer in competition with each other. There is harmony between races, classes, and genders.

            We have moved on from the world of hard division between peoples into God’s glorious light in Christ. Baptismal water is not magic but combined with the Holy Spirit’s working it can do miraculous things. More than just washing off physical dirt, baptismal water washes away spiritual dirt as well. It serves as a sign to the world that a new creature has been born, because an old one has died. As many of us as are baptized are free by the blood of Christ on the cross to live a spirit filled life forever.

            God desires all to come, repent of their sins, confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and be baptized into a totally new existence. How is this possible, you ask? It is a mystery exactly how God works that exchange, but it is the truth. The old is gone, the new has come. Come on in the door is open wide, the blood and the water await you. Be made new in Christ today.

Prayer:

            Lord, you have brought us through the flood of baptism. Help us to invite others to come as they are and receive you as their Savior and Lord. No need to clean yourself up beforehand. Just come as you are and receive a new life in Jesus Christ. Amen

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcoming the Unwelcome

-
  Scripture: Luke 7:36-38 (NIV) 36  When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37  A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38  As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and poured perfume on them. Devotion:             First of all, some warnings to my readers. This post will exceed the 500 words I try to limit my posts. Second, this post will contain content people may find offensive or otherwise unfit for print. Please understand that my purpose is neither to offend nor upset but to provoke thought and, hopefully, respectful dialog.             We will use Luke chapter seven as an aid to interpreting the events that occurred last Thursday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. On that da
Read more

Father Forgive Them

-
  Scripture: Luke 23:33-34 (ESV) 33  And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34  And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Devotion:             The situation Jesus finds himself in here in today’s scripture is difficult for us to even imagine. A sham trial, no credible accusations of any kind, let alone any deserving of death, and yet here he is. A brilliant Rabbi, a teacher of the people who never led even one person astray from God’s will. This Holy One of God soon to be food for vultures.             This man who had done nothing wrong had no one in all the crowds who would speak up in his defense lest they be next to face the cross. An innocent man hung between two scoundrels. No voice from heaven declaring that this was the man that they were killing was actually the true Son of God. (See Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5, John 12:28) No the heaven
Read more

Transgenderism letter

-
  This is a copy of my letter to my senators, representative, and President Biden. January 15, 2024 Dear President Biden, Senators T. Duckworth, R. Durbin, and Representative D. LaHood             I am writing to you because I am concerned about the situation affecting our children and grandchildren, namely transitioning them from one gender to another. This nation must adjust course concerning these “interventions” because they are dangerous, irreversible, and life-changing. Our country should not be permitting these procedures on minor children under any circumstances. We must also make sure that adults who seek this care are given informed consent as to the risks versus benefits of sex reassignment treatments.             There are many drawbacks to gender-affirming care for minors. Besides the loss of any ability to give or receive sexual pleasure and sterility these treatments cause, there are social and psychological effects that we have no way of identifying because these
Read more