Welcome to the family

Personal Photo: I took this photo in Canada, on one of our family fishing trips. These trips were always reminders of the simplicity of life, the chance to reconnect with my family, and to abandon all the hubbub of our daily lives.

If you all have been following along in my articles, or if you know my family personally, then you already know about my brother, Josh, and his wife, Audrey, and their journey to parenthood. Check out the article titled 'Life's too short' if you need or want to catch up! Well, at the end of March, they brought home a healthy baby boy, and have been learning the ropes of being new parents, adjusting to all the changes that come with caring for an infant, and enjoying every priceless second along the way. They came to visit Ohio this weekend and it was my first opportunity to meet their little one. I have gotten to see his bright blue eyes, hold his soft little fingers, and tell him all about what good friends we will be. Truly, their son is a delight!

Part of their plan for next steps is to schedule their baby's baptism. And with having the chance to welcome the littlest member to our growing clan, it seemed like the perfect time to dive into the significance of baptism: what is it, what does it mean, and why should we do it?

Baptism is the combination of water and the Word of God that signifies the cleansing of our souls from sin and death. Baptism is the acceptance of God into your life, it is the moment in which God directly touches us with His Hand and tells us that we are His. It is when we abandon and drown our condemning sins and come to Christ for salvation and cleansing. The key to baptism is that the Word of God is an ingredient. Titus 3:5-8 states "He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying." This verse explains to us that our faith in God's word, that is in and with the water in which we are baptized is what makes this event so special. Without the Word of God, the water is simply water, and there holds no significance. However, when God's word is combined with the water, and we have faith in His Word, it is cleansing our souls from our sins and signifying our promise to keep that faith and to walk with Christ. Here we can begin to see how important baptism is; the proclamation and acceptance of Jesus and His saving grace is an incredible milestone for believers.

I mentioned above that Baptism is when God is directly touching us, declaring that we are His and accepting our plea to harbor the Holy Spirit and live a life of faith. When Jesus was baptized, we are given a clear insight as to what that looks like, even though we might not physically hear God speak to us today. Luke 3:21-22 tells us that "When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as He was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” God's message to His son is concise and direct, expressing three specific things in relation to baptism. The first is that God is declaring that Jesus is His Son. As we are saved through Jesus, and are children of God, when we come to Christ through baptism, His message is the same for us. He is proclaiming that we are His. Secondly, God tells Jesus that He loves Him. God is love, He loves every one of us, and loves us so much that He sacrificed His only Son so that we might not die to sin, but live with Him forever. In this way, we can see how baptism is a direct acceptance of God's love for us. Thirdly, God makes it clear to Jesus that He is pleased with the decision to get baptized. Baptism is therefore a pleasing action to God, a chance for Him to welcome us to His family and to proclaim His love for us, and something we should do when we are committing our lives to Christ. The three short statements that God bestows upon Christ can therefore be applied to what it means to be baptized and the importance of doing it.

We are physically accepting God's proclamation of love, His welcoming of us to Him, and we are pleasing Him when we get baptized. I consider Galatians 3:27, which states "for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." I love this verse, as it gives us a way to consider how our lives are forever impacted by baptism. When we are cleansed with the water and The Word, when we come to God and seek His love and acceptance, and when we pledge our walking with Him and not walking with the world, we are forever changed. We can approach anything and everything through the lens of a child of God. Not that we were not a child of God before baptism, but the significance of the action is a clear promise to view the world in a different way, to be conscious of our representation of God through us, and to seek out His guidance always.

I want to note that baptism is not something required to get into heaven. However, we are commanded to get baptized, as seen in Matthew 28: 19-20, which reads "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” In these verses, we can see the direct command to be baptized, to have faith, and to live in Christ. Baptism is not mandatory, as it does not save us, but rather we get baptized because we have faith in God's promise that Christ died for our sins. 1 Peter 3:21 tells us "and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ," In this verse, we are given the insight that not only is baptism a way for God to welcome us, to directly tell us that He loves us and we are His, but it is also a reminder to us that we are actively choosing the Lord. Baptism without having faith in God is the equivalent to water without the Word, and therefore it is only water and not baptism. In this way, we can see how faith is what motivates us to get baptized. Baptism does not save us, but faith in Christ's power of redemption does, which therefore allows us to be baptized, to be cleansed, and to understand why we should come to Christ with a plea of help. In this way, we can see how our believing in Christ as our savior is what makes baptism so impactful. Even though baptism is not required, it is when we are welcomed into the family of God. It is a mutual acceptance of us to God and God to us and it signifies the death of our sinful nature and the renewal of our faith in Christ. Peter's verse above expresses the relationship between our faith and our baptism.

I personally was baptized as a baby, but my husband was baptized when he was an adult. Whenever baptism occurs, it is a special moment, and it recognizes another soul looking to walk with Jesus through life. It forever impacts us, allows us to walk with the knowledge that God directly proclaimed His love for us, and continues to welcome us to come to Him with anything and everything. I am looking forward to my little nephew's baptism, being able to watch God touch his soul, and see how his walk with Christ will change the world. Baptism can change your life, my friend, and if you have not begun to walk by faith yet, it is never too late. God is always calling His children to Him, always encouraging us to come to Him, and when we commit to Christ, we can then realize the full impact baptism can have on our lives and experience it ourselves.

I often wonder about what that scene would have looked like when Jesus was baptized. The dove coming from the sky, the spectators watching it all happen, the voice of God in heaven. The power of God calling to Him can almost bring me to tears. I can only imagine how awestruck I would have been, how quickly I would have wanted that kind of love, that kind of recognition. When I consider that He does the same for us, that He touches us, calls us, reminds us how valuable we are because we are His, it brings the power of baptism straight to my heart. God will never miss a chance to welcome a new member to His family. The photo I chose for this article is from our yearly fishing trip to Canada. It was always a special trip for me, one that removed all of the second guessing, the responsibilities of school, friends, work, and more. We were there to fish, we were there to be together. It was so simple. Baptism feels the same to me in the sense that it simplifies our lives. We have one Voice to listen to, one Opinion to concern ourselves with, one goal in life. Truly, baptism changes our lives forever, helps put into perspective everything we do and say, and can remind us of the importance of prioritizing our faith in God.