๐๐๐ญ ๐:๐๐-๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ง ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ๐ก๐ง, ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐ข๐ณ๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ฆ. ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ก๐ง ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ฆ, ๐ฌ๐๐ฒ๐ข๐ง๐ , ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐ข๐ณ๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐, ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐?
Today’s Devotional…
In the Christian context, it was John the Baptist who initiated baptism. However, John himself acknowledged that even he needed to be “baptized” into Christ. How?
You see, John had read “the script” and understood the assignment of the Messiah (the Christ), but he had a challenge distinguishing the boy Jesus, from Jesus the Christ. Let he who has ears listen and ponder…
Baptism simply means to immerse something into a concentrated substance with the objective to dye it permanently, so that it becomes exactly like the substance into which it was immersed.
John, understanding the meaning above, knew better than anyone else that water could NOT baptize, because it wouldn’t turn anyone into water but bring them back up the same.
Knowing this, John warned his audience at the time and said in Mathew 3:11: “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire”
And moving on to our orphanage verse, John “the baptizer”, is seen desiring another kind of baptizing while standing in the very water in which he baptized others. Ponder…
John here was simply revealing that baptism is not all about water but something deeper than the understanding of his audience at the time.
John knew from “the script” (or the scriptures) that all men had to take the identity of the Christ “including himself), but he did not realize that Jesus was yet to pay the price, to fulfill the script, and become the Christ.
True baptism was the immersion of all sinful mankind into the concentrated righteousness of Christ, such that all men picked up the very nature of Christ BEFORE GOD.
May the Holy Spirit make the mysteries of baptism clear to you, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen
#Rev_N_Nelson
#Apst_N_Nelson
TRUE BAPTISM
Categories: