Blood Bath

I was speaking with a young woman recently about her upcoming baptism.

She had gone through our self-study guide — a series of questions that takes the candidate through the bible to see what it and not church tradition actually says about baptism.

Her answers and insights from the bible study were refreshing and enthusiastic.

And then we realized together how baptism fits in God’s plan:

In baptism, the water represents what the blood has already done.

The water into which she will be plunged does not wash away her sins; Jesus’ blood already accomplished that.  That precious blood can’t be added to or improved upon.

The water instead is a marvelous representation of the cleansing power of the blood.  The ceremony is a vivid depiction of death, resurrection, and renewal.

Here’s a video we put together that shows what baptism means around here.  I’ve shared it with you before, but with the number of baptisms we’ve had recently and will have in the near future, it’s a fresh reminder of what’s most important.