Written by: John Sernaque
Dear Reader,
CCh - Counsels for the Church (1991) Chapter 52—Baptism
The ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper are two monumental pillars, one without and one within the church. Upon these ordinances Christ has inscribed the name of the true God. {CCh 295.1}
Christ has made baptism the sign of entrance to His spiritual kingdom. He has made this a positive condition with which all must comply who wish to be acknowledged as under the authority of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Before man can find a home in the church, before passing the threshold of God’s spiritual kingdom, he is to receive the impress of the divine name, “The Lord Our Righteousness.” Jeremiah 23:6. {CCh 295.2}
The vows which we take upon ourselves in baptism embrace much. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit we are buried in the likeness of Christ’s death and raised in the likeness of His resurrection, and we are to live a new life. Our life is to be bound up with the life of Christ. Henceforth the believer is to bear in mind that he is dedicated to God, to Christ, and to the Holy Spirit. He is to make all worldly considerations secondary to this new relation. Publicly he has declared that he will no longer live in pride and self-indulgence. He is no longer to live a careless, indifferent life. He has made a covenant with God. He has died to the world. He is to live to the Lord, to use for Him all his entrusted capabilities, never losing the realization that he bears God’s signature, that he is a subject of Christ’s kingdom, a partaker of the divine nature. He is to surrender to God all that he is and all that he has, employing all his gifts to His name’s glory. {CCh 295.4}
The day you are baptized is an amazing day, yet also a very solemn day. Our Baptism day, where we die to self and are born again. So, whether you have been baptized already, or are being re baptized or are being baptized for the first time, Baptism is a most solemn renunciation of the world. Baptism is the very entrance of our Christian life whereby we publicly declare that we have forsaken the service of Satan and have become members of the royal family, children of the heavenly King. Baptism is an essential step in the Christian’s life.
Mark 16:16 says, He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. But this does not mean once saved, always saved. We must die to self-daily. We must surrender all, daily. So, what does our baptism mean? The book of Romans 6:3-4 says,
6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Our life is to be bound up with the life of Christ. We must totally attach our lives’ to Jesus and totally detach our lives’ from this world we live in. The night in which he was betrayed, Jesus himself declared, “My kingdom is not of this world. The book of Ephesians 4:5-6 says,
4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
4:6 One God and Father of all, who [is] above all, and through all, and in you all. Amen.
Our Father, God Almighty,
We thank You for giving us this day, Your Holy Sabbath Day. For giving us this privilege and honor of entering Your presence. To come to the foot of Your throne, to draw nigh unto You that You may draw nigh unto us. We come to You just as we are, as sinners, and yet you still receive us with Your love. We are truly sorry and humbly repent of all our sins. Father, we pray that by Your mercy, compassion, and grace, that You forgive us of our sins, the known and the unknown. Cleanse us from all unrighteousness. On Baptism Day, a day whereby believers are united in the faith, into one body, into one spirit. We pray for all the believers who choose to be baptized, that when they come up out of the water, that the heavens open up and the spirit like a dove descends upon them. Let them be born again, of the water and of the spirit, that they may enter the kingdom of heaven. For you ever live to make intercession for us. For if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new. Let the old man be buried that we may rise in the newness of life. We pray that we are all saved that through us, others may be saved. Let us receive Your character and let us be a light unto this dark world. Let us be an ensample unto others and a source of strength to them. By Your word, let others be led to Your truth, that they may experience true conversion. You understand us better than we understand ourselves. So, create in us a clean heart, oh God, as You have promised us “A new heart will I give you”. We surrender to You our whole being; our hearts, our souls, our minds and strength. Use us as Your vessels as we continue Your work of salvation. Fill our vessels with oil. If anyone is experiencing any sorrow or pain, whether it be spiritual, mental, or physical, I pray for their healing, that you heal us all, restore us, keep us healthy, and make us whole. I lift up all the families and each individual that can hear this prayer. Increase our faith, help our unbelief. I pray that You continue to bless us all. We thank You for giving us the victory over sin through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. We thank You and praise You and submit this prayer to the Most Holy Place in the heavenly sanctuary, where You are seated at the right hand of our Father interceding on our behalf. It is in Your precious name of Christ Jesus, we pray. Amen.
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