Baptism Challenge - Day 5
Why is baptism necessary for Christians?
Welcome to Day 5 of the Baptism Challenge!
Here's the scripture in today's video: 1 Corinthians 12:13
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. (English Standard Version)
For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. (New International Version)
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. (King James Version)
One reason why baptism is necessary for a Christian
Baptism is important to each follower of Jesus for many reasons. One of those reasons because it unifies us with the rest of the Church…past, present, and future.
This is one reason why the church has always placed value on it.
1 Corinthians 12:13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
The church doesn’t place value based on your nationality, skin color, income, or social status. We were all baptized the same way into one body.
Baptism is a universal, uniting factor in Christian faith
We are not baptized in the name of a particular church or a particular pastor. All Christians are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
In Galatians 3:28, Paul says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
We are used to seeing people use things like race, social status, and gender to draw lines of division. It has been the way of the world for millennia. God’s design is for the church to be a haven of unity through the leadership of the Spirit, and He intends for baptism to serve as a sign of unity in the church. It doesn’t matter if you’re white, black or somewhere in between.
Baptism is a reminder of a unity deeper than outward things
It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, if you’re male or female… all Christians have been baptized into the church the same way. As Paul teaches in Ephesians 4, "There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
This unity is not just born out of commonality, such as skin color, race or which flag it is to which we pledge allegiance. It is far deeper and more eternal than blood or soil.
The unity we share with other Christians of all space and time is a spiritually empowered unity that transcends everything else. It is unity in the Spirit. As our key verse for today says, “We were made to drink of one Spirit.”
Today's Baptism Challenge: Think about what it means for you to be unified with all Christians through baptism. Take a moment to feel connected to all the heroes of Christian history, by the power of baptism into Christ!
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