#DailyDevotion Christians Seek To Be Baptized, Not Seek Excuses To Avoid It

Tuesday Easter 5

Acts 8:36 And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

Every so often, some people want to argue whether or not you need to be baptized, if baptism is necessary for salvation. Well I think the questions completely miss the point. Let us look at this Ethiopian eunuch. After being instructed in the ways of the Lord, what does the eunuch want? He wants to be baptized. Why does he want to be baptized?

Well Philip in his presentation of the good news of Jesus from the Old Testament must have presented something of the teaching of baptism to the eunuch. What did Philip teach? Well we cannot say exactly, but if we look to St. Peter’s sermons up to this point I think we can say something along these lines, Act 2:38  “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Earlier in the same chapter Philip was preaching to the Samaritans and after listening to him preach about the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus they wanted to be baptized.

Why did they want to be baptized? Because the Christian message is be repentant and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. The question is never can you be saved without being baptized. The question is why don’t you want to be baptized If you don’t desire to be baptized you either a. haven’t heard the Christian message or b. you don’t want to be a Christian. The question is never, can you be saved without baptism. The question is why don’t you want to be saved by baptism.

Jesus commands the Church, his disciples to make more disciples by baptizing and teaching. He preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Baptism gives the forgiveness of sins. The Holy Spirit comes in baptism. In baptism, we are joined with Christ Jesus’ innocent, suffering and death. We are joined to his resurrection power. We are justified, cleansed, regenerated, born from above, made heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. Throughout the book of Acts, wherever and whenever Jesus is preached people sought to be baptized. Why? Because that is what people who believe in Jesus want, to have these gifts offered in baptism and to submit to the will of Jesus. Like the eunuch we go our way rejoicing in this gift of salvation.

Heavenly Father, always align our wills with your own so that as we hear the message of your kingdom and the name of Jesus we seek with rejoicing the gift of baptism into Jesus that we may be made one with him and with you through the power of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.