14 And he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the words from his mouth, 15 since you will be a witness for him to all people of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now, why are you delaying? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’ -- Acts 22:14-16
Wash Away Your Sins(Acts 22:14-16)
This week, Mike Continued our GAME CHANGERS series, where we investigated the importance and role of baptism as the way to "put on the uniform of faith." Here is a working definition of baptism:
Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). In obedience to Christ, baptism publicly proclaims that a person is united to Christ by faith in His death, burial, and resurrection(Romans 6:3-4), and is a member of His body, the church (1 Corinthians 12:13). Essentially, baptism visualizes what God has accomplished in us through the gospel.
Our scripture for today, Acts 22:14-16, describes Paul's testimony of salvation. As we investigate baptism this week it is important to note, that baptism does not save you. Salvation is always by GRACE through FAITH in CHRIST. Baptism does not impart God's grace upon you or save you. Rather, it is a symbol of how the person has died to sin and is now alive in Christ.
So in verse 16, when the text says, "Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name," the "thing" that does the washing away sins is the calling upon the name of Jesus, by placing our faith in Christ. The baptism symbolizes the washing away of sin that we experience by grace through faith in Christ.
So here is the good news today:
- In Christ, your sins are washed away. You are cleansed from the sins of your past, the sins in your present, and the sins of your future by the substitutionary death and victorious resurrection of Jesus Christ. You are cleansed in Christ.
- Your baptism symbolizes this cleansing, where the old you is dead and buried and the new you is raised to walk in the newness of life.
- As you see others be baptized, rejoice and remember the story of redemption that Jesus Christ has written with your life!
