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How My Baptism Helps After My Baptism
Martin Luther sought to emphasize a daily renewal in baptism by practicing and encouraging his followers to each morning place their hand on their heads and confirming, “I am baptized”. This method is because he had water sprinkled on him as a baby as did his fellow protesters, hence Protestants. This became comforting because he often felt the weight of his own continued sinfulness. While the Bible teaches immersion, I think we can profit from Luther’s humility.
There is a lot of baptismal language and imagery in 1 Peter, although the word “baptism” is used once. Notice these connecting thoughts:
- “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (CSB’17 1 Peter 1:3)
- “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance. But as the one who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy.” (CSB’17 1 Peter 1:14-16)
- “Since you have purified yourselves by your obedience to the truth, so that you show sincere brotherly love for each other, from a pure heart love one another constantly, because you have been born again — not of perishable seed but of imperishable — through the living and enduring word of God.” (CSB’17 1 Peter 1:22-23)
- “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you (not as the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a good conscience toward God) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” (CSB’17 1 Peter 3:21)
Being born again, Jesus’s resurrection, truth, our baptism, and in the middle a good reminder of how and why not to sin: “Be holy for I am holy”. God is saying “Be who and what I made you to be – like Me”. If you have been immersed into Jesus’ resurrection, a good reminder to use each morning and all through the day before and when tempted is, “Be holy for God is holy”.
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