February 2008 - English

We had the privilege of baptising 6 people from the church at the end of January. This was an exciting time, and it is worth thinking about the wider implications of baptism.

Jesus refers to His own baptism in Luke 12:50 with these words: But I have a baptism to be baptized with... In this and other passages He makes it clear that He is referring to the cross. Paul uses this theme when he says in Romans 6:3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? So we see that we can take part in the Lord's baptism, that is His death on the cross. What are the effects of this?

In another passage Paul describes Moses crossing the Red Sea as a baptism ... all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea 1 Cor 10:2 If we go back to the Mount of Transfiguration we read: And behold, two men talked with [Jesus], who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Luke 9:30-31 What is interesting is that that word decease is the word Exodus! Moses and Jesus are discussing the Cross or Jesus' Exodus/Baptism. When Moses lead the people out of Egypt through the Red Sea the cruel Egyptian slave masters were judged and the Israelites were separated from them. Just so Sin is judged and dealt with in our lives by the Cross. The old life the Israelites had lived was replaced by a new life. Just so for us through Jesus' death we are 'raised to newness of life' and finally they were united with the the Covenant Holder; in their case Moses, but in our case the Lord Jesus Christ.