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...the Bible tells me so:
God’s Use of Water
Throughout history water has been used for cleansing. In fact, for most of that time, water was the only thing known to clean. Today water is still the number one substance used for cleaning. When you get sweaty, you bathe with water. When the car gets dirty, you wash it with water. Think about Jesus who washed His disciples’ feet with water (John 13:1-11).
Since water has this prominence as a cleansing agent, it has come to be used as a symbol for cleansing. When Pilate saw that he could not prevail against the Jews in his attempts to release Jesus, “he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood,’ he said. ‘It is your responsibility!’ ” (Matthew 27:24 NIV) With reference to a person who becomes a Christian and then turns away from God, Peter quotes the proverb which says, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.” (2 Peter 2:22).
Not only does
water have physical and symbolic significances, but it also has a spiritual
significance. Christ cleansed the church “by the washing with water through
the word” (Ephesians 5:26). Christians are saved “through the washing of
rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). We who are Christians
had “our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and [had]
our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:22). Paul told the
Corinthians that they were “washed” (1 Corinthians 6:11). Jesus said, “I
tell you the truth, no one can enter the
In considering these passages, baptism is the only feature in the Christian religion which utilizes water! After Philip had preached Jesus to the Ethiopian eunuch, Luke recorded that they came to “some water and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?’ ” (Acts 8:36) Concerning Cornelius and his household Peter said, “Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have” (Acts10:47). Paul was told, “And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name” (Acts 22:16).
God using water in the Christian religion is not unique. All through history God has utilized water for His purposes.
For example, very early in man’s history God used water to destroy man. Genesis 6 through 9 describes how the world was destroyed by the flood. Only Noah, his family and the animals that were with them in the ark were spared. The writer of Hebrews emphasized how that Noah and his family were saved from the water (Hebrews 11:7).
However, Peter viewed the flood from a different angle. He said that in the ark eight souls “were saved through water” (1 Peter 3:20). Peter emphasized how that Noah and his family were saved by means of the water. The water saved them from the corruption of the old world.
Thus Peter said in verse 21, “this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Peter literally said that the waters of the flood are a type of baptism. Just as the flood saved Noah and his household, baptism saves us. However, the saving power is not in baptism itself, but rather baptism derives its saving power from the resurrection of Jesus Christ!
For example, God
used water to heal Naaman in the days of Elisha the prophet (2 Kings 5:1-14).
Naaman was the captain of the Syrian army and a leper, too. When he went to
Naaman’s response
to the cleansing is important to note. He could have said, “Bottle the
water!” (as if the water had some magical power to heal). He could have
said, “Look at how righteous I am!” (as if his own ability to
obey a command healed him). But rather, Naaman glorified God by saying, “Now
I know that there is no God in all the world except in
All through the ages God has used water for deliverance of various kinds. Since God has used water for His purposes in the past, when God says through Peter that in baptism we receive the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38; see 22:16), faith simply accepts God’s word. God has utilized water in the past; He still utilizes it today in baptism.
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