Salvation cont'd....

So, yesterday I shared my personal salvation testimony. Today, I want to share the next step I took. Remember, some ideas are what I think and believe, I am by no means a theologian nor a Bible scholar, I am in practice and thirsty for a deeper knowledge. Doing this blog forces me to study and dig to find things I didn't/need to know, and I am then only sharing what I learned, not preaching. I do not ever want to misrepresent the Word of God, which is one reason I input verses that I get my ideas from. My opinion is only to reflect where I am currently in my Spiritual walk. What is written in the Lambs Book of Life is the Truth, but what condemns me may not hit you the same way, I am only sharing my own testimony.

Okay, I ended yesterday saying that I rededicated my life to Christ in college. The bible says that the next step after accepting Jesus as our savior is baptism.
In Matthew 3:13-16 Jesus models the step of baptism for us. Here is the breakdown...Jesus goes to John the Baptist to be baptized, and John didn't think it was appropriate since Jesus was perfect, why would he need to be baptized? He had nothing to repent. But, Jesus responded by saying, "Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." So basically, Jesus is identifying with us sinners because He was to die for our sins, it represented His death and resurrection. My bible notes that it also signified a public affirmation of His messiahship by testimony directly from heaven. Wow, huh?! I just have to stop a moment and try to contemplate. I mean of all the Kings in history, do you know of one that would be so humble to consider Himself as one of us, a lesser being? Especially dirty rotten sinners?! I mean I could just see that scene, I bet mouths were opened and people were on their knees! Oh and not to mention the scene after he is baptized! Verse 16..."After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lightning on Him, and behold a voice out of the heavens said, [This is My beloved Son, in which I am well-pleased.]" Whoa Baby, right?! See! I learned something new that makes me fall in love even more with Him!
Moving on...I needed to be baptized. I had been baptized when I was younger, but I didn't understand, so I needed to be obedient now that I had understood. I was too embarrassed and didn't get baptized until this last summer. I had disobeyed, and I think that I suffered the consequence. I always felt like I was stuck, and I couldn't move forward, or that I was out of sorts, not good enough. I learned, after finally giving up my earthly worries of how I would look, that my life was renewed and that I was forgiven. Even though I accepted Jesus, not following up with being baptized crippled my thinking by leaving me clutching on to a lie that I wasn't forgiven for my life before. Baptism is important not only because Jesus said so, but it represents our repentance and our belief in Jesus Christ so that we may walk in "newness of life." Romans 6:3 -Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. Our old life buried (going under the water/Jesus dying on the cross) and a new life arises (coming out of the water/Jesus resurrecting on the third day.) That verse says that we are "baptized into Christ", into being the key word. We are united with Him as we are baptized. He ultimately suffered and literally died for our sins, while we only experience spiritual death and Resurrection. So, it is such an intimate response and a privilege to be united like that with our Savior.
I think that after I was baptized, the power and the meaning made so much sense, and gave me a freedom and understanding I didn't have before. We may not always know why we have to do things that we are to do, nor want to, but, when we are obedient we often find peace and a sense of understanding, which is such a blessing and brings us closer to our Father.