On a shelf in my office library sits a very important book. It’s important not just because it’s a Bible, but because the cover has a crease where I bent it back too far, the edge is frayed from being shoved into bags, and there’s a mud stain somewhere in Isaiah from a slip down a camp hill years ago.
Most of all, it’s important because the inscription reminds me of the day my mom gave it to me when I was baptized at Immanuel Baptist Church in junior high, just before Christmas.
My family rarely attended church with me, but they came that Sunday. They came to hear my testimony and watch Pastor Dennis Hansen baptize me in an old-school baptistery with a painted picture of the Jordan River on the back wall. It was a celebration for that whole congregation to see someone from the next generation take up their cross to follow Jesus, just as they had done for years.
That is a sweet memory, and one I hope you share – not necessarily the location or the gift of a Bible, but the experience of stepping out in faith following the salvation Jesus offers.
Contrary to some popular songs and movies, baptism itself does not wash away sin. Only Jesus can do that, and He doesn't need a pool of water or a crowd to accomplish it.
So why do I call baptism the "first step of obedience"? Because it is the immediate response of someone who has recognized their sin, understood the grace of God, surrendered their life to Christ, and decided to follow Him.
In the moment of salvation, a sinner is forgiven, a saint is born, and a new life begins. The first step in that new life? Repent and be baptized. Repentance – check! Baptism – well…?
We often try to do things out of order. Most men try to assemble store-bought furniture without reading the manual, often trying to attach the final pieces first. Or when getting to know someone, we might jump straight to deep spiritual questions before simply asking if they root for the Chiefs.
Spiritually, many of us spend years trying to serve Christ in complex, important ways while putting off that very first step of obedience: baptism.
If you are a follower of Christ who has never been baptized, it is both a commandment and an opportunity to share your faith publicly. You might wonder, "I was baptized as an infant – do I need to be baptized again?" Salvation requires only a Savior, but believer's baptism is a conscious choice you make to demonstrate that you have personally decided to follow Christ. In fact, it honors the hopes your parents had for you when you were young.
We can find plenty of reasons to delay or avoid it. But when given the opportunity to obey Christ, bring family to church, testify to God’s goodness, and lead others by example… Come on, that’s worth whatever step it takes.
Andy Addis | Lead Teaching & Vision Pastor