Twenty-Six Reasons to Reflect on Baptism

by Greg Hodson, Shaun Bryant, Pam Hodson (Editor)

Our fifth volume in this series of reasons to use the various means of grace that God has supplied to the church concerns the subject of baptism. It probably goes without saying that believers have been divided on this topic for centuries, with differing views regarding the appropriate subjects for baptism, the proper mode for the application of the water, and what actually takes place (if anything) spiritually in the person as they are baptized. We are not intending here to add another opinion to all those that have gone before on the various sides of this debate. Instead, given that baptism is a means of grace, we want to consider how it may function that way for the believer. This is an interesting study because, unlike the Lord’s Supper, baptism only takes place for most of us once—it is not a repeated act. How, then, is grace available to us in baptism? Many of us cannot even remember our baptism clearly. Is there another way that we can profit from it well after the time that it takes place? What we discover is that, like the Lord’s Supper, baptism has much to teach us and much to proclaim that is profitable for us to reflect upon, and a means of grace and blessing to believers no matter how many years may have passed since they themselves were baptized. These meditations encourage us to take time to think about baptism and all it signifies and seals to the believer, whether it is our own baptism or that of others we witness. If this is done prayerfully, it should prove a great blessing.

68 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015