Sacred Symbols - Kerry Shook

“For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with Him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.” Colossians 2:12 (NLT)

A wedding ring is a powerful symbol. It has special significance – not only to the one wearing it, but for others as well. It communicates a message of commitment, a relationship of intimacy, and a promise of purity. A wedding ring is more than simply jewelry; it is a sacred symbol. Jesus gave us a similar symbol in our relationship with Him. It is the symbol of baptism. It shows on the outside what Christ did for us on the inside. Through His death on the cross, Jesus washed our sins away. When we put our trust in Him, baptism identifies us with His death and resurrection. It is a powerful symbol of faith and repentance. When we are immersed underwater, we are identifying with His death for us – a death we deserved to die for our sin; yet, Jesus died for us. Through baptism, we are buried with Christ.  He took our sins to the tomb and buried them.  When He arose, He didn’t come back to remind us of our sins but to redeem us from them and offer us a new life! We identify with His resurrection as we come up out of the waters of baptism to walk in newness of life! The Bible puts it like this:

When we were baptized, we were buried with Christ and shared his death. So, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the wonderful power of the Father, we also can live a new life. Romans 6:4 (NCV)

Have you experienced the refreshing power of believer’s baptism? It is the first step of obedience in following Christ. Baptism is a celebration of new life, the life of Christ indwelling us! Baptism also identifies us with other Christ followers. Just as my wedding ring identifies me with my wife, baptism identifies me with all those who have received Christ as their Savior as well! When Peter preached about Jesus on the Day of Pentecost the Bible says,

Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day – about 3,000 in all. Acts 2:41 (NLT)