Daily Devotions
Belief & Baptism
Title: Belief & Baptism
Reading for May 22: Nehemiah 4-7
Weekly reading for May 20-26: Acts 16-19
Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.
Acts 16:30-34
I'm impressed by the connection between faith and baptism here. When the jailer asked what he must do to be saved, he was told to "believe in the Lord Jesus." And after he heard the gospel and believed, they baptized him.
They baptized him the same hour of the night, which would be some time after midnight (v. 25). I believe this urgency suggests that being baptized was part of the call to "believe in the Lord Jesus." If this is not so, then how do you explain the urgency? Why not just pray "the sinner's prayer" (which we have made as a substitute for baptism!) and then go to bed? Why not wait to be baptized the next day? After all, if you have believed and prayed the prayer, then you're saved!
No, there was an urgency to be baptized precisely BECAUSE he believed in the Lord Jesus. Baptism and faith are not two discreet and fundamentally different actions. Baptism is an expression of faith. Faith leads to baptism.
This is further emphasized when it says he and his family rejoiced because he had "believed in God." Why does it not say he rejoiced after he was baptized? Apparently, Luke didn't see a difference. When he was baptized it was because he believed. When he believed in Jesus, that led him to be baptized.
"...for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." Galatians 3:26-27
Father, bless this message today that it might fall on good and honest hearts. Open minds to the link between faith in Christ AND baptism into Christ.
