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Getting Dunked! (Baptism Thoughts From a 7 Year Old's Point of View)

Writer's picture: Brian DoyleBrian Doyle

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.  And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.” Exodus 14:21-25 Today, I didn't have one kid with me in the office as we prepared for church, but TWO. My 9 year old, Lyzander, who's been my faithful companion on Sundays for a while now, and My second oldest, Phinehas, who's 7. So when asking Phinehas (since Lyzander's helped on two other devotions) what is important to talk about, and what he'd like to help on, he suggested we talk about Moses and Israel crossing the Red Sea. This is an important subject! Something He and his brother (who's not supposed to be helping with this, per say) suggested that this is significant to us as Christians because: -it points to Baptism

-Baptism symbolizes new Life.

-Israel were slaves in Egypt, when they passed under the water and got to the other side they were free. -In baptism, you bury your burdens, sin and old life

-When you come up out of the water you have a brand new life in Jesus Christ.

-This doesn't mean that we don't sin, but that we will get to Heaven if we belong to Jesus.

-If you live a new life, you should try and use it to look like Jesus' life.


Think about these images for a bit. Some people question the need for baptism (it's shown throughout Scripture, and the New Testament writers point to images like this one, Noah's Ark, Jonah, and other places). Yet it seems like it was God's plan all along. Jesus Himself was baptized, though He did not sin. It's more than a symbol of New Life. It's a sign of obedience. and unity with Jesus Himself. It's giving our old self (death to self, crucifixion of our flesh with Christ), laying our old self aside as we go under the water (burial with Christ), and Raising up in New Life (Resurrection in Christ). Just as Israel went from slaves to free, so we go from death to Life. But do we live in the newness of Christ? Do we seek to Imitate Him in our New life, or do we still try and be Christian in the Old Life? It's time for us to consider these things, and to allow ourselves to be new. For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 1 Corinthians 10:1-5




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