Remember Your Baptism!

1 Peter 3:18 That's what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others' sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all - was put to death and then made alive - to bring us to God. 19 He went and proclaimed God's salvation to earlier generations who ended up in the prison of judgment 20 because they wouldn't listen. You know, even though God waited patiently all the days that Noah built his ship, only a few were saved then, eight to be exact - saved from the water by the water. 21 The waters of baptism do that for you, not by washing away dirt from your skin but by presenting you through Jesus' resurrection before God with a clear conscience. 22 Jesus has the last word on everything and everyone, from angels to armies. He's standing right alongside God, and what he says goes. (The Message)

Every baptism celebrated in every church carries with it powerful reminders of God's actions throughout history. The water used in baptism is a symbol of Creation, Salvation, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Justification, and Sanctification. Peter, in today's text, reminds us of that. For him, Christ's submission to God to die for us all, was the event that brings us all to God. Peter knew that Christ had no sin and should not have to die, and in fact, part of Peter's story was him rebuking, yes, rebuking Jesus for that, and having Jesus call him "Satan" for that thought. (Tell me that wouldn't stay with you had Jesus called you that). It was a lesson learned hard but that impacted Peter for all eternity. Peter reminds us of Noah's faith and his willingness to suffer ridicule from neighbors and strangers as he built his ark, only to have eight people saved in that flood, "saved from the water by the water." (v. 20) And our baptism, Peter reminds us, is not to be washed clean of dirt from our bodies but a presentation before God through Jesus' resurrection, that in faith, we stand before God with a clear conscience. Jesus, Peter says, "has the last word on everything and everyone, from angels to armies." And Jesus is standing right alongside God as our advocate.

This passage comes at the end on this section on suffering for our faith, with baptism a reminder that we carry in us, that seal of God that we have been presented through Jesus before God, and we are marked by faith as belonging to God and belonging to others who have also been baptized. Our mission and goal is to do and live right, so that the message continues and more can come to know about God's love and mercy for all people. Because of Christ's suffering for us, we have had the price paid and we need to continue to tell others about that.

May it be so.

PRAYER: Loving God, thank You for Jesus. Thank You for all that Jesus did out of love for You and for us. May I seek to be like Christ Jesus in all my dealings. May my words, thoughts, and deeds reflect a faith that puts You and Yours first, not me nor my intentions. I seek to please You and You only. Grant me wisdom, strength, and courage; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde