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News and views from the German-language region of Europe

January 10, 2014

Remember the question at baptism

Filed under Sabbath Thoughts

When someone is baptized in the church of God, the minister asks the question: "Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal saviour?"

God's promise is eternal life for everyone who believes in Christ as saviour and accepts His sacrifice for sin.

Accepting Christ as our saviour means more than just intellectual agreement. It means challenges and sometimes difficult decisions. "Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it" (Matthew 16:24-25).

Being a true disciple of Jesus Christ means a total in our priorities in life. We no longer belong to ourselves, because God has purchased us. We now belong to Him (1 Corinthians 6:20). If we only do the things we want to do, we will lose our life. God expects us to do what Jesus commands us to do.

That means a living faith expressed in our life through obedience to God's will. That is how we demonstrate our acceptance of Christ as our saviour and His rule in our life. Jesus illustrates this principle via the parable of the pounds in Luke 19, verses 11-27. In the parable Jesus compares Himself to a nobleman who goes on a journey. In his absence the nobleman gives his servants pounds – money – and tells them to busy themselves in his absence.

Upon his return the nobleman asks his servants to make an accounting. Two servants are rewarded because they multiplied what they had received. The third servant said he was afraid and therefore did nothing with what he had been given.

This parable illustrates the principle that action – obedence and spiritual development – demonstrates our faith in Christ as our personal saviour.

The question that is asked at baptism can also be an opportunity for us to examine our walk with God from time to time: Have we accepted Jesus Christ as our personal saviour?

With these thoughts I wish everyone a rewarding Sabbath!

Paul Kieffer's blog with personal insights and news from the German-language region in Europe.

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