“For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and
heard. And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and
wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”
(Acts 22:15-16)
Food For Thought… “What are you waiting for?” Water baptism was at issue here, and that’s what the Lord himself had asked Paul to do when he appeared to him on the Damascus Road.
Paul is recounting that life-changing encounter here in Acts 22 before a hostile crowd, and he includes this foundational bit of salvation theology regarding water baptism. Though he is not trying to deliver a teaching on baptism, there are some things we glean from his statement regarding this important Christian sacrament.
To begin with, baptism is important to the Lord. The first thing Jesus asked of the freshly converted Paul was to go get baptized. Jesus himself had been baptized (Matthew 3:13-16) and then had commissioned his disciple to make disciples, which included baptizing those new converts (Matthew 28:19-20). If baptism was that important to Jesus, it ought to be that important to us.
If you have not been baptized, “now why are you waiting?”
Not only that, but baptism is also a public witness to our inner transformation. Jesus had just revealed to Paul that the first great purpose in his new Christian life was to witness to his salvation experience and his personal encounter with the resurrected Lord. What was true for Paul is true for you as well: Baptism is one of the first and most fundamental public witnesses you can express of your faith in Jesus.
So if you have not been baptized, “now why are you waiting?”
Moreover, baptism is an act of obedience. Jesus commanded it, and though baptism doesn’t take away your sins, forgiveness is only complete through our obedience to his commands. That’s why in this conversation with Paul, Jesus tied in the “washing away of your sins” with baptism.
If you want to fully obey Jesus, then “why are you waiting?” Go and get baptized.
Finally, baptism is the pathway to a deeper experience with Jesus. Jesus encountered Paul on the Damascus Road before his baptism, but it was in the sacrament of baptism that Paul was to “call upon the name of the Lord” who hears and responds when his children submit to his will.
If you want to go deeper with Jesus, then “why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized!”
If you have neglected the Lord’s command to be baptized in water, then the next opportunity you get, do it! You won’t regret it.
Prayer… Lord, I must confess that at times I have been selective in my obedience. Please forgive me, for selective obedience is in reality, disobedience. With your help, from this day forward, in all matters I will offer full obedience to your commands.
One More Thing… “Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer
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