Re:Verse passage – Mark 1:4-5, 9-11; Acts 8:9-13, 34-39 (Day Six)
One of the most surprising things about Jesus’ baptism is that He says almost nothing. Instead, the Father speaks: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Before Jesus preached a sermon, performed a miracle, or called a disciple, His identity was declared over Him.
Perhaps that’s one of the greatest gifts of baptism. We often think of it as our public declaration of faith, and it certainly is, but first, it is God’s declaration of our adoption as sons and daughters. In baptism, God reminds us whose we are before He reminds us what to do. We are welcomed as sons and daughters, united with Christ, and received into His family.
Discipleship doesn’t begin with striving to earn God’s approval. It begins by receiving what God has already declared in Christ. Identity comes before mission. Grace comes before obedience. That’s good news for every disciple.
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