Re:Verse passage – Mark 1:1-8 (day seven)
” I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
When I am explaining baptism to our young people who have expressed interest in taking that next step, I often show them my wedding ring. I ask them some simple questions, “What does this ring mean?” Usually that question is answered correctly, “It means you are married!” Then I proceed to take my ring off and ask a set up question that usually gets mixed answers, “What does it mean if I am not wearing my ring?” Sometimes they answer in confusion and say I am not married anymore. Sometimes they get it right. Either way they answer, I lead them down the same trail of thought: The ring is an outward profession of an inward commitment to my wife. If I take that ring off, I am still very much married to my wife. I made that commitment to her and nothing can take that away. I want the world to know my love for her, so that is why I wear my ring!
Baptism is the same way, it is an outward profession of an inward commitment to the Lord. We are baptized by the Holy Spirit inwardly, and we proclaim our decision to follow Jesus outwardly through water baptism. I pray that we have many of these conversations and we fill our baptistries with public proclamations of the work of the Holy Spirit in the coming days!
What a wonderful analogy. TY.