My Baptism
I was baptised last Sunday on 18 May 2008, and I would really like to thank my friends who had took their valuable time in coming to my baptism ceremony to witness one important event in my life. I would like to give special thanks to my co-blogger, Jot, in coming. He has consistently encouraged, challenged, nagged me to get baptised for the past 4 years ever since I have become a Christian; Rita, another co-blogger (but for a different blog) for setting a nice example to learn off in the lead up to my baptism; Vikki, for still being able to make it at the cost of being late in picking up her mum at the airport that day; Brian, waking up bright and early to ensure the carpool for Jot, Rita and Vikki will be on time. Simon for making every moment of my baptism morning a photographic one; Michelle, for skipping her later service at WS to come; Kit, for waiting for that never-going-to-come weekend train and still managed to come on time; and Lin, waking up in an early Sunday morning and pushing back an appointment to attend. Last but definitely not least, my girlfriend Sharon, for flying all the way from Melbourne, and my parents for being supportive in my decision to get baptised.
Prior to the ceremony, I discovered that there has been a fair few of my friends who regarded baptism as a ceremony that was done while you were young. It was all part of the Christening process. While some churches may do that, the bible records that baptism usually comes after a person has believed in the gospel (Acts 8:12, Acts 8:13, Acts 16:15, Acts 18:8). One will notice that believing in each and one of these verses are seen with greater emphasis than the act of baptising.
Friends have also asked what it feels before and after baptism. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to give them some magical answer that baptism has given me a "spiritual boost". I have explained that while baptism is formal declaration of my faith in Christ, it does not make me a better Christian than I was before I was baptised. It is not a magical ritual that makes a believer suddenly more spiritually stronger. At most, baptism is a commitment to build a stronger relationship with God.
I have explained it by way of an analogy with a marriage. If you love a person, a marriage ceremony itself does not instantaneously make a person love his/her partner more. The love and the relationship is still there. It only marks the commitment and declaration that you are serious about this relationship so it will grow over time.
The submersion of our body into water during baptism is a symbol to bury our old self-centred past to death. The subsequent coming out from the water in baptism mirrors the resurrection of Christ, giving us a new life to follow our Lord Jesus, reconciling our relationship with God.
-- Romans 6:3-53Do you not know that all of us(A) who have been baptized(B) into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
Thank you everyone for the gifts!
