Praise to God's mercy in the covenant of grace
As the Westminster Larger Catechism reads:
Q. 165. What is baptism?Or when we read the 34th article of the Belgic Confession, we are able to see full well the glory and promise of God's grace.
A. Baptism is a sacrament of the New Testament, wherein Christ hath ordained the washing with water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, to be a sign and seal of ingrafting into himself, of remission of sins by his blood, and regeneration by his Spirit; of adoption, and resurrection unto everlasting life; and whereby the parties baptized are solemnly admitted into the visible church, and enter into an open and professed engagement to be wholly and only the Lord’s.Q. 166. Unto whom is baptism to be administered?
A. Baptism is not to be administered to any that are out of the visible church, and so strangers from the covenant of promise, till they profess their faith in Christ, and obedience to him, but infants descending from parents, either both, or but one of them, professing faith in Christ, and obedience to him, are in that respect within the covenant, and to be baptized.
Tomorrow (Sunday April 1st) Kate and I are going to be baptized into the Church of Christ. For many years have I considered myself a Christian, yet after so many years am I finally gettting baptized-- my gratitude to God, though a mockery of what it ought to be, is by human standards most acute. Baptism "a sign and a seal" of our faith in the saving, efficacious work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who really lived and really died some two-thousand years ago for the salvation of His children. Vagrant me; yet God in His mercy has allowed for my justification. May my life always be one that falls to its knees seeking nothing but mercy, and relying only upon God's benevolence and promise. Nothing in me do I see as worthy, yet I believe in and call upon Christ: this is my salvation. Praise be to God Almighty!
Posted by at March 31, 2001 12:58 PM