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Identifying with God's
Family, by Rick Warren
Healthy families have family pride; members are not
ashamed to be recognized as a part of the family. Sadly, I've met many church members
who've never publicly
identified themselves with God's family - by being
baptized.
Baptism is not some optional ritual, to be delayed or
postponed. It signifies your inclusion in God's
family. It publicly announces to the world, "I am not
ashamed to be a part of God's family." Jesus
commanded this beautiful act for all in his family:
For years I wondered why Jesus' Great Commission gives
the same prominence to baptism as it does to the great tasks
of evangelism and edification.
Why is baptism so important?
Because it symbolizes one of the purposes of your life:
incorporation into the fellowship of God's eternal family.
Baptism declares your faith, shares Christ's burial and
resurrection, symbolizes your death to your old life, and
announces your new life in Christ. It is also a celebration
of your inclusion in God's family.
Your baptism is a physical picture of a spiritual truth.
It represents what happened the moment God brought you into
his family.
Baptism doesn't make you a member of God's family;
only faith in Christ does that. Baptism shows you are
part of God's family. Like a wedding ring, it is a visible
reminder of an inward commitment made in your heart. It is
an act of initiation, not something you put off until you
are spiritually mature. The only biblical condition is that
you believe.
If you haven't been baptized as an expression of your
faith in Christ, do so immediately, as Jesus commanded.
The Bible says, "So now Jesus and the ones he makes
holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed
to call them his brothers and sisters." (Hebrews 2:11)
Let that amazing truth sink in! Because Jesus makes you
holy, God is proud of you. Being included in God's family
is the highest honor, the greatest privilege you and I will
ever receive. Nothing else comes close. Why not pause
right now and thank God that he included you?
"... Praise God for the privilege
of being called by his name!" (1 Peter 4:16)
This article is excerpted from Rick Warren's New York
Times Bestseller, The Purpose Driven Life.
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