There are two extremes when looking at this passage before us. One extreme is that baptism literally saves you, period. And the other extreme is that it literally does nothing.
What is the middle ground here? Baptism is a sacrament that binds the believer to God and God to the believer. The water is just a sign, but what does it represent? It's a sign of our being born again. It's not a magic superstition; it represents us being united with Jesus. The Holy Spirit uses the sacrament to work spiritual blessings within us sealing us to be His.
We must remember to not trust the sign of baptism alone, for the Holy Spirit must be applied to cleanse us from the sin in our heart. Also, we must look to Jesus as our only hope. He washed us in the water of regeneration and that is why we can stand before God. He has cleansed us, so we must hate sin, love something better, and live for God's glory. |
