Catechism: Baptism part 3
Titus 3:5-8--he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is trustworthy.
Devotion--Notice the number of plural pronouns in the verses above. (Just in case you have forgotten, pronouns are the "he" and "us" words!) Notice that Paul is writing this letter to Titus, and yet he keeps using words that indicate more than one person. He (God) saved us (more than one). He poured out on US...WE might become heirs.
In the Christian faith, there is very little language in the Bible which speaks of the Christian who goes about his/her faith all alone. In reality, the Biblical picture of the people of faith is that they are all together, and that they have the desire to be together with each other. The idea of the "Lone Ranger" Christian is as foreign to the Bible as is the idea that God's people should sin so that grace may abound even more.
Many of you who read this are baptized. Your baptism introduced you into a community of faith. The initiation into that community is the water of baptism, where God's Word connects and combines with the water in a mysterious way to do God's saving work. That's why Paul can write confidently, "He SAVED us."
As you live your life in connection with other Christians, what are some of the ways that you can build each other up in your baptism? There are times where I think it would almost be awesome to meet fellow Christians and to make the sign of the cross on each other's foreheads, as a reminder that we each have been baptized. While you may not be ready to take that extreme form of greeting, what are some ways that you can encourage your fellow baptized in their baptismal grace?
Titus 3:5-8--he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is trustworthy.
Devotion--Notice the number of plural pronouns in the verses above. (Just in case you have forgotten, pronouns are the "he" and "us" words!) Notice that Paul is writing this letter to Titus, and yet he keeps using words that indicate more than one person. He (God) saved us (more than one). He poured out on US...WE might become heirs.
In the Christian faith, there is very little language in the Bible which speaks of the Christian who goes about his/her faith all alone. In reality, the Biblical picture of the people of faith is that they are all together, and that they have the desire to be together with each other. The idea of the "Lone Ranger" Christian is as foreign to the Bible as is the idea that God's people should sin so that grace may abound even more.
Many of you who read this are baptized. Your baptism introduced you into a community of faith. The initiation into that community is the water of baptism, where God's Word connects and combines with the water in a mysterious way to do God's saving work. That's why Paul can write confidently, "He SAVED us."
As you live your life in connection with other Christians, what are some of the ways that you can build each other up in your baptism? There are times where I think it would almost be awesome to meet fellow Christians and to make the sign of the cross on each other's foreheads, as a reminder that we each have been baptized. While you may not be ready to take that extreme form of greeting, what are some ways that you can encourage your fellow baptized in their baptismal grace?
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