Believer’s Baptism

Romans 6:1-6 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,6 knowing this that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

Jesus gave His church a wonderful ordinance, Believer’s Baptism. He gave the believer the opportunity to participate in a physical act that would best symbolize what He did for us on the cross. For a believer not to experience water baptism is to miss the profound understanding of what Paul through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit was speaking in Romans 6. As baptism is a symbol of a funeral to the believers old nature that once was under the bondage of sin and that as Christ died, we likewise died in Him. In water baptism it is powerfully symbolized as the believer is lowered under the water and reckoned as dead. Then as Christ was raised from the dead, we also are made alive never to die again in Christ. As the believer is raised back out of the water and given a new opportunity to live it is a dramatic example of the great price that Jesus paid through His death, burial and resurrection, conquering death and the grave, so that we could live with Him forever.
Nastya and Nikita in obedience to Jesus Christ were baptized on Sunday, July the 19th. The place where there was water also happened to be the most popular place to be as Moscow has been experiencing a heat wave. There had to be literally 10,000 people going to the same small lakes where we were going too. But the Lord gave us a place where we could baptize them. It was all very special as Nastya wanted to be baptized before her upcoming wedding to Artom. Artom was able to baptize his bride to be. Nikita is a band member of Nastya and Artom. (see earlier blog on their band)