Seventh Day Baptist
Christian Education Council
PO BOX 1678
Janesville, WI 53547
—John 1:24-28
by: Jennifer Lewis Berg.
John baptized with water to symbolize the washing by the Spirit of God. It was a preparation and a clearing away of obstacles before Jesus Himself came. Baptism got people thinking about their readiness for God to show up. Jesus was actually going to arrive in their neighborhood. All the prophesying had led to this moment in time. John’s baptizing was an actual physical occurrence that symbolized a spiritual one. For believers today, the sacrament of baptism represents the washing away of the old life and the birth of the new life in Christ. By participating in such a public act, we tell others that we are leaving our old selves beneath the water and coming out clean.