Water baptism is often considered as a Christian ritual. You’ll be baptized in water when you believe in Jesus Christ, tubu, and decide to follow Jesus and become a Christian. Many Christians are baptized without really knowing and realizing, what water baptism means. You shouldn’t be baptized out of tradition, a formality, or out of a feeling of obligation or loyalty towards your spouse, Kanisa, family, Marafiki, na kadhalika. That’s not the right reason to be baptized. The baptism in water is indeed an act of obedience to the Word of God. But you have to know, what you are doing and what water baptism means. Right? There is a group of Christians, who use water baptism as some panacea. They use the baptism in water to deliver people from demonic spirits and for healing purposes. But does the Bible confirm this? The answer is no! Let’s have a look at the true meaning of water baptism and the importance of baptism. What does the Bible say about baptism?
What is the meaning of water baptism and when is it time to be baptized?
Unajua kuwa wewe si, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Kwa hiyo tumezikwa pamoja naye kwa ubatizo katika mauti: kwamba kama vile Kristo alivyofufuka kutoka kwa wafu kwa utukufu wa Baba, vivyo hivyo na sisi tuenende katika upya wa uzima (Warumi 6:3-4)
Mara nyingi hutokea, when ( young ) adults or children are baptized, they have wonderful and moving testimonies, but after their baptism, there is no change in their lifestyle. Sometimes they change for a short period, lakini baada ya muda, they return to their old former life again and pick up their old habits.
When is it time to be baptized? When you are fed up with your old dirty life as a sinner and you want to be cleansed from your sins and iniquities, and when you are ready and willing to lay down and Kusulubisha mwili wako (yako old carnal life) and follow Jesus Christ and walk in newness in life with Him in holiness and righteousness after the Spirit. Only then it’s time to be baptized.
Baptism means to crucify your flesh (your will, Tamaa zako, tamaa zako, hisia, na kadhalika. (Soma pia: Kumfuata Yesu kutagharimu kila kitu).
The baptism means, that the old you, Mzee, is crucified with Jesus Christ. You are baptized into His death.
Because that’s what baptism means. Baptism means to lay down your old life (Asili yako ya dhambi) and arise in the newness of life.
The act of baptism is a permanent decision
Kujua hili, kwamba utu wetu wa kale umesulubishwa pamoja Naye, ili mwili wa dhambi uharibiwe, ili tusitumikie dhambi tangu sasa. Kwa maana aliyekufa amewekwa huru mbali na dhambi (Warumi 6:6,7)
When you decide to be baptized, you have to realize, that water baptism is a serious act. It’s not a temporary decision, but it’s a permanent decision you make for the rest of your life. You make the decision as a sinner, to turn to Christ, to repent from your current lifestyle, and to crucify and bury your old sinful carnal nature.
You don’t want to be a slave of your sins anymore and don’t want to be dictated by your sinful carnal nature and be a slave of the devil. Badala yake, you want to be freed from your carnal nature in the flesh, which possesses a sinful nature.
You want to be delivered from the kingdom of darkness and turn to the Kingdom of God.
You don’t want to serve your flesh and the devil anymore, but you want to serve Jesus Christ, your new Lord, and Saviour, and live in obedience to God after His will.
All you want to do is to please Jesus Christ and God the Father and exalt and glorify God through your life.
Sote tunajua, that the sinful carnal nature cannot please God. Therefore this sinful carnal nature in which evil dwells has to die.
The old man has to die before the new man can arise. A new man; born of the Spirit of God. Only when you are born of the Holy Spirit, and walk after the Spirit, you will be able to please God the Father, and Jesus Christ (Soma pia: Je, unaweza kuishi maisha ya ufufuo bila kufa?).
Baptized in Jesus’ kifo
But I have a baptism to be baptised with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished(Luka 12:50)
Baptism refers to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ na kufufuka kwake. Jesus died for our sinful carnal nature. Jesus took all our sins and iniquities upon Himself and carried them, on the cross. Because Jesus took all our sins and iniquities, Jesus died and went into Hades (Soma pia: Yesu alifanya nini kuzimu?).
But Jesus didn’t stay in Hades! Jesus conquered death and was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is alive and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
When James and John asked Jesus, whether they could sit at His left and right hand in the Kingdom of God, Jesus asked them: "You know not what you ask: can you drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” (Weka alama 10:38). They answered Him, that they could.
When Jesus mentioned baptism, Jesus referred to His death (the crucifixion; the death of His flesh), and if they were willing to be baptized into His death.
The water baptism is a symbolic sign
It all starts with faith in the Name of Jesus. Then repentance of sins and laying down your carnal life. When you’ve laid down your maisha ya zamani, you will begin your new life in Jesus Christ. You will no longer walk as the old creation after the flesh, but you will walk as uumbaji mpya (born of the Holy Spirit) baada ya Roho.
You will no longer live the life, you lived, before your repentance and before your baptism. Because when you decided to be baptized, you showed, that you didn’t want to live and walk that way anymore. You said goodbye to your old carnal life (mtindo wa maisha) and began a new life in the Spirit.
Katika ulimwengu wa kiroho, you have freely buried your flesh (Asili yako ya dhambi) in the water. Through the act of water baptism, you’ve indicated that you:
- repented of your sins and iniquities
- wanted to lay down your own life
- didn’t want to be a slave of sin anymore, but wanted to become a slave of righteousness
- didn’t want to keep serving the devil, through disobedience to God, but you wanted to serve Jesus Christ, through obedience to God
- didn’t want to walk in the kingdom of darkness anymore, but you wanted to walk in the light; the Kingdom of God
Bury the sinful nature in water
Aaminiye na kubatizwa ataokoka; lakini asiyeamini atahukumiwa (Weka alama 16:16)
When you are baptized, but keep living the same way as you lived before, or you keep living, Kama ilivyo kwa ulimwengu (living the same life as a carnal person, who doesn’t know God), then this baptism was nothing more, than some kind of religious human ordinance.
Because how can you, when you have buried your old sinful nature, in the water, remain living after your sinful nature? It is impossible!
Have you ever experienced a funeral, where the coffin suddenly opened and the person, who was dead, stepped out of the coffin and walked with you back home? Hapana, Bila shaka la! Because when someone has died and is buried, it means the person is really dead.
This also applies to the carnal nature. When you have crucified your carnal nature with all its sins and iniquities, then this nature has died and is buried in the water through baptism. Unless you have not truly repented and your carnal nature is in a coma.
But when you decide to be baptized in water, you bury your carnal nature and it stays in the water.
An heir of Jesus Christ
Njia pekee, to become an heir of Jesus Christ, and enter the Kingdom of God, and receive eternal life, is to believe in the Name of Jesus (in His redemptive work, that He has accomplished), be baptized into His death, and raised from the dead, kwa nguvu ya Roho Mtakatifu.
You have crucified your flesh. You have buried your old man in the water, through baptism. There is no other way to be saved. Mwili wako (Asili yako ya dhambi) has to die.
When you come out of the water, you have not only buried your old life but you are raised in the newness of life. A new life, with Jesus Christ as your Master. You shall no longer walk after the flesh but after the Spirit. Because your flesh doesn’t exist anymore. Unless…..
‘Kuweni chumvi ya dunia’
