If you’ve ever tried to read through Leviticus, you know it’s not exactly beach reading. It’s full of laws, sacrifices, and instructions that make our head spin. But buried in all of that detail is something powerful that points straight to waters of Baptism.
The priests of Israel had one job above all others: bring God’s people into His presence. But before they could even step foot in the temple, they had to wash themselves with water. Not because they were sweaty. Not because they tracked mud in from the desert. No, it was because a holy God can’t be approached by unholy people. Washing was about holiness.
Fast forward to Jesus
Now flip forward a few centuries. Jesus shows up and says something radical: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). People thought He was crazy. But John tells us Jesus wasn’t talking about bricks and stone. He was talking about His body. Jesus Himself is the new temple. The meeting place of God and man.
And then Paul drops another truth bomb in my confirmation verse. “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19).
Did you catch that?
- First, priests had to wash before they could enter the temple.
- Then, Jesus says He is the temple.
- Now, through Jesus, we are temples of the Holy Spirit.
So what about the washing?
This is where Baptism comes in. Just like those priests couldn’t walk into God’s presence without being cleansed, neither can we. But here’s the good news: you don’t have to scrub yourself clean with rituals or rules. God has already washed you.
Titus 3:5 says it like this: “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.”
That’s Baptism. God takes you, broken and unclean, and He washes you with living water connected to His Word. He makes you holy. He marks you as His temple. He fills you with His Spirit. It’s all about what He does for you! How cool is that!
Let’s be honest: some days we don’t feel very holy. You feel messy. You feel like your past defines you. You feel like God couldn’t possibly want to live in someone like you.
That’s when you go back to Baptism. Not to re-do it, but to re-claim it. You’ve been washed. You’ve been made holy. You are God’s temple. His Spirit lives in you.
Take this truth with you
Next time you doubt your worth, remember this:
Baptism is God’s declaration that you are clean, holy, and His dwelling place.
The priests had to wash before they entered God’s presence. You’ve already been washed, which means you live in God’s presence every single day.
Source: www.derrickhurst.org