Yesterday at Living Word we opened our new series Washed, and we started with a simple but courageous truth: Baptism is not about what we do for God. It’s about what God does for us.
That’s bold, and it cuts against the grain of how we usually think. We live in a world that says “prove yourself, earn it, make it happen.” But Baptism tells a different story. Baptism says, “You are not defined by what you do, you are defined by what Jesus has done for you.”
God does the washing
Think about the priests in the book of Leviticus. Before they could walk into the temple and stand before a holy God, they had to wash. It wasn’t optional. It wasn’t about scrubbing dirt , it was about being made holy.
Fast forward to Jesus. He calls Himself the new Temple (John 2:19–21). Paul later reminds us that we are now temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Here’s the question: how does God make us holy temples? The answer is Baptism. In those waters, God Himself does the washing.
Baptism unites us with Jesus
Paul says in Romans 6:4: “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”
That means when you were baptized, your old self was drowned. Your guilt, your shame, your sin all nailed to the cross and buried in the tomb. And when Jesus walked out of the grave, He pulled you up with Him. You’re not just forgiven. You are alive.
Baptism gives you a family
Here’s the part I love most. Baptism doesn’t just give you a new identity, it gives you a new family. The Church isn’t a group of strangers who happen to sit in the same building on Sunday. It’s a family of people marked by the same promise: “You are mine. I have called you by name. You are washed clean.”
At Living Word, this is why we cheer, clap, and celebrate every Baptism. Because it’s not just their story. It’s a reminder of our story too.
Carry this truth with you
This week, I want you to hold onto one simple line:
Baptism is not just water. It’s water connected to God’s Word that makes us new.
When you feel unworthy, remember: you’ve been washed.
When shame creeps in, remember: you’ve been claimed.
When you wonder if you belong, remember: you’ve been given a family.
That’s why Baptism matters. And that’s why we’ll keep returning to the water again and again not because we need to be re-baptized, but because we need to be re-anchored in the promise of what God has already done for us in Jesus.
Source: www.derrickhurst.org