“And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
Acts 11:16–18, ESV
This is why we were commanded by our Lord, Jesus Christ, to baptize in His name – in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Baptism in Jesus is not merely a baptism of repentance but in the whole being of God. We are not just merely baptized into the Father and the Son, but also the Holy Spirit, who washes over us. It is not just a mere act of obedience but a drawing into the holy family and restoration of the soul. Through Jesus, the promise once given to only those who were the children of Israel was now opened to all humanity. This does not mean that all humanity will come to know Jesus as Lord, but all now may receive the invitation. No longer would the children of Israel be separated from all other humanity when they would come before the Lord as it had been for those converts to the Israelite faith. The veil that once separated has been divided, and God is visible to all. The temple no longer resides in Jerusalem but in the hearts of all who fear, love, and trust in God. There were those who tried to stand in the way, and still, there will be more that will continue to attempt to do the same, but this is not God’s desire. The deceptions of the world can easily be thwarted when we turn to the Word and call the world in account to the Word. Not a twisted word, but the whole Word of God, which reveals the salvation that our Lord has poured out, but the calling that He has placed on all who believe. It is ever consummate and is meant to be everything to us as we see our failings and are able to see how our God takes it all away.
Let us pray. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger, and I ask you to protect me this day also from sin and every evil, that in all I do today, I may please you. For into your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel watch over me, that the wicked foe have no power over me. Amen.