Dear Baptized Ones,

     This coming Sunday we have the great privilege of being a part of the baptisms of Lucy, James, Charlotte, and Isaac Davis! Brandon and Sarah long for each of their children to know God loves them and has long been at work to reveal this love to them. They want them to experience the joys and challenges of being a part of our Abba Father’s covenant family united as one body in the Holy Spirit’s power born of our only hope in Jesus as Lord and Savior as declared by the sacrament sign of baptism (cf. Ephesians 4:4-6). Charles Hodge notes the Trinitarian nature of this unifying foundation in A Commentary on Ephesians:

“There is one Spirit, one Lord, one God and Father. The unity of the church is founded on this doctrine. It is one, because there is to us one God the Father, one Lord, one Spirit. It is truly a mystical union; not a mere union of opinion, of interest, or of feeling; but something supernatural arising from a common principle of life.”

In addition to the stated formula in Matthew 28:19, this Trinitarian understanding from Ephesians 4:4-6 also serves as a key reason for “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” being pronounced as one is baptized

     While baptism itself won’t save any of the Davis children, it will regularly call them in various ways to respond to God’s grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. We get to participate in this call by how we live out Christ’s work in Christ’s character before them. In Ephesians 4:1-3, Paul urges us to look first to the finished work of Jesus on our behalf as the reason for what we do and how we do it in His name. He goes on to describe the character in which it ought to be done. One way we could improve on our baptisms in preparation for this Sunday is to take each quality and prayerfully ask the Holy Spirit to convict us of where we need to grow in humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with others in love, and an eagerness to maintain unity in the Spirit in the bond of peace as well as in what relationships. After praying, come expecting the Spirit to work for God’s glory, our joy, and the life of the world!

In Christ,
Cameron