A Drenching Rain Is Good; An Immersive Baptism Is Better

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’ (Acts 22:16)

The good thing about mid-October in southwest Florida is that we are entering the drier part of our year, which extends into the early part of the next year, lasting until March when the ‘April showers’ begin. 

The bad thing about mid-October is that we are entering the drier part of the year, and that unless we get a spot of rain here and there we usually end up in a drought and the chance of wildfires increase, especially in February and March when the humidity is a bit lower and the undergrowth of the still-expansive empty spots around become dry and fodder for a spark or ember to begin burning.

While it is the best time to be in Florida – lower heat, lower humidity and sunny days – periodic rains help keep these potential hazards in check and allow us to enjoy our winters here more enjoyable.  The best ‘firepit’ evenings are when it’s cool and dry, but if it is too dry, then fire bans become issued and thus having small bonfires to roast hot dogs or melt s’mores with friends and family have to be cancelled.  Last year, the great firepit days were frozen out, not by extreme cold but by the extreme drought that had everything turning into potential tinder.

When it becomes dry, the dust and pollen also begin to collect outside.  The early months of the year turn ‘yellow’ from the pine tree pollen that coats our cars and driveways.  Without a good rain to wash it away, many end up with aggravated allergies from all the pollen and dust lying around, flying into the air almost unseen, by cars passing down our streets or while walking down to retrieve the mail. 

It is better when we get a good heavy rain, once every week or so, in our winter months so things can be dampened and all that dirt and pollen can be washed away, and you can get into your car and not worry about seeing out your windshield (or smearing the windshield by turning the wipers on to move the pollen and dirt off of it).

Like that good, heavy rain that washes away the dirt on your car or from the driveway, accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior can wash away your dirt, or sins.  A good rain can be drenching, with one getting soaked head to toe.  Figuratively, when one accepts Jesus and His Gospel message of salvation, Jesus does not just save your feet, or the head or ears.

He has the Holy Spirit drench you entirely, immersing you and surrounding you with it completely.  It is not a partial salvation; He takes in all of you to Him – body, mind and soul.  All the sin is washed away when you turn to accept Him as Lord as repent of your sins. 

When you were a kid (especially us boys), our parents (especially our mothers) would remind us until we were about 35 years old to wash behind the ears, because if we missed that one part, we would not be entirely clean.  If we were ‘almost’ clean, we were in fact still dirty.  This is the same logic behind both Spiritual Baptism; all the body and the mind is baptized, entirely immersed so that no part is dirty and so that you are clean.  We are made fresh!

When you become Spiritually baptized, as the ‘fire’ of the Holy Spirit coming to dwell within you; Jesus wants you to share that with everyone. He wants you to show your decision to follow Him in Believer’s Baptism, a physical representation of the Spiritual baptism He gave you for your profession of Faith in Him.  The immersion into water by a new Believer does not ‘save’ as the Believer is already saved, but is done in obedience to the example Jesus gave when he was physically baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River (Matthew 3:13-17). 

Jesus is God, so His physical baptism would not have made Him any more ‘Godly’, but He did so to demonstrate His obedience to God the Father.  It is a meaningful example of being completely drenched in the Holy Spirit, of sin all washed away entirely from one’s self, and of one’s obedience to Christ.  This is why physical baptism is so important to the tenements of Christian Faith.  

There are people who want to be clean – of the corruption and decay of this world, and it is interesting when they ask a question like this; ‘who can wash it all away?’  We know who, and our job is to introduce them to the one who can provide them with a full cleansing, drenching, and soaking of the Holy Spirit to wash it all away – Jesus!