“She was baptized on Sunday!” my friend said joyously, referring to her little granddaughter.<\/p>\n
But what was she really saying? Certainly much more than, “My granddaughter had some water sprinkled on her head on Sunday”. I can’t speak for my friend, of course, but after some reflection I believe she was saying something like:<\/p>\n
“She belongs to God now. The holy God of the Bible. The God of the Church. It’s a kind of validation. She is not a pagan, or a heathen having no God. She is not alone in life. She is baptized. Baptized into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. She is a part now of all that is good, lasting, hopeful, meaningful.”<\/p>\n
Her baptism was a sign—more than that—a seal that her sins have been forgiven. The Lord God has done something for her, something she could never do for herself. Although a little baby, she is a citizen of heaven now, a daughter of the King of glory. Faith has been created in her, or at least a capacity for faith has been created.<\/p>\n
Faith is a gift, like everything else. As the Apostle Paul reminded the Corinthians, “What do you have that you did not receive?” (I Cor. 4:7) And yet, more fully understood, faith is both a gift and<\/em> a response. She has been given something very valuable. She was baptized. She has an objective, personal assurance of God’s love and care for her. She was not given a good luck charm to carry around with her. She was given a gift she must keep on receiving. She must grow in the grace and the knowledge of her Savior, Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" “She was baptized on Sunday!” my friend said joyously, referring to her little granddaughter. But what was she really saying? Certainly much more than, “My granddaughter had some water sprinkled on her head on Sunday”. I can’t speak for my friend, of course, but after some reflection I believe she was saying something like: “She … <\/p>\n