Changing Your Allegiance

---

It is now time to officially enter into an ongoing relationship with the living God by making Jesus your Lord!  As you have already seen, Jesus is both God and your Creator.  It is therefore a natural progression to make Him the ruler of your life, coming under His authority in how you live your life.  This entails no longer living independently from God, but relying on His wisdom to guide you. This submission is defined as Lordship.  You are now willfully giving your total allegiance to Him and by doing so you are yielding yourself to His ways, His teachings, and His direction for your life. By changing your allegiance you are now taking your marching orders from the "King of kings and Lord of lords!", the Lord Jesus Christ!! - Revelation 17:14

As a new believer, you have been given a newfound purpose in life with hope, joy, and meaning.  Every day that you wake up, you must simply choose to walk with and submit to Christ. Your allegiance to Christ and the faith that you profess in Jesus is proven by how you live your life. In essence, your life is a reflection of your loyalty, faithfulness, and obedience to God. If your life doesn't change to reflect the character of Jesus, then your repentance and faith are probably suspect and in question. God created us to live lives that would honor and glorify Him. By living your entire life submitted to God in holiness, you too will be glorified and welcomed home at the end of your life. 

With that said, no new faith is complete without baptism! Baptism is commonly described as a public confession of our belief in Jesus. However, as we look through the scriptures there is a significance much deeper. Yes, baptism is a public declaration of our faith, but as we discussed previously, it is how we personally identify and become joined with the death and resurrection of Jesus. There is great spiritual significance to baptism! Upon submergence in the water, our old man is buried with Jesus in His death, and upon rising from the water we are raised in new life just as Jesus was at His resurrection. Our old man is dead and our new man is born into eternal life. Washed clean, forgiven, and filled with God's Spirit living in us!

"Or don't you know as many of us were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.  For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:3-11

The Apostle Paul describes the process of becoming "in Christ" directly with the process of the water baptism that new believers partake in to identify themselves with Christ's death and resurrection.  Paul is declaring a union that transpires between God and man as we reckon ourselves "dead indeed to sin" through baptism, and become alive "to God in Christ".  It is for this reason that Jesus can tell His disciples just before His death, "Because I live, you will live also." John 14:19  

What else does the bible tell us about baptism?

1. "Jesus answered, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.'" - John 3:5 
2. "He who believes and is baptized will be saved." - Mark 16:16 
3. "Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Spirit" - Acts 2:38 
4. "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" - Galatians 3:27 
5. "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit" - Titus 3:5 
6. "let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." - Hebrews 10:22  
7. "There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ" - 1 Peter 3:21 
8. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." - Matthew 28:19-20  

In Summary:

Water baptism is a Christian practice that joins the believer in union with Jesus' death and resurrection: 

• Meaning: Water baptism unites us with Jesus's death and resurrection to a new life in Christ. 
• Purpose: Water baptism is a command for believers, established by Jesus when he gave the Great Commission. It's a way to identify with the message of the gospel, Jesus Christ, and other believers. 
• Practice: Water baptism is by immersing the person completely in water. 
• History: The book of Acts in the Bible shows that everyone who believed the gospel was baptized after Pentecost. 

As Ananias told the great Apostle Paul, "And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord." - Acts 22:16

If you have made it this far, welcome to the faith and congratulations! If you want to get baptized and start your journey with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, we are here to guide you along the way. Questions are normal and the Christian faith is a growth process. Don't hesitate to contact us or utilize our list of additional resources below. In addition, we would love to give you a free bible. Just mention it in your comments. You are never alone. God bless you!