In 2012, Pretoria, the capital city of South Africa, changed many of its street names, initially causing confusion for commuters and a headache for traffic reporters who were expected to give both street names in every update. After the names were changed, the format for traffic bulletins at most radio stations included the new street name followed by the word “formerly” and the old moniker.
In 2013, Hillsong United renamed their band. Radio broadcasters around the world initially referred to the worship group as “United—formerly Hillsong United.”
These name changes caused me to think about water baptism—a powerful, visual symbol of the change that occurs when we give our lives to Jesus. In Him, I’m full of faith, formerly fearful; I am free, formerly bound; I am at peace, formerly anxious. After Peter proved that Jesus was the true Messiah, the Jews were convicted and asked him what they should do next (Acts 2:14-37). Peter said they must repent, turn to God, and be baptized. Then they would be forgiven and would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).
When believers are immersed and come back up out of the water, it is a visible reminder that their old nature is dead in the grave, never to be put on again, and they now have a new nature in Christ (Romans 6:3-6; Colossians 2:12). Water baptism is a public declaration that we were dead and lost in our sin, but we have been made alive again in Christ by faith (Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 2:13-15).
The new street names in Pretoria aren’t going back to what they once were, and United won’t be changing back to Hillsong. And when we’re baptized, we declare that we’ll never return to our old, dead nature. We are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Matthew 1:1-25
More:
Read more about baptism in Acts 16:31-33 and Galatians 3:27.
Next:
What does it mean to die daily to our sin nature? Why is it important that we be baptized?
Tom Felten on June 9, 2014 at 10:10 am
Ruth, thanks for these reminders that in Jesus we have become new creations! Life and the evil one have a way of leading us to false views of ourselves and who we are in Christ. But, praise God, we have been changed and set free by His grace!
sercher on June 9, 2014 at 11:39 am
Ruth, we, who were baptized, went through the very same name transformation, just like Saul-Paul did. In Acts 13:9 we read about Paul being called Saul. Since then, he was being called his new name.
That meant something for Paul, that still rings true for us. Our parents gave us our earthly names at our birth but it is after our baptism that we get our “new name”. Saints, chosen ones, royal priests, we all can rest assured that Go who “called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light (1 Pet.2:9) “will never erase [our] names from the Book of Life” (Rev.3:5) if we stay faithful to Him.
Ruth O'reilly-smith on June 10, 2014 at 12:44 am
Thanks Tom and Sercher. The Christian life is a faith journey and our challenge is to live our new name and our new nature by faith. May our words and our actions daily reflect the change Jesus has made in our hearts, through faith by the power of the Holy Spirit.