Contemplative Bible Reading

Acts 10: 47-48 (New Living Translation)

Then Peter asked, 47 “Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?” 48 So he gave orders for them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Afterward Cornelius asked him to stay with them for several days.

I don’t understand all I know about baptism. It is beyond me.

Given that, these verses are part of the (hi)story of Peter and the Gentiles. Peter went to the home of Cornelius, who is a Gentile. That was not right in some respects. Peter observed miracles in these Gentiles as the Gentiles spoke in languages that they did not know by human means. Peter recognized the Holy Spirit working in these Gentiles.

Given the Holy Spirit, there was no objection to these Gentiles being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

Note the phrase, “to be baptized.” The Gentiles did not baptize themselves. The people who followed Jesus of Nazareth as the Christ baptized the Gentiles. These followers of Jesus accepted these Gentiles as followers of Jesus. They immersed the Gentiles in water and said, “We recognize you as one of us. There is no longer us and you, it is now we.”

There is something about baptism that is an acceptance of an unbeliever by believers. The unbeliever has passed some test of belief. I am not sure about that statement or how all that works. Again, I don’t understand all I know about baptism. It is beyond me.

I do know that thank God for the saving grace — the gift of salvation that I cannot earn. There is nothing I can do to receive it.