We all hope for a better future. That is why we educate ourselves. It is why people want to go to university. It is why people vote in elections. It is why we take risks. Without hope we would just give up and die!
Every culture offers its own pathway to a better future. In traditional rural cultures it often involves ancestor worship and sacrificial offerings. In tribal cultures it often involves obtaining a dominant position over competing tribes. In religious cultures it usually involves some sort of self-cleansing and penance. In secular cultures it often involves the accumulation of wealth and the domination of others.
The point is that there are many different ways in which people seek to improve their lives. God is also interested in this. He created us, loves us and wants our lives to be fruitful and blessed. He wants your life to be fruitful and blessed.
The subject of baptism often arouses strong emotions amongst Christians with disagreements about how necessary it is, how it should be done, when it should be done and why it is done. These disagreements mostly arise from differing traditions of how baptism is practiced. It is important, therefore, that we examine scripture carefully and try to let it instruct us, rather than simply try to justify our tradition.
We all hope for a better future. That is why we educate ourselves. It is why people want to go to university. It is why people vote in elections. It is why we take risks. Without hope we would just give up and die!
Every culture offers its own pathway to a better future. In traditional rural cultures it often involves ancestor worship and sacrificial offerings. In tribal cultures it often involves obtaining a dominant position over competing tribes. In religious cultures it usually involves some sort of self-cleansing and penance. In secular cultures it often involves the accumulation of wealth and the domination of others.
The point is that there are many different ways in which people seek to improve their lives. God is also interested in this. He created us, loves us and wants our lives to be fruitful and blessed. He wants your life to be fruitful and blessed.