If You Believe

Today’s reading: Acts 8:14-40

[And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”] - Acts‬ ‭8:37‬‬‬

One of the infamous [bracketed] verses in the New Testament. There are sixteen of these verses in total. Some translations put them in the margins because they weren’t found in the earliest manuscripts (there are over 5800 that comprise our NT). There is a lot to love in these verses, because we get to see what the earliest Christians (1st and 2nd century) believed and practiced.

Here we see that intelligent belief in Jesus needs to come before baptism. Infant baptism and sprinkling came much later to the church. Philip and the Eunuch went “down” into the water and before his baptism, the man declares, “I believe!”

It is so powerful to remember your baptism first-hand. The African would now have a lifetime memory of rejoicing in God’s salvation.

We dedicate our babies so that someday they can personally decide to follow Jesus.