Christianity 102

Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God,  instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.  And God permitting, we will do so. Hebrews 6:1-3

Yesterday I constructed a “Christianity in a nutshell” paragraph. It didn’t include some of the elementary items listed by the writer of Hebrews and noted in bold above. I call these items Christianity 102, things outside of the nutshell but which need to be learned and absorbed quickly after conversion.

1.  Baptism – Jesus was baptized very early in His ministry. New converts were usually baptized immediately. Why? We know Jesus didn’t need to be baptized. Baptism isn’t necessary to salvation. So why do it and why do it at the beginning. I believe it’s because it’s a sign to us and to everyone else that we’ve decided to follow Jesus. It’s a public reminder. It’s the first step in fulfilling the Great Commission. Although I was christened as a child, I decided to be baptized years after coming to Jesus. My grandson decided he wanted to be baptized at the same time. My pastor baptized me, then I turned around and baptized my grandson. It was awesome. Enough said.

2. Laying on of hands – We need to learn quickly and often that our purpose is to serve others. We are priests. We have a ministry. With conversion and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit comes a power that we have to serve and bless. It’s elementary.

3. Resurrection of the Dead and Eternal Judgment – We need to learn early that our walk is critical. There are souls to be saved and a mission to do. It’s not just “nice” if others follow Jesus; it’s critical. We were created to live forever and everything we do has consequences.

There, you know everything you need to know.

Go and grow and bless.