The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Peter 3:18-21, “1For Christ also died for sins once for all,

the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having

been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;

19 in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits

now in prison, 20 who once were disobedient, when the patience

of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction

of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely

through the water. 21 Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—

not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good

conscience– through the resurrection of Jesus Christ…”

All Scripture is important. Understanding verse 21, however, requires

understanding what “Corresponding to that” means. So, I had to

include verses 18-20.

The question I want to pose is this: Does the Holy Spirit, who lives

within all believers, ever lead us to do something that is in Scripture

that we’ve never read?

I was seven when I was saved. And the first thing that excited me was

baptism! I wanted more than anything to be baptized! Why? I didn’t

know. I only knew that when people were saved, the next thing they

did was be baptized. Years later, as I read the verses above, I learned

why this urgency had been so heavy upon me. Agreeing to baptism was

not washing away my sin; that had been done by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Rather, it was my conscience confirming my decision with God. It was the

Holy Spirit leading me to openly identify myself as one of His children. I

found years later that it was the Spirit’s moving upon my born-again life to

be obedient to the LORD’s command of baptism. Don’t be afraid to allow

the Sprit to influence you to do something, just be sure it’s the Holy Spirit

who is leading you!

Love and prayers always,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas