There are many reasons that a man may give for believing in God. But, I think one of the most personal is the rationale of meaningfulness. Belief in God helps us to make a right sense of the world and helps us to live life better. Now, this may not appeal to all; but, it is true. Somebody said that God is like the sun; you cannot look at it, but without it you cannot look at anything else. We may take the example of a man who has sight problems and tries different lenses before he finally understands which lens helps him to read the letters properly. He may use the lens of deism and it fails short of divine involvement in the universe; he may use the lens of polytheism and it fails short of divine infinitude and sovereignty; he may use the lens of atheism and it fails short of meaningfulness and moral value; but, only in the Trinitarian view of belief in God does one find an answer to the meaning of life; for it talks of divine infinitude, divine unity, divine relation in community, divine love, justice, and purity.
"Last Supper" by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo (1750) Yes, it is. Water baptism identifies one with the redemption work of Jesus Christ, with His death, burial, and resurrection. It is anticipated of visible identification with Christ and His Church. Every person has the personal responsibility to examine him/herself before deciding to partake in the Lord's Table. The Bible makes it clear that those who chose not to be baptized were rejecting the counsel of God (Lk.7:30). In a mixed congregation, it is not possible to always know who is worthy to partake of the Table; however, the minister must encourage only those who have been baptized for remission of sins (not just as a ritual but by faith in Jesus Christ) to partake of the Table. Before Jesus sat down to dip bread in the cup, He washed His disciples' feet. He makes the statement that they are already "washed" and only need feet to be washed. Of course, this may not explicitly/only refer to their baptism, fo
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