“And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, ‘See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?’” – Acts 8:36
After having Isaiah explained to him, the powerful government official from Ethiopia asked this seemingly simple question… He believed the good news of Jesus Christ. He knew the first act of obedience for a believer should be to get baptized. Did anything prevent him from being baptized?
There’s more behind that question that we might imagine. For all his obvious wealth, power, and love for the God of Israel, this man was also a eunuch. As a eunuch, the Old Covenant Law of Moses prevented him from fully participating in the assembly of God’s people. He loved God but hadn’t been permitted to draw near to Him in the Temple. The Law required that he permanently be on the outside looking in.
Having heard the glorious Gospel of Grace, the eunuch was rightly concerned that he might still be stuck as an insider looking into God’s Kingdom. Was there a limit to God’s grace? Was there a limit to who would be fully welcomed into God’s Kingdom? NO! God’s Kingdom is for everyone! On the spot, the eunuch was baptized into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
God’s Kingdom welcomes everyone who submits him or herself to Lord Jesus, believing in His sinless life, sacrificial death, and physical resurrection and repenting of their past sins. No matter their past or present reality, forgiveness, abundant new life, adoption by God, and union with Christ is freely available to everyone who believes in Jesus. No deformity, no defect, no trauma, no disaster can separate you from God’s love in Jesus Christ! #FollowJesus
P.S. If you’re a believer in Jesus but haven’t yet requested baptism like this Ethiopian eunuch, stop waiting! As you read through Acts, believer’s baptism is the first thing each person does after trusting in Jesus. Baptism isn’t necessary for salvation but in baptism, we identify with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (Romans 6). Don’t hold off on that joyful identification with your Savior!