Grace Community Christian Church

 

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Does the B in Oral B Stand for Baptism? (12/27/05)

Could the "B" in Oral B stand for Baptism?!

My secretary says it's scary the way my mind works, but I'm always on the look-out for different ways to convey old truths, & a recent dentist-recommended purchase triggered just such a device.

The Oral B Professional Care 9000 Triumph (powered by Braun) electric toothbrush with advanced Oral B Floss Action bristles & pulsating MicroHead gently penetrates deep beneath my teeth for a floss-like clean. At least that's what the box says. And since I have inherited the Dewar Gadget Gene, I was powerless to resist buying it.

One line in the User Manual jumped out at me as I familiarized myself with this latest technological wonder: "Do not press too hard or scrub, simply let the brush do all the work."

"Simply let the brush do all the work." There's no human way possible for my wrist to match the cleansing action of this machine. In fact, my Oral B Triumph is so powerful I'm pretty sure there's a chainsaw or weed-whacking attachment for it out there somewhere.

"Simply let the brush do all the work." It's not about my ability any more. It's about letting my Oral B do what it's designed to do. According to the user manual, my attempts to help it along only reduce its effectiveness.

The application to baptism is obvious (well, to me!) No matter how hard I try, I am incapable of repairing or removing the spiritual decay that sin has eroded in my soul. I need something way more powerful & effective. That something is actually a Someone: Jesus Christ. The Bible says he alone can reach into those hard to reach areas & restore to perfection what sin has deteriorated. Even my Oral B can't do that!

I know there's lots of different views on baptism out there in the Christian world. But when I meet with someone prior to their "going under" the water, I always let them know that they're not doing a thing; God is just doing what He's promised to do when by faith they meet him here. The Apostle Paul put it this way:

". . . having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead." (Colossians 2:12, TNIV.)

In baptism, you're simply letting God do all the work. Something to think about next time you brush your teeth with that slow, manual, old-fashioned, inefficient toothbrush!


Jim Dewar --