hm...

What do you make of this?

“Baptism does not assure us of salvation.  Baptism assures us of Christ who is our Savior. It reminds us that, throughout time and place, God has willed to save us.

Here's what I think I like about it -- it is a reminder that the Gospel is not a commodity.  The Good News is not a thing we inherit (although I think it is that, in a way). The Gospel is Christ.  The Good News is a Savior.

I especially like the last line (you will recognize it as a refrain on Sunday) That God has willed to save us.  Isaiah 43:1-7; Luke 19: 28-44.  Every Old Testament story.  Every New Testament epistle can be boiled down to an essence that is 6 words long:

God has willed to save us. 

Thanks be to God.