Blessed Assurance

Sunday, October 11, 2026

Eli Shiltz

LGBTQIA+ Person of Faith

LOVEboldly Board Member

Quote

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

~Matthew 3:16-17 (NIV)

Reflection

On the surface this appears to be solely a passage marking the start of Jesus’ ministry with his baptism. However, if we start to dig deeper, it is so much more than that. It is important to ask ourselves why Jesus needed to be baptized. I still remember when I was baptized and the pastor stating “buried with Him in baptism” before dunking me into the tank, then saying “raised to walk in the newness of life” as he lifted me from the water. This is meant to symbolize the death and resurrection of Christ and the washing away of our sins through his sacrifice. Jesus was perfect and free of sin, so why was he baptized? Jesus tells John that he must be baptized in order to gain righteousness. When Jesus came to Earth, he became like humankind and therefore needed to declare his relationship with God and the Holy Spirit. God confirms Jesus’ identity as he is lifted out of the water and confirms his love for the Son of God. He did more than that, if he is declaring his love for his son in human form then he is also declaring his love for all of us. We are all beloved in the eyes of God.

This verse gives me great peace as a Trans person who faces condemnation from family members. I stumbled upon this passage as I was looking for “evidence” that transitioning and having a relationship with Christ weren’t mutually exclusive. I was trying to change my family’s mind, but I ended up strengthening my own relationship. Reading God’s declaration of love helped give me the courage to start going to church again. As a result, I have found an amazing church family who welcomed me with open arms. I didn’t know how much I missed fellowship. One of my biggest regrets is that I let the fear of judgement for not “passing’” keep me from stepping inside of a church.

Reflection

1.    Have you ever been told that a fundamental part of your identity prevents you from having a relationship with God?

2.    Has that prevented you from exploring and growing your relationship with Them?

Action

I would like to encourage you to create a positive affirmation that you can use to remind yourself that you are a beautiful child of God and nothing can exclude you from receiving his wonderful love.