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一些基督教教师将洗礼描述为神的灵加在信徒身上的一种“印记”。有时人们说，这就像一封信上的蜡封，可以识别寄信人的身份，这表明他们是有目的寄出这封信的。四世纪的教父奥古斯丁用另一个比喻来理解洗礼是一种印记。他说，这就像结婚仪式上的一吻定情：见证人在婚礼现场，许下承诺，告白爱情，所有这一切都被浓缩在深情的一个吻中。

几个世纪以来，许多基督徒也曾提出过这样的问题：所有领受洗礼印记的人最终都会“得救”吗？不一定。在婚礼上，爱情得到了宣誓，承诺得到了兑现，但在某些情况下，婚姻仍可能会破裂。我的一位牧师朋友把洗礼的印记形容为类似购物券的东西：顾客必须使用购物券才能兑现它的价值。

神对洗礼的应许和祂对我们的宣誓是确定而真实的，但受洗者也被呼召活出这些应许，从而表明自己的身份。此外，尽管人可能选择放弃与基督的关系，但我们永远不要低估基督对人的爱。祂应许要寻找迷失的羊，祂的教会也被呼召去寻找失丧的人。

Some Christian teachers have described baptism as a kind of "seal" that the Spirit of God places upon believers. Sometimes people say this is like a wax seal on a letter, identifying the sender and showing that it was sent by them for a purpose. The fourth-century church teacher Augustine used another analogy to understand baptism as a seal. He said it was like the sealing kiss at a marriage ceremony: witnesses are present, promises are made, love is declared, and all of that is affectionately summed up in a kiss.

Many Christians throughout the centuries have also then asked: Will all who are "sealed" in baptism be "saved" in the end? Not necessarily. At weddings, love is declared and promises are made, but in some cases a marriage may fall apart. A pastor friend of mine describes the seal of baptism as something like a coupon: a customer must use the coupon to claim the value that is placed on it.

God's baptismal promises and his claim on us are sure and true, but the one who is baptized is also called to live into those promises and to claim that identity. Further, though a person can walk away from a relationship with Christ, we may never underestimate the love of Christ for that person. He promises to pursue his lost sheep, and his church is called to do that too.