When that Believer is plunged under the water by the Pastor, their previous life is ‘buried’ and they emerge, raised to new life with Christ Jesus. That is what Paul wrote to the Romans. “We died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was.” (Romans 6)
Those baptized are called to a whole new way of living, beyond just this world, focused on the promise of God’s purposes, their day-to-day experience not just physical but spiritual.
Jesus taught the Church that baptism was a moment of initiation. His words to us tell us to “go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28) What has taken place in the heart through faith is made evident in the moment of baptism.
The significance of the moment is amplified in Galatians 3. “All who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.” The primary identified of the baptized Believer becomes “Christian,” not American, not white nor black, not man or woman, not rich nor poor. Those social identities are erased by the ONE unifying truth – “I am a Christian.”
One of the reasons that Christianity spread so quickly throughout the Roman Empire was that people found a place to belong regardless of their race, gender, or social status. In the Church they were ‘brothers and sisters,’ the family of God; “ONE in Christ Jesus.
I have two questions for us today.
First, have you trusted Jesus, finding the new life in Him that is promised, and baptized as a declaration of faith? It’s not just a ritual; it is a moment of obedience to His command that opens the door to wonderful life in the Spirit.
Second, if you have been baptized is your new identity as
a Christian evident?
Do you know the Presence of the Spirit, live in love, and enjoy the privilege
of being part of God’s great big family?
Here is the word from the Word. May the truth inspire us.
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of
Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of
the Holy Spirit.
The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all
whom the Lord our God will call. With many other words he warned them; and he
pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who
accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to
their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to
fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2)
Yes, we dunked those Believers in water yesterday, but the reality was more than that! They were immersed in the water, buried with Christ Jesus, now raised to new life. What a promise.
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