How can we who died to sin still live in it? [3] Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? [4] We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. — Romans 6:2-4 (ESV)
We who follow Jesus should be living free from sin! That’s what the Apostle Paul means when he begins with such a direct question. He is astonished that there are those who don’t seem to be progressing toward holy living. While it is true that faith in Jesus results in receiving the promise of eternal life, faith in Jesus is supposed to help us truly live the rest of the days on this earth. True living involves being like Jesus to this world.
Baptism is supposed to represent the magnitude of change that takes place when we come to Jesus. Baptism by immersion probably more graphically demonstrates this transition than baptism by sprinkling. In immersion, we are “buried” in the water representing how we die Christ, and we “rise” from the water showing how we rise from the dead with Christ. We literally act out being born again as a new creation. The old is gone with our death, and the new is come with our resurrection.
It relieves you from weakness and improves vitality cialis canadian and vigor. Enjoy Proper Sleep CEOs normally share a dysfunctional relationship with buy cialis pharmacy sleep, mainly because of work load or excessive traveling. buy soft cialis There are many impending benefits that you can change up your long-lasting temporary tattoos as frequently as you’d like. River shipping has a 70 to 1 advantage over viagra without prescription usa any other form of transport. I was immersed in baptism as an adult. I wonder if I shouldn’t have died a little bit longer (stayed under water longer), so that I would have more completely experienced the death of the old self! Whether you have been baptized by immersion or not, it is important to get Paul’s point here: faith in Jesus killed the old person that you were, and brought to life a new person who was fitted with the ability to walk free from sin, living in practical holiness. It is sad that the normal Christian life these days is to not recognize and put into practice the kind of radical life change that we have been given.
But just because it is not the norm anymore doesn’t mean that the change of life that we received is any less real. We should expect more from ourselves — not in the sense of trying to live a legal righteousness (which no one is meant to do) — but in the sense that we should experiment with plumbing the dimensions of this new life. If we believe we can live a holy life starting right now, would we be freed to live differently? Instead of keeping our distance from God, let us run toward God, right into His Holy Presence, and let us remain there always. Let us not fear drawing near, but let us boldly claim our newness, made lovely and acceptable to the Holy One. In God’s Presence is fullness of joy, and the desire for things of the flesh are far from us.
Originally posted on May 18, 2010