“We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." Romans 6:4
On a congested and cloudy day at the Pacific Ocean my friend was so excited to jump into the West Coast water that he snatched off his shirt and ran right past a black-flag rippling in the wind. He dove into the choppy surf and came bursting up in chest high water. As he turned to motion for the rest of us to jump in, a wall of water started mounting behind him. We waved frantically. He waved excitedly back at us. Then he turned just in time to see the looming eight-foot wave crash down on his head. After what felt like three minutes and three full body revolutions underwater, my friend gathered himself out of the angry surf.
Baptism literally means to immerse, dunk or submerge. It’s not always the safest process. When we get baptized there is no part of you that doesn’t get wet. There’s no part of your life that doesn’t get touched or turned over. Nothing is off limits for God. Baptism isn’t just a destination stop on our religious “to-do list”: say the sinner’s prayer—check. Start reading the Bible—check! Get baptized—check!
Baptism is a total immersion into a transformation process. God is totally saturating you in himself. Anything that doesn’t conform to his nature gets washed away. Nothing is off-limits. He is in control of every part of your life now. It’s uncomfortable. It’s invasive. And it requires total and ongoing surrender on your part. The good news is, when we come out the other side (so to speak), we always come out alive and not dead. See, the world promises life and delivers death. God invites you to die so that you can experience his life.
It takes meditation and practice to fully live in these truths, but they will transform you:
Through baptism we are united with Christ in his death
- I die to my self-indulgent nature
- I die to my unbridled desires and ambitions
- I die to old habits and patterns
- I die to powerlessness
- The enemy’s curses and bondage are finally broken
- I die to the lies I used to believe
- I die to conformity to peer pressure
- I die to self-sufficiency
- I die to self-preservation
- Abandonment dies with self-preservation
- Depravation dies with self-preservation
- Apathy and carelessness die with self-preservation
Through baptism we are united with Christ in his Life
- I belong totally to God and not the enemy
- I am fully alive and sensitive to God and his ways
- I have total access to relationship, intimacy, and friendship with God
- I have a mind being renewed in God’s wisdom and truth
- I have the Holy Spirit’s power, gifts, and purposes operating in my life
- I am free from bondages, curses, sins
- My desires and ambitions are being reformed after God’s
- The Holy Spirit is growing godly fruit in my life
- I can rest in my father’s love and trust that he’s never going to abandon me
Every day I have to make the choice to love God; invest my time and life in the life he has ordered for me; say no to my old desires; and let God’s fullness saturate all of my decisions with his peace, abundance, surrender, joy, and hope.
The Christian life isn’t a nice safe tradition, or a spiritual addition to your half empty life. It is a rigorous path into God’s all-consuming fire. It is his merciful way to bring unholy people into communion with a holy God. We are united with Jesus in his death. We are united with Jesus in his life. Welcome to the searing hot truth of God’s love.
Tags: habits, life, baptism, death, self, patterns, romans 6
