Romans 6:4 – 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.
Baptism is a beautiful thing. Paul makes it clear that baptism does not save us. Faith alone (Sola Fide) saves us. Faith that is a gift of God’s grace —faith that is in the person, life, death, resurrection, and promises of Jesus Christ. [1] When one is granted new life in Christ, they are not the same person they were before. The old has passed away, behold the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). Baptism is our public declaration to the world that this has happened to us. God has shown His glorious light into our hearts and made us alive to see the beauty and the majesty of Jesus Christ. And in that majesty, we see that we have lived our lives up until that point as His enemies and need His forgiveness. God grants this forgiveness to us on the merits of Jesus Christ alone, not on our own goodness. We then live the rest of our lives as a testimony to how full of grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness our glorious God is.
What Paul is saying in the passage above is that just as Christ died and was buried, our old, self-centered, and sinful self should be considered dead—because spiritually we are dead. But just as Christ didn’t remain dead and buried but was raised from death, we should also consider ourselves born a new, born fresh, born again to walk in newness of a resurrected life. We are not who we were. We were bought with a price. Where once we were slaves to sin, now we are slaves to righteousness—slaves to Jesus.
Jesus is alive at this very moment. Likewise, you too are alive and well in Him. Live your life as someone who has the Abundant Life. Do not give yourself over to sin as you once did. In the power of the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the grave, you also are raised to sin no more. Be who you were bought to be. By the grace of God, walk in newness of life. Something to think about…
Do I consider the resurrection of Christ for me to walk in newness of life as much as I consider the cross of Christ for forgiveness of my sins?