“Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:3-4)
Baptism by immersion is such a powerful picture. When you go under the water, you’re identifying with Christ’s death and burial. Your old self, the person enslaved to sin, dies with Him. Then, when you come up out of the water, you’re identifying with His resurrection. You’re declaring that you’ve been raised to new life in Christ. This isn’t just symbolism for symbolism’s sake; it’s a sacred marker of a spiritual reality. You have genuinely died to your old way of living and been made alive in Jesus.
This means baptism should change how we live. Paul says we’re raised “so that” we might walk in newness of life. It’s not just about what happened in the past; it’s about how we live today and tomorrow. Have you been living in the freedom and power of your resurrection life? Or are you still dragging around the grave clothes of your old self? Baptism reminds us that we’re not who we used to be. We’ve been united with Christ in His death and resurrection, and that changes everything. Let that truth sink deep into your heart and transform the way you walk through each day.
Reflect:
- In what ways are you still living like your old self instead of embracing the newness of life Christ offers?
- How can the picture of baptism—death, burial, and resurrection—encourage you when you’re struggling with sin or discouragement?
- Praise God for the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Ask Him to help you daily live in the reality of your new life in Christ, leaving behind old patterns and embracing His transforming power.
