Do you remember the day you obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ and were baptized into Him?
Many may remember the place, the exact date, the person who baptized them, and even the time of day or night it happened. Some may associate a strong emotion with the moment of their baptism – like having tears of happiness or the relief of feeling like a great burden had been lifted.
But more than the emotions you may have felt on that day, do you remember the significance of what took place when you were baptized? Do you remember what your baptism means to you in your past, present, and future?
What’s Already Happened.
You died.
Sin killed us (Romans 7:11). Fulfilling our desires and passions, we were dead in our sins (Ephesians 2:1-3). But Christ’s death on the cross, bearing our sins in His own body, gave us a way out – we no longer had to remain dead in our sins (1 Peter 2:24).
The apostle Paul reminded Christians that they had “died to sin” (Romans 6:1-2, NKJV), which occurred when they were baptized into the death of Christ Jesus (Romans 6:3). They had “crucified” the “old man” with Christ (Romans 6:6, NKJV). Having died with Christ, they were set free from sin (Romans 6:7).
You were resurrected.
Just as Christ was raised from the dead, so we were raised from being dead in our sins when we were buried in baptism with Him and raised up to live a new life (Romans 6:4). Just as Jesus died to sin once, and was raised once, so Christians should now consider their condition changed. We are no longer dead in our sins – we are alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:10-11).
We were dead in our sins, but we have been resurrected from being dead in our sins and made alive together with Christ because of God’s great love, mercy, and exceedingly rich grace He shows us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-7).
What’s Happening Now.
You are dying.
As those whose condition has changed – we are no longer dead in sin, but are alive in Christ Jesus – we must “put to death” and “put off” the kinds of things we used to live in and practice (Colossians 3:5-10; Ephesians 4:17-32, NKJV).
Because of what God has done for us, we must live for God, and not for the sinful desires and passions we once served.
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (Romans 8:11-13, NKJV)
You are being renewed.
Although our physical bodies are slowly beginning to fail us and die, the “inward man” is being “renewed” each day (2 Corinthians 4:16, NKJV). Our “new man” in Christ “is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him” (Colossians 3:10, NKJV). Peter commanded Christians to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18, NKJV).
We must present ourselves as those who serve God, and not sin, for our condition has changed and sin is no longer our Master, but God is (Romans 6:12-14).
What Will Happen.
You will die.
Because sin entered this world, death came to the human race (Genesis 3:19; 1 Corinthians 15:22). There is no escaping death – we are all human, and so we will all die.
We have a reservation with death that we will all keep (Hebrews 9:27). As David told his son Solomon on his deathbed, “I go the way of all the earth” (1 Kings 2:2, NKJV), so we, too, will one day go the same way as David.
You will be resurrected.
Our baptism with Christ into His death means we will also be united with Him in His resurrection.
“If we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him” (Romans 6:8, NKJV).
Jesus Christ was raised from the dead to live forevermore. Death is no longer Jesus’ master (Romans 6:9).
Just as Christ has been raised from the dead – never to die again - so those in Christ will all “be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22, NKJV). On the day of the Lord, our physical bodies will be raised from the dead – our spirit and body being reunited – and we will be changed to be “incorruptible” and “immortal.” Through our Lord Jesus Christ, we will all be given the victory over death (1 Corinthians 15:50-57, NKJV).
Remembering your baptism means remembering the change that has taken place, and the hope you now have in Christ.
Your baptism is also a reminder of our ongoing struggle against temptation and sin, and our daily growth in Christ.
