30. Baptized into Death
Romans 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
The promise is that those who have been baptized into Christ will be baptized into his death. The promise is that we are baptized into the death of Christ. The result of this baptism is that we are dead to sin, dead to self, and no longer connected to all that is not of God. So we are also dead to death. Death is separation; life is connection. Sin separates from God; grace connects to God. Connection with God is connection to life and everything that is good. Death gets rid of everything bad; the death of Christ takes away all sin; baptized into His death unites us with this event that gets rid of everything bad along with sin. This dying cuts us off from sin and unites us with God.
The issue we have to deal with every day is that we don’t want to die. “Dying to self” is the hardest part of living. “Dying to Self” means I am willing to give up every selfish desire and want, every right that I think I have, everything that would involve self-interest at the expense of other people. Faith implies dying with Christ and dying to self. The death of Christ is a big deal, always has been and always will be, obviously. Baptism also is a big deal, as it makes personal Christ’s death. Baptism places me personally into the death of Christ; that’s a big deal.
Faith in Christ means that I have died with Christ, I am buried with Christ, I am raised with Christ, and I am seated with Christ in the heavenly places. Faith identifies me with Christ and what He has done. Baptism puts me in that position. For this reason it is important that I remember my Baptism by daily repentance and faith. By doing so I will more readily do the impossible: die to self. By remembering my Baptism I affirm that I am willing to die, to take up my cross; and when the opportunity to serve others by surrendering my own wants and rights I will do so. My service and love for others arises directly out of Christ’s serving me in His death. God places me in a servant’s position by Baptism into His death. When I was baptized I died; when I remember my baptism I die daily.