By Campus Missionary Mary Rowley
A sprinkle of water, some words spoken, the sign of the Cross, and baptism is done. It’s a simple thing, and sometimes we don’t think too much of it. But if we examine the Scriptures more closely, we can see that baptism is truly a miracle.
For example, check out Romans 6 verses 3 and 4. “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 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.”
These verses describe the fact that baptism gives us death before it gives us life. It purges our sin through the death of Christ and then brings us “newness of life” through the resurrection of Christ. This newness of life is salvation, but it’s also more than that. It makes us new people. We have a completely new identity; we are no longer ourselves. Christ is in us. When we walk, Christ walks with us. When we speak, Christ speaks through us.
This gift is incredible, and yet, we belittle it when we don’t use it. We can thank God for his gift by living baptismally – by living “dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (verse 11). We don’t have to give in to sin, because Jesus won that battle for us. We can and should give in to godly desires such as loving our neighbors, honoring our parents, and sharing the Word of God. When we do these things, we demonstrate our gratitude to the Lord of hosts.