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.
Romans 6:4
Baptism is a picture of our salvation. The water reminds us of the judgment we deserve for our sin – we deserve to die in the flood of God’s judgment just like the people in Noah’s day. But, like Noah was rescued out of the flood by God’s provision and grace in the ark, we, too, are rescued from judgment by God’s provision and grace in Jesus Christ. Noah’s only hope was in God’s promise of deliverance from the flood and the directions God had given to build the ark. In the same way, we believe God’s promise of salvation in Jesus Christ – He is our only hope. When a believer comes up out of the water in baptism, we are given a tangible picture of being rescued from death to walk in new life.
We were dead in our trespasses and sins, but Jesus died our death to bring us back to life. All of our sin was placed on Jesus, our old self died there on that cross, so that by God’s grace we would be set free from sin. Sin no longer has dominion because our old self is gone, dead, crucified with Christ. Not only that, Jesus’ resurrection seals the promise of freedom from sin. Now, Christ, the conquering King, lives in us. We walk in His victory, no longer enslaved to sin!
Even though we have been set free from sin, our daily choices reflect our true master. If we choose to continue in our old habits of sin, we are submitting again to our old master. It’s as if Christ’s death carries no weight to us, and we ignore the price of our freedom. By God’s power and grace, we now have a choice to say ‘no’ to our sin and walk in holiness. Is it a one-time choice to deny self and pursue righteousness? No. This choice must happen daily with our eyes fixed on Jesus, our only hope.
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation!
References: 1 Peter 3:21, Ephesians 2:1-6, Galatians 2:20-21, Romans 6:1-14, Luke 9:23, Hebrews 12:1-2
Studio Update:
Took a few garden pictures last Monday. The snapdragons are going to town, some of our dahlias overwintered and are blooming now, and David Austin roses are the best! We just got the tomatoes out last weekend, so hopefully they’ll get going with a little rain. The peas are setting on, the beans are headed up the arbor, and the garden is filling up.
And in the art realm… some doodle-y dahlia bouquets and colored pencil foxgloves…
Anyway, that’s all for now! Thanks for stopping by!
Blair