"Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."
- Romans 6:3-4 -

Baptism demonstrates that we share in Christ’s death (vs 3,4). In his death, Christ took our old human nature, annulled it (v 6) and buried it. The Spirit bonds us to Christ, so that what was true of him becomes true of us. It is part of the great exchange. When we come to the cross in repentance and faith, we undergo a moral change for the good. It then becomes our calling to live out the new reality of a transformed nature – to count ourselves as dead to sin, yielding ourselves body, soul and spirit to righteousness (vs 11–14).

Baptism is potentially life-threatening: we might drown! Our old self takes fright! Yet the old is swallowed up in the new – we are raised to life now (v 4) and we have the hope of the ultimate resurrection in the age to come (v 5). When a believer in Christ finally comes to die, we do well to remember that their funeral service has already been held – when they were baptized. Life now awaits them (vs 8–10).

Closing Prayer: Loving Father, keep me alert to the deceptions of my heart, aware of my areas of weakness, and committed to being faithful to You at all times.