Dead to . . .

“All of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death . . . For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.” Romans 6: 3, 6, 11 TNIV

“Dead to sin, alive to God!” The pastor declared repeatedly during a sermon about baptism. Many people attending the church were preparing for this next step in their faith journey and the pastor wanted to impress its importance. Following Jesus Christ’s example, this act of immersion under water is a Christian tradition that publicly declares a person’s commitment to follow Jesus. The believer is dipped under the surface of the water representing, as the Apostle Paul explains in Romans, that one’s old sinful self dies, then upon being brought back out of the water, the person is declared alive in Christ.

“Dead to sin, alive to God!” Yes, pastor, I was baptized 14 years ago. I am faithfully following Jesus and aiming to lead my life as God directs.

“Dead to sin, alive to God!” As the repetition of this phrase continued, my focus changed from thinking about those new baptism candidates to the sins now “dead” in my life since my baptism. Here is my list so far:
self-righteousness
self-confidence
self-helper
selfishness
fearfulness
self-identity
worry
insecurity
pornography
dishonesty
power-grabbing
unhealthy cravings
stubbornness

Well, I am sure there are more, but those are the ones that came to mind right away. So, while some of these issues I still deal with, the consequences of them are “dead” because Christ’s resurrection broke the power of sin and death upon humankind. Now, I am now alive to God! Galatians 2:20: “I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”

Dear readers, have you committed your heart to Jesus? Do you want to let him rule your life? If yes, make sure you celebrate your new identity with baptism! If no, please consider making the decision to be "dead to sin, alive to God!" Jesus is waiting for you with open arms!