Romans 6, part 1 - Dead to Sin...Alive to God!

The passage is often used for baptism services. Baptism is a beautiful image of this passage of scripture. It illustrates and declares how we have died with Christ and now live new life in Him.

I was baptized as a young girl and my daughters were baptized a couple years ago. It is so wonderful to see someone baptized; it brings tears to my eyes every time. Baptism is the outward declaration of a life yielded to God. It declares that I belong to Him.

Going down into the water represents us dying to our sin. We no longer desire to follow our sinful desires any longer. I love this imagery of dying in Christ. Christ bore our sin on the cross. He took our punishment. Our sin is transferred to the work that was done on the cross so many years ago. Jesus paid our debt; we only need to have faith in Him.

There is this amazing beauty that I can not describe when I see anyone come up out the water. Literally my spirit man leaps inside of me in joy and I experience it every time. When a person comes up out of the water it is a picture of their sins washed away, all things are new. This display of hope, new life eternal, that takes my breath away for a second. They are now alive, I am alive my daughters are now alive!

I think I am so moved because I have come to understand the depth of the action, the depth of love that comes from God to redeem us.
Romans 5...

⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

I think these verses really sum up what Paul is expressing, words we should hide in our hearts.

⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹ For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. ¹⁰ The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. ¹¹ In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

I Am Alive!

GET JOY!

The picture is of my husband baptizing my daughter...love it.

Check out Jenilee's take on Romans 5 today!