WHAT DOES BAPTISM MEAN?
WHAT IS BAPTISM
ALL ABOUT?
READ: Romans 6:5-10
But if our unrighteousness brings out God’s righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?” Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—“Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is just!
What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
THE BIG IDEA
NO MATTER WHAT'S IN OUR PAST, BAPTISM IS A MARK OF HOW JESUS HAS CHANGED US1
Baptism is a picture of death, burial, and resurrection. It means going public with our faith in Jesus and symbolizes that once we come out of the water, we are not the person we were before entering in. We are no longer defined by our sin, but brought to new life with Jesus like He resurrected into new life.
Being baptized is not equal to salvation, it shows a picture of salvation.
Think of it like a ring symbolizing marriage. If you take your wedding ring off, you are still married; however, with it on, it shows the rest of the world that you are committed in a relationship unlike anything else.
You have been made new in your salvation, and baptism is a symbol to those watching—and to those you tell later—that you are no longer a slave to sin and death but are alive in Christ. Because of Jesus, everyone can live in freedom.