“ 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)
The burial of Jesus made it undeniably clear that He had truly died. In the same radical way, baptism shows that a person has been “buried with Christ” and begins a new life. As the water covers the head of the one being baptized, it is a powerful symbol that their old nature has died with Christ. Then the person emerges from the water again—a beautiful picture of resurrection from the old life of sin and death into a new and cleansed life. In this way, a radical spiritual reality becomes visible.
Baptism is first of all important for the one who is baptized. It is a key moment in his or her life that expresses a profound change and helps to make a radical break with the old life. In addition, baptism is a public declaration before others. Just as a wedding ceremony shows all those present that the bride and groom are now one, with all the rights and responsibilities that entails, so baptism shows that the one being baptized now wants to live for God and is fully devoted to Him. Third, baptism is a proclamation of Jesus’ victory over opposing spiritual powers: the new believer is no longer under the power of Satan, but now belongs to the Kingdom of Christ.
Have you been baptized? What significance do you attach to it?