The Christian life is the baptized life, united with Christ. Truly, the power of Christian baptism is our link with Jesus Christ, our identification with his Story, our sharing with his life, death, burial, and resurrection, and one day soon, his glory. To be a Christian means, for the rest of our lives, a union and oneness with Christ, a participation in his life. Now, his life is our life, and his purpose, our purpose.

When our Father adopts us, he brings us into his household and gives us a bath. The symbolism is clear: our sin is washed away like dirt, and we are given a new life. Titus 3.5 tells us that this work is done by the Holy Spirit in us. Baptism is the outward sign of this inward grace.

Thank you, Father, for bathing us and giving us a new life. I pray that we may always walk by your Spirit and so live in a way that is fit for your household.

Baptism is more than a backwards-looking event rooted in the ancient past; it publicly changes our identity in the present and commissions us for future mission and ministry as members of Christ’s royal priesthood.

~ Uche Anizor and Hank Voss, Representing Christ. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2016. p. 124.

Let God Arise! Seasonal Focus
Live a Baptized Life, Romans 6.1-5

Book Reading
Breslin, Embracing Our Priestly Nature at Work