Title: God's Love
Contents: Ladies and gentlemen, as believers, we have two similar rites. Wedding and christening. A wedding is a ceremony that represents the meeting of the spouses who will live together in this world and forming one body. Baptism is a ceremony to show that we meet Jesus and become one body not only in this world but also in the eternal world.
Guys, which is more important, a wedding or a christening? A christening is more important than a wedding. Baptism is the most meaningful and important ceremony among the many ceremonies we have. We prepare the wedding grandly and spend money. Many people come to celebrate. There is an atmosphere of joy and joy of a feast. But we seem to think and practice baptism as a normal thing. The reason is that we do not know the meaning of baptism.
We need to know the meaning of baptism. I hope that those who are being baptized will first understand the meaning of baptism and be baptized. For those who have already received it, I hope that the meaning of baptism will be renewed.
So, what is baptism? Look at verse 12 in the text. Verse 12 contains the words baptism and faith. These are words that show how we are connected to Jesus Christ. The text connects us with the burial of Jesus Christ through baptism and with the resurrection of Jesus Christ through faith.
Gentlemen, it is not that baptism first connects us with Christ's death and burial, and then faith connects us with Christ's resurrection. We share in Christ's death and resurrection through baptism. But not only by baptism, but by faith, we are united to the death and resurrection of Christ. Therefore, baptism without faith is meaningless. Baptism without faith is lifeless. Only baptism with faith has meaning, life, and power.
Just as husband and wife live together by marriage, so by baptism we are united with Christ. When married, the husband's everything belongs to the wife. When we are baptized, we are united to Christ. All of Christ we have as wives. In the text, the words “in Christ”, “in him” and “with Christ” emphasize our union with Christ.
First, we say that we were buried with Christ in baptism and that we were resurrected with Christ. It means that the fruits of the Lord's death and resurrection became ours. We died on the cross with the Lord. He died to sin with the Lord. He died to death, the wages of sin, with the Lord. When we are baptized, we go into the water or sprinkle water over our heads. This symbolizes that we are dead. Baptism indicates that you died on the cross with the Lord through faith. When married, the bride is an outsider. It is a break from the past in which you lived. It means he's dead soon. The same goes for baptism. Our good also died on the cross. Our bad ones also died on the cross. The purpose, plan, and method of our lives are also dead. Baptism is the declaration of death for the self.
Baptism is not only a declaration of death on the cross with Christ, but a declaration of new life with Christ. This is the meaning of verse 12, “In him we were also raised up.” This is not a future resurrection. It means that we now have the life of the resurrection of Christ through the Holy Spirit. The married bride owns and enjoys the groom's everything. Just as we enjoy a new life together with the groom, I hope that we, who have been married to Jesus Christ through faith and baptism, now have and enjoy the life of Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:30 also speaks of this fact, saying, “You are of God and in Christ Jesus, who came from God and became to us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.”
That's right. May the wisdom of our Lord be yours. May you understand that the righteousness of our Lord is yours. Believe that the holiness of our Lord has become your sanctification. May the redemption of our Lord be yours.
Dear saints, today's text also tells us how to live as believers who are united with the Lord through faith and baptism. How should a newly married couple live? What would you like to say to the newlyweds? Everyone, the words to enjoy each other are the best blessings. Isn't it? There is nothing more important in married life than the bride enjoying only the groom and the groom enjoying only the bride.
To those who will be baptized today, the text tells the same message. Those who are being baptized are meant to live only enjoying Christ in the future. It is to live with Christ. It is to live in Christ. Those who are to be baptized may enjoy the Lord alone in Christ in the future. I hope that those who have already been baptized may enjoy and live only Christ in Christ.
See verse 6 of the text. It says, “You have received Christ Jesus the Lord, and walk in him.” By baptism, we died to the past and received Christ Jesus. Since a new life with Jesus Christ as Lord has begun, it is an exhortation to live in Christ Jesus.
What, then, is the new life in Jesus Christ? Verse 7. First, it is a life that is rooted and built up in Jesus Christ. For example, as a plant, it is to have a root called Jesus, to grow a sprout called Jesus, to bloom a flower called Jesus, and to live by bearing the fruit called Jesus. Taking a building as an example, it is to build a building called Jesus Christ on the foundation of Jesus Christ. Only in Christ, for Christ, and by Christ. Whether we live or die, it is a confession that we belong to the Lord.
Second, it is a life of growing in the truth by being taught. The word faith in verse 7 is the truth about Jesus Christ. It is a life that is built up in the truth, the content of faith, through education and training. Baptism is the starting point for this spiritual maturity. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. The evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit is an unquenchable passion to learn the truth. It is a thirst for truth. Humility before the truth. May you now humbly learn the truth. I want you to be educated in the truth. May you be trained in the truth. I hope you will mature into a spiritual adult, not a spiritual child. May you become spiritual giants.
Third, it is a life full of joy and gratitude. Seeing the newlyweds, they say that sesame salt is poured out. It is a happy newlywed full of joy. So is our new life with our Lord. It is not a boring, boring, or dull life. It is a life full of gratitude. It is a full life. Marriage without gratitude and joy is problematic. If we do not have gratitude and joy in our religious life, we want you to know that we are spiritually sick. Look at verse 10. We declare that we are filled in Christ. It is full of Christ. If we do not have gratitude and joy, we have a spiritual disease.
Dear brothers and sisters, why did gratitude and joy disappear from our life of faith? Because we do not enjoy the Lord alone, we follow others. Because we do not live in the Lord. It is a problem if the married bride loves and meets other men than her husband. In verse 8 we warn against following anything other than Jesus Christ. If so, repent now. I hope to receive Christ Jesus as Lord again. Therefore, the new life in the Lord is a life that believes and follows only the Lord.
Brothers and sisters, baptism must be accompanied by faith in Jesus Christ. Baptism without faith is nothing. We are united to Jesus Christ by faith and baptism. I soon married the Lord. Therefore, everything of the Lord can be ours. First of all, with the Lord we died on the cross and were buried. Therefore, we cannot live for ourselves. Because we are dead. We must live for the Lord. To this end, we have been raised with the Lord and given new life through the Holy Spirit. New life by Christ in Christ for Christ.
I hope that God's abundant grace will be with you as you begin your new beginning with Christ as Lord today. I bless you in the name of the Lord for your vows, resolutions and resolutions as you make a new start.