Baptism for Daily Living for paper

The idea that Baptism is a daily thing may come initially as a surprise to some people. If we look at Baptism only as an outward symbol and ceremony, then we might logically conclude that Baptism is a one-time thing, something done once and then simply remembered with a certificate, much like graduations and anniversaries.

The Christian life is to be a daily Baptism; and Baptism is the daily life of a Christian. It is a daily dying and rising. Just as we go to sleep each night and get up in the morning, we daily die to sin and arise to live in Christ through our Baptism.

Death is the necessary lot of a sinner. The wages of sin is death. The soul that sins must die. Sin and the sinner must be put to death. There is no way around it. We have an intuitive sense of that. That’s why we hate death and fear it so (unless you are in denial of it). We know deep down the consequences of our rebellion. We know that we must die. Baptism means that by daily contrition the old Adam in us should be drowned and die together with all sin and evil desire. Baptism means freedom. We have been freed from the tyranny of sin: “because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.” Romans 6: 7

Because we died with Christ in our baptism, sin no longer has lordship over us. Christ has lordship. He lords His death and resurrection over us so that sin cannot harm us. Once we were slaves to sin; now, in baptism, we are slaves to righteousness. That is true freedom. Once we offered our bodies to sin as instruments of evil; now we offer our baptized bodies to God as instruments of righteousness, living sacrifices holy and acceptable through Christ’s sacrifice. Once we could do nothing but sin. Now we are free not to sin.

Though we are dead to sin, we still sin. We, who have been justified, reckoned righteous by the death of Jesus, must now continually count, or reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Romans 6: 11

We do this by daily confessing our sins, acknowledging our sinfulness before God, seeking His mercy, imploring His grace. This is where I think many Christians stumble. We have forgotten this fourth part of Baptism. And as a result, we have neglected the so-called “3rd sacrament” of personal confession and absolution, which is nothing else than a return to and a reapplication of Baptism.

One of the great sadness’s of Christianity today, is that the baptized do not know how to use their Baptism rightly. We fret and fuss and wring our hands over our sins instead of going to our pastor, confessing them, burying them, and being forgiven of them.

By confessing our sins, we bury them in daily Baptism, we drown them in the flood that flowed from Jesus’ side. This is what St. Paul means when he said, “Count yourselves dead to sin.” Confess your sin. Disown it. Throw it away. Nail it to Jesus’ cross. Bury it in Jesus’ grave. In confession, we are setting Baptism to work for us, unleashing the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection in our lives. We cannot conquer sin. Christ alone conquers sin for us. He does it through the daily application of Baptism. This is what the apostle Paul means when he says: “For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.”  Romans 6: 14

Once sin had dominion over you, causing you to fear God’s wrath, bringing shame and guilt and doubt and death. Now Christ has claimed dominion over you. He covers you with His blood, frees you with His forgiveness, lords His death and resurrection over you. Baptism gives you the permission to come into God’s presence and to confess your sin to Him, knowing he will forgive you: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”  1 John 1: 9

There is a lifetime of learning in Holy Baptism. As we daily count ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus by confessing our sin and being absolved we are using our baptism for daily living. So there is a lifetime of dying and rising in the water with Jesus, every day until the end of our days, and in the end, eternal life.

Blessings