Identifying with Christ

“For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received – that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures”  1 Corinthians 15:3-4

“We know that since Christ has been raised form the dead, he is never going to die again; death no longer has mastery over him.”  Romans 6:9

 When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, it is a completed act. At that moment, we are saved in Him. In keeping with the scriptures, typically one goes on to follow in baptism. While the act of baptism does not save us, it is a marker in our lives. It is our public profession of faith in Christ.

 At the moment of our baptism, we are saying we believe that Christ died for our sins according to the scripture. We identify with Him in His death, dying ourselves to the “old man.” Here are some other references to how our “old man” is put to death when we align ourselves with Jesus in His death for us:

“knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;” Romans 6:6

“that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”  Ephesians 4:22-24

“and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”  1 Peter 2:24

 When we choose Christ, we choose to die to our old self. The two cannot cohabitate in our soul. Once our “old man” is dead, he must be buried. We are unable to end the “old man” ourselves, God must do this for us. There is nothing in us that can conquer him, but God, when we submit to Him, is able to do this by crucifying him at the cross with Jesus.

  In baptism, this burial is symbolized by immersion in water, by going under. We are “covered over” by water as David Guzik puts it in his commentary. This literal covering over by water represents how we are “covered over” by Jesus. We are identifying with Him in His death and burial, both spiritually and physically in the act of baptism. Jesus was in the grave for three days. This proved that He was really dead. So, to, our old self truly dies as we identify with Christ.

  And most importantly, He rose again on the third day according to the scriptures. Again, with baptism this is shown by the coming out of the water. As is so frequently put, we are “raised in the newness of life.” No longer are we bound to the “old man,” subject to his whims and desires. No longer are we dead men walking about on the earth, seemingly alive but with the grave in our souls. Now we are new. As David Guzik put it, “Our participation in the death of Jesus makes our participation in His resurrection certain.” Just as there were other references in the Bible to the “old man” there are places where it describes the “new man” as well:

“The new man, which was created according to God, in righteousness and true holiness.”  Ephesians 4:24

“The new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.”  Colossians 3:10

 When we identify with Christ, we identify with His resurrection. We come up out of the water new! No longer are we bound to sin. No longer does our path lead to the grave. Now we have the promise of Heaven and eternal life with our risen Savior!

 Here’s the Thing: Baptism doesn’t save a person. It is merely an act of obedience as we walk in faith with God. It does, however, model for us the spiritual reality that has taken place in our hearts. If you have not taken the step of following God either in accepting Jesus as your Savior or in participating in a believer’s baptism, I cannot emphasize strongly enough the importance of doing so. If you want to chat about this or be pointed to some more resources, please reach out at saltyzebrablog@outlook.com .