Living From Our Baptism

AS MANY OF YOU AS HAVE BEEN BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST HAVE PUT ON CHRIST, ALLELEUIA

This past weekend I had the privilege of attending the baptism of a baby at the Orthodox (OCA) parish in Springfield. My wife and I attend Vespers there on a regular basis as a family. The baptismal liturgy was simply beautiful, full of rich imagery and symbolism of our redemption and incorporation into the Body of Christ. What really stood out to me though, was the teaching that came from the priest.

Fr. Andrew repeated throughout the sermon and at other points in the service that our lives are to be baptismal lives, that again and again we renounce satan and turn to Christ. This, in essence, is the sum of what it means to be a Christian. This is the commitment we need to make every day, to live out of our baptism. This was a good word to me and one I think is worth keeping in mind for all of us.

Since that service I have been soaking in a couple of Scriptures that speak about our life as individuals who have been baptized into Christ and the implications of that reality for us.

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

~Galatians 3:27

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 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 6:1-4

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

~Romans 13:14

Each day renounce satan, each day put on Christ, for this is the life to which we are called.

Grace & Peace,

Micah