New Beginnings - Part 1
“We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
Romans 6:4
I love Easter and it is just around the corner! It has always been my favorite holiday for many reasons. As a child I loved the spring colors, the new dresses for church, the Easter bunny and his baskets full of goodies, the Easter Lillies lining the church altar, the chocolate covered marshmallow eggs my grandmother brought me each year, the big family lunch with all the deviled eggs I could eat, and waking up before the sun came up to attend sunrise service. One thing in particular stands out to me about this holiday and that is my baptism on Easter Sunday when I was 10 years old. I did not realize at the time exactly how special that day would be for a baptism but I’m so thankful my parents scheduled it for that special Sunday. Easter is a day for new beginnings.
Every spring as the fresh buds are coming out of the ground it reminds me of the new beginnings of Easter. Flowers have always brought me such joy. I have an enjoyment in seeing the different colors, textures, shapes, and heights. I find it fascinating how flowers are used for different purposes. They are used for food, medicinal purposes, rituals and religions, objects of romance and simply for our enjoyment. But, their main purpose is for pollination of a seed or fruit of the specific plant.
So, you may be asking, what do baptism and reproduction have to do with each other?
This week I want us to focus on the first half of this question. Jesus’ death and resurrection introduced grace into the Christian faith. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, God provided our redemption and justification. Redemption is the action of saving or being saved from sin and justification is the action of declaring or making us righteous in the sight of God.
Paul says in Romans 5:20, “where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” If that is the case, should we strive to sin more so that we can receive more grace? Then he quickly answers, “NO!” Through the public profession of our faith through baptism, we identify with the new life Jesus was given through His resurrection. Baptism does not by any means get us into heaven. It is not our get out of jail free card. Only our faith and relationship with Jesus Christ can get us into heaven. But, our baptism is closely associated with our faith. It is a public confession of our faith and a confidence in Jesus Christ as our Savior. With this public profession of our faith, we are made new and a new life means change, a change from the desire to live in sin to a desire to live in God’s will for our lives.
When we are baptized, we are baptized into the family of Christ. Along with joining Christ’s family, we are given freedom from sin’s tyranny, freedom from the law’s condemnation, and the precious life in the power of the Holy Spirit.
On the way home from church last Sunday Triston, my 9 year old son, said, “I’m mad at Adam and Eve for committing the first sin. Now we have to live in sin because of what they did.” My first reaction was that I understood where he was coming from. I’ve thought the same thing in my life. The truth is each one of us is born with that sin nature we inherited from Adam. That is why Jesus came to earth, died, and rose from the grave. He did that so we no longer are in bondage to and weighed down by our sin, sin of past Jews and Christians, and sin that was done to us. As humanity fell into sin and became subject to death in Adam, Jesus freed us by paying the price of our redemption on the cross. Believers in Jesus Christ now have died and been raised again with Christ. That is what our baptism symbolizes. Romans 6:4 tells us we are raised again through the glory of the Father, by the power of God. God’s glory is His divine excellence, His perfection. Everyone of God’s attributes is a manifestation of His excellence.
So, this Easter, where do you need a new beginning? Do you need to recognize that God has the power to free you from this sin you are still carrying around bringing you shame, guilt, and sadness? The work is already done. All we have to do is have faith that when Jesus brutally suffered a blameless death on the cross and in three days rolled the stone away and walked out of the cold, hard tomb the victory over sin wa won!…Jesus’ work is complete"; it is now up to us to embrace that truth and place our trust in the One True Savior.
Next week we will look at the reproduction side of the earlier question. We will dive into this truth of Jesus’ resurrection and learn how to apply it to our lives in how we grow closer to Him through a process called sanctification. It is time for a new beginning. It is time for new growth on our old, weary bones.
Digging Deeper:
Read Romans 6:1-14
What do you love about Easter?
What part of “new beginning” brings you joy? What have you been carrying around that you need to let go of?
Part of starting fresh is letting go of the baggage weighing you down. Ask God to help you forgive yourself and move past your sins so you can see new growth this Easter.
