Does baptism make me stop sinning?

So do you think we should continue sinning so that God will give us more and more grace? Of course not! Our old sinful life ended. It’s dead. So how can we continue living in sin? Did you forget that all of us became part of Christ Jesus when we were baptized? In our baptism we shared in his death. So when we were baptized, we were buried with Christ and took part in his death. And just as Christ was raised from death by the wonderful power of the Father, so we can now live a new life. (Romans 6:1-4)

If you haven't realized it yet, we do 'continue to sin' even after we say yes to Jesus. There is still a struggle with temptation. We don't just magically 'stop sinning' - we must deal with the urges to do what is wrong when we know what is right. Good news is that we don't do it alone! We have Christ in us to help us with that very real struggle.

Did you ever wonder what purpose water baptism plays in a person's life? If we are honest, some of us may have 'got dunked' without really understanding the real meaning of that action. When we say yes to Jesus, we welcome him into our hearts and ask him to take control of our lives. When we are baptized in water, we are attesting to the fact we have chosen to follow Jesus, wish to live our lives as 'dead to sin' and 'alive to right living'. 

The whole thing about 'taking part in Christ's death' can be a little hard for some to understand. The purpose of baptism is to show we are committed to this walk with Jesus, are reliant upon him to help us live renewed lives, and that we are aware we now live 'new lives'. We are attesting to being 'dead to sin', but we don't always make 'right choices', do we? Does that mean that the action of baptism 'didn't work'? Not at all. Baptism is a testimonial of our faith in Christ to renew our lives - to help us make better choices and walk in all the wisdom he gives.

What changes then? We don't get pulled into sin as easily. It might not happen immediately, but our priorities change. Our choices change. We find ourselves desiring the presence of God. We are easily convicted of our 'sinful deeds' and find ourselves desiring God's restoration quickly. We aren't perfect yet, but we have changed hearts that lead to changed actions, and that is moving us toward God's presence and not away from it. Baptism isn't magical - it is a trusting act that shows we desire more of Christ's activity in our lives until we one day find ourselves aligned with all he desires. Just sayin!

Your destiny awaits!

Destination - the purpose for which someone is destined.  Really we can thing of being "destined" as being set apart for a particular purpose - we have a "use" defined for our lives.  Our "destination" is "in Christ" if we have entered into relationship with him.  If not, our "destination" is rather uncertain.

^25-27But now you have arrived at your destination: By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God. Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up for a fresh start. It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe—Christ's life, the fulfillment of God's original promise.

(Galations 3:25-27 The Message)

The awesome point of this passage is the "direct" relationship we have with God through Christ.  The Apostle Paul has spent better than half of this letter to the Galations explaining the purpose of the Law of Moses as "pointing to" the destination he now reveals - life with God - direct, no middle-man involved.  In other words, we have IMMEDIATE access which is PERSONAL in nature - affording an opportunity for us to be frank and real with God.

For some, being "real" with God is a very frightening prospect.  Yet, if we have been brought into "direct" relationship with God through the work of Christ on the cross, we have no need to fear this relationship.  It is like having an "all-access" pass!  We can be straightforward - totally candid with God - because he does not judge us harshly for our wayward thoughts, our missteps, or our lack of trust.  He accepts us "IN" Christ.  Pure and simple.

Paul brings up another interesting point about baptism - it was not just a time of washing us up for a fresh start.  If it was, we'd be finding a place to be "baptized" every day!  In baptism, we make a "fresh start" - one which involves acknowledging our intention to live according to the truth God reveals in his Word.  The best of intentions does not get us to our destination, though.  It takes purposeful steps from point "A" to get to point "B".

This is where being dressed in an "adult faith wardrobe" comes into play.  In another of his letters, Paul directs us ever so carefully to consider how we "adorn" ourselves for the daily "warfare" of living according to the truth God reveals.  He calls it "putting on the whole armor of God" - utilizing the weapons of defense to repel temptation, avoiding the damage of compromise, etc.  He reminds us to take up the offensive weaponry, as well - utilizing the Word of God (the sword of the Spirit) to expose untruth, speak truth into dark times, etc.  How we are "adorned" matters.

Paul reminds us of the importance of being "fully dressed" with the wardrobe we are given.  If we bathe (baptism) - we also need to be clothed (applying the truth we are given)!  We often stop at baptism - we need to move on!  God brings us into direct, open, and frank relationship with him - IN CHRIST.  In turn, we are to enter into the enjoyment of this freedom, clothing ourselves with all he provides - our "adult faith wardrobe" found in Christ!