Romans 6:3-11
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. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (ESV)
Looking Death in the Face
Elisha
14 June 2010
Sometime it seems that oncologists are taking their patients to death's door by giving them chemo-therapy. Chemo-therapeutic medications are often toxic to humans. The doctor hopes to kill the cancer before killing the patient. The patient often looks death in the face before chemo-therapy shoves death out the door. So it is in baptism. Baptism is a kind of death. We look right into the face of death in baptism so that death might be shoved out the door.
Satan holds the power of death (Heb 2:14). Yet, we are put to death in baptism. We come close to the enemy's power of death that we might partake of the Lord's triumph over death. We can descend into the death-sodden lair and hovel of Satan in the tomb of baptism, only because in the baptismal pool the old dragon lies drowned, done to death by the victorious Christ. Death and its master lie mastered by Christ who crushes the life out of death. In baptism death is crushed out of our life by the weight of the water.
Cyril of Jerusalem
"You go down into the water, bearing your sins, but the invocation of grace (in baptism), having sealed your soul, keeps you afterwards from being swallowed up by the terrible dragon (Satan). Having gone down dead in sins, you come up made alive in righteousness. For if you have been united with the likeness of the Savior's death (Rom 6:5), you will also be deemed worthy of His resurrection. For just as Jesus took upon Him the sins of the world, and died, that by putting sin to death He might rise again in righteousness; so you also by going down into the water are being in a way buried in the waters. Just as He was in the rock (1 Cor 10:4), you are raised again walking in newness of life (Rom 6:4)"
Prayer
Lord Christ, You remake death in my baptism by bringing Your life out of my death. Grant me the power in faith to mock death and him who holds the power of death, because both vanquished lie. Amen.
For all Christian missionaries who are confessing Christ in Muslim countries, that they might be faithful in their confession of the one Savior from sin
For the faithful readers of the Memorial Moment, who have benefited from these devotions, that they would be faithful confessors of the faith of Christ
For Tristen Dasch that the Lord would be with him granting him strength and healing
Art: PISANO, Andrea The Baptism of the Multitude 1330