Baptismal Joy (Romans 6:1–11)
I speak to you joyfully in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
In a few minutes, we will have the privilege to witness the baptism of three followers of Jesus.
Each one of them has taken part in baptismal preparation and has carefully considered their decision, counting the cost of following Jesus.
And they have decided. They have decided to follow Jesus. They have decided to embrace the One who has embraced them.
And for those interested, before the baptisms, the entire congregation will have the opportunity, if you wish, to reaffirm your baptismal vows—to reaffirm that you stand with Jesus.
So in their lives, as in the lives of all who believe in Jesus, we hold to the promise of Scripture:
1 Corinthians 15:53–57:
For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus has given us the victory. Jesus has given each of those who are being baptized today—and each of us who will reaffirm our faith—the victory that He Himself won for us on the cross.
It is a remarkable thing, an amazing thing, a miraculous thing that the Spirit of God has accomplished in our lives.
Through no merit of our own, we are given this incredibly precious gift of salvation, of life, of a new future where we are guided and held by the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit of God.
And of this wonderful thing that God has done in us, baptism stands as a living sign and a sacred symbol—an outward declaration of an inward miracle.
Baptism is not magic,
but it is meaning; it tells the story of grace already at work in us. As C.S. Lewis said,
Christianity is not about making nice people a bit nicer, but about making new creatures.
This is not behaviour modification—it is resurrection participation.
It is an important marker of the life of a follower of Jesus. It is a sign of inclusion in the Body of Christ—the Church, which is the hands and feet of the risen Saviour.
As a wedding ring symbolizes and signifies the reality of holy matrimony between a man and a woman, so baptism symbolizes and signifies the reality of our salvation.
Standing in the water symbolizes faith in Jesus Christ’s death on the cross for our sins.
Submersion in the water demonstrates belief in His physical death and burial.
Rising out of the water illustrates belief in the victory of Christ over death by His resurrection.
Walking out of the water signifies our intention to live for Christ daily.
Grace is not a coupon for more sin; it is the power that breaks sin’s grip and rewrites the desires of our hearts.
The grace of God doesn’t excuse us to live unchanged—it empowers us to live transformed. Baptism proclaims that grace has already gone to work in you.
It is important to state that we believe we are not saved in the waters of baptism.
Salvation occurs when we place our faith and trust in Jesus Christ—when we accept Him personally as Lord and Saviour.
That’s when we are born anew—born again, in the language of Jesus and of Scripture.
A seismic shift occurs when this happens. The future, the way, the very trajectory of our life is altered when we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
Grace doesn’t just pardon us—it partners with us. It trains us to live differently. When we say “yes” to salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we discover what we were looking for all along.
And a mark of belonging to Jesus is that we live our lives with Him as our Lord and our Saviour. He is our King, and we are His people. Amen?
As His people we love Him. We focus our lives on Him.
Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” So we seek to obey Him in all things as an expression of that love.
The entire Christian life is about following Jesus—it’s about living in a love relationship with Him.
We love Him because He first loved us. Scripture says, “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.”
The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 6:
“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”
First, Paul speaks of the change that comes into the life of a believer who now honours God rather than offends Him.
The Bible calls anything that offends God “sin.”
One big difference between the “before” and “after” of a Christ-follower’s life is that the “before” picture includes a lot of what I’ll call “selfies.”
The self-life focuses on personal gain and comfort, self-exaltation, instant gratification, and self-made identity. Personal goals are more important to us than God’s will
The sanctified Christian life, by contrast, is intentionally set apart for God’s purposes. We surrender personal desires to God’s will and rely on His strength and provision. We focus on long-term spiritual growth and k\Kingdom business
In this sanctified life, when one becomes a Christ-follower, there is a distinct shift of the will. We are learning to put the will of God ahead of our own.
We are learning God’s ways—those things that matter most to Him: justice, goodness, faithfulness, and the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
And as these values take root, our hearts are reshaped.
God’s concerns begin to eclipse our own comfort. That is what real discipleship looks like—learning to love what God loves and to grieve what breaks His heart.
“Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 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 6:3-4
Baptism mirrors Jesus’ death and resurrection. Going under the water symbolizes dying to self; rising proclaims resurrection life.
The person you once were is left beneath the surface. When you emerge, it is not a performance—it is a proclamation: “I belong to Christ.”
Hidden dying leads to visible living. Our burial with Christ means guilt is gone; our rising means His life now animates ours.
United to Christ, we are not patching an old garment; we’re wearing a new one. This union is personal and practical—it reshapes identity (who I am), purpose (why I live), and power (how I live).
That daily intention—to live for Christ—is fuelled not by willpower but by the Spirit.
“For we know that our old self was crucified with him… that we should no longer be slaves to sin.”
Slavery to sin is a cruel mastery, but when Jesus died, He shattered its hold. He didn’t just unlock the door—He invited us to walk out.
Freedom isn’t permission; it’s power. The liberty Jesus won for us was never freedom for freedom’s sake; it’s freedom to be fully alive to God.
Paul reminds us in Titus 3 that we were once deceived and enslaved, but now saved through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. We are justified by grace and made heirs of eternal life.
Instead of serving sin, we now serve the living God with everything in us. Our lives become testimonies to the One who has set us free.
“Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.” Romans 6:8-9
The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God.
The cross does not need an update. The gospel doesn’t need an upgrade.
Because Jesus cannot die again, your hope cannot be cancelled by failure.
His resurrection life pulses in you even when you stumble. You are not trying to make God love you—you are learning to live loved.
So count yourselves dead to sin and vividly alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Counting is holy rehearsal: every morning you rehearse what’s already true.
Set an alarm for your soul; remind yourself daily who you are in Christ. Freedom grows as we practise it.
When temptation whispers, answer with your baptismal identity: “I’m not who I was. I belong to Jesus.” The same glory that raised Him from the dead is at work in you.
One final note: the freedom Christ gives is not the right to live small, but the power to live surrendered. It is freedom for holiness, for mission, for love.
We live alive to God—awake to His love, aware of His Spirit, engaged in His mission.
We are ambassadors of Christ—agents of reconciliation, carriers of hope. Baptism is not an endpoint; it’s an enlistment. It’s your public “yes” to a lifetime of obedience.
May God richly bless you and fill you with His grace and the presence of His Holy Spirit.
But before I finish here, I want to challenge you—because baptism doesn’t end in the water; it begins in the world.
A Three-Part Challenge
1. Live Awake.
Each morning this week, take sixty seconds to remind yourself: I’ve been buried and raised with Christ. Then ask, “How will I show His life today?” Begin every day not with worry, but with wonder.
2. Walk in Freedom.
Identify one area where old habits or guilt still speak too loudly. Confess it, surrender it, and deliberately walk in the freedom Christ already purchased. Refuse to be a prisoner with an open door.
Your freedom has already been won by Christ Jesus
3. Pass It On.
Share your baptism story or testimony with one person who doesn’t yet follow Jesus. Not to argue, but to witness—because resurrection stories are meant to multiply.
1. Live Awake.
2. Walk in Freedom
3. Pass It On
Friends, this is your calling: to live baptized lives—dead to sin, alive to God, and sent into a world that desperately needs hope.
The same power that rolled away the stone lives in you. So go live resurrected. Go live reconciled. Go live released.
May the Lord bless you and keep you; may His face shine upon you and give you peace. And may His Holy Spirit empower you to walk in newness of life—all for His glory, and for the good of the world He loves.
Amen.
