Remember Your Baptism

In Romans 6, the apostle Paul says,

“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? 4 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.”

Later in the service, we get to celebrate the wonderful ordinance of baptism. In baptism, a church affirms and portrays a believer’s union with Christ, and a believer publicly commits to Christ and his people. Baptism is a joyful act of obedience to the Lord Jesus, and it is a tangible sign of the gospel.

And in Romans 6, Paul appeals to our baptism to exhort us to walk in holiness. He’s saying,

If you have put your faith in Jesus, then you have been crucified with Christ! You have been buried with him, and you have been raised with him. Therefore, do not continue in sin! But walk in the resurrection life that your baptism points to!

If you have trusted in Jesus but have not yet been baptized as a believer, I exhort you this morning: Be baptized in obedience to the Lord Jesus!

And if you have been baptized as a believer, I exhort you this morning, walk in newness of life in accordance with your baptism.

And this reminds us of our need to confess our sins…

Prayer of Confession

Father in heaven, hallowed be your name… hallowed be your name. You are holy Lord. And we confess to you now all the ways that we have continued in sin in our lives. We confess all the ways in which we have continued to live in what we have died to. We confess all the ways in which we have not walked in newness of life.

Help us to remember our baptism. Help us to remember that we have put on Christ and that we ought to forsake our sin and walk in newness of life. And we ask that you would lead us now, by your Holy Spirit, in this time of silent confession.