From Death to Life

“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” – Romans 6:5 (NRSVUE

I was about ten years old when I was baptized. For as long as I can remember, my family was in church — Sunday morning and evening, Wednesday night, Saturday night. By that time, I felt God’s call and knew I wanted to accept Him fully into my life.

I remember being surrounded by family and friends as I was immersed in the water, and arose with the deep assurance that I was His and He was mine. I didn’t have the language for it then, but what I experienced was exactly what Paul describes in Romans 6 — being joined to Christ, dying with Him, and rising with Him into new life. Since then, my theology of baptism has grown and changed, but my belief in the truth Paul proclaims has not: baptism is union with Christ.

Although Christians baptize in different ways. Some immerse, some pour, some sprinkle. Some baptize infants, others baptize only adults. Some baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; others baptize in Jesus’ name. Yet across all these differences, the heart of baptism is the same: we are joined to Christ, we die with Him, and we rise with Him into newness of life. Paul’s focus is not on the method but on the meaning — that in baptism we enter the life of Christ Himself, the life where sin no longer rules and grace becomes our home.

Baptism is never something we do alone. It is a commitment we make, and it is something we receive — from Christ and witnessed by His people. Whether it happens in a river, a baptistry, a font, or a hospital room, baptism is always witnessed, always shared, always celebrated. It is the church saying, “You are part of this community of faith. We will walk with you and nurture and encourage you.” More importantly, it is Christ saying, “You are mine. You have died with me. You will rise with me.” 

And yet, even as baptism is the ordinary — that is, the God‑given — way Christ gives us this grace, Scripture reminds us that God is not limited by our circumstances. The thief on the cross had no chance for baptism — no water, no ritual, no witnesses — yet Jesus welcomed him. He is not a loophole or an exception; he is a reminder that God binds us to baptism, but God is not bound by baptism. Grace is not thwarted by timing or impossibility. Christ receives all who turn toward Him.

Paul’s message in Romans 6 is not simply about the moment of baptism — it is about the life that follows. We have died with Christ. We have risen with Christ. We are no longer bound to sin. We walk in newness of life. Baptism marks the beginning of that journey, and the Spirit carries it forward every day. May we remember who we are and whose we are, and may we live as people who have been raised with Christ. 

Lord Jesus, thank You for the grace that meets us in baptism — the grace that joins us to Your death and raises us into Your life. Thank You for the people who surround us, support us, and remind us who we are in You. Help us live each day as those who have died to sin and risen to newness of life. Let Your Spirit continue the work You began in us, shaping us into Your likeness and leading us in Your way. Keep us mindful that we belong to You, and that nothing can separate us from Your love. Amen.

Grace & Peace, Pastor Tim