redemption and what God will do in our hearts as we surrender to Christ:
9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,
10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
We recognize that humanity has a sin problem, and in this passage, the apostle Paul outlines some of those sins. But, the really, really good news is that Christ came to save sinners - He offered Himself on a cross, so that as we render ourselves dead to sin, accept the Lord's sacrifice and be baptized into death, we are raised to new life! There is an antidote to the power of indwelling sin and it's a relationship with a living God through Jesus Christ, with Whom we have been raised!
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Romans 6 expresses what takes place in the human heart when that person gives his or her life to Christ:
3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection...
Liam Leslie is an 11-year-old student at Calvary Baptist School in New Orleans. A few months ago, he made a decision to commit his life to Christ. A Baptist Press story relates what happened to him and the moving event following his surrender to the Lord: Liam's commitment to Christ had come after Laekan Carter, the school's children's coordinator and a chapel teacher, had shared during a school chapel program what it meant "to have a relationship with Christ." When the children were invited to approach her with questions, Liam wrote out a note asking Carter what the phrase "relationship with Christ" meant. Carter said, "What resonated with Liam was that he was created for a purpose and that God's Son would die for him...The magnitude of Jesus' sacrifice made an impression on him."
As Carter met with Liam and answered his questions, she realized he was being moved by Jesus' love for him. They then tried to set up a time for Liam to be baptized. Carter related, "We couldn't seem to find a perfect fit for a Sunday baptism date with the family," adding, "Liam asked me weekly, for months, when he could be baptized." Finally, they decided to have him baptized in front of the entire K-8th Grade student body.
Liam's parents were invited, and baptism in a pool baptistery was something they had never seen before. Liam's mother, Alexis Leslie, said, "I was a nervous wreck," adding, "I put myself in his position as to how nervous I would be [to be baptized] in front of all my classmates. I asked Liam if he was nervous. He said, 'A little bit.'"
The baptism was performed by pastor and school headmaster Michael Carney, aided by Carter. Alexis Leslie described it as "beautiful." She said the family has not been active in church, she was glad her son wanted "Christ in his life." Leslie said, "When they told me, I didn't realize it was that big of a deal. Since then I've come to find out that it is a big deal..." She added that when her son asked to be baptized, she "immediately" said yes.
Jennie Gartman, a second-grade teacher, is quoted as saying, "My students were so excited to watch the baptism...Afterwards, there were lots of questions about why he was baptized."
Baptism is an outward expression of the inward work of Christ in our lives. I think about the story I heard about how God worked recently through the S.O.S. ministry at Talladega. According to its Facebook page, 32 people received Christ in ministry to racing fans, and 2 people were baptized, right there on the spot. Two pools had been donated to the ministry. By the way, one of the national founders of S.O.S., Tom Curtis, went home to be with the Lord this past weekend. Because of his commitment to Christ, he, like so many others who have received Jesus as Lord, has the assurance of eternity with God in heaven.
The story of Liam Leslie can reinforce the importance of ministry to children and sharing the gospel with them. And, the expression of baptism helped to communicate what God had done in this young man's life to his parents and his classmates. What a wonderful way to express what God has done in a person's life!
The Bible teaches that there is an inward baptism that occurs in our hearts when we give ourselves to the Lord. Romans teaches that we are "buried with Him" through baptism. The expression of going under the water signifies that we have died with Christ, and when we are raised up, that shows that we have been raised to newness of life. We have passed through - from death to life, into new life with Christ.
Water baptism illustrates the story that we have been cleansed - our sins are washed away, and we have been granted a new start in life, as a new creation in Christ Jesus. Old things have passed away, the Bible says, and new things have come. We can be challenged to examine our own lives and ascertain whether or not we have experienced the new birth in Christ.
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