#DailyDevotion Faith Only Saves Because Of What It Receives In Baptism
Romans 64Now when we were baptized into His death, we were buried with Him so that as the Father’s glory raised Christ from the dead we, too, will live a new life. 5If we were united with Him in this likeness of His death, then we will be united with Him also in the likeness of His resurrection. 6We know our old self was nailed with Him to the cross to stop our sinful body and keep us from serving sin any longer. 7When we’re dead, we’re free from sin. 8But if we died with Christ, we believe we’ll also live with Him…
Some people have a problem saying that baptism saves. This is because they don’t understand what baptism is, does, or who is doing the work. They’ll respond, “Only faith saves!” Well not quite. Only faith receives salvation. Such people turn baptism into our work and then turn around and effectively turn faith into a work. Faith is merely the receptor of receiving salvation. Baptism is the act of God in which God joins us to Christ and his salvific work. Faith believes and receives this work of baptism.
So what is baptism and what does it do? Baptism is that rite in which God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit puts His name on us, making us His holy temple. By putting His name on us, he declares us to be His and transfers us out of the kingdom of the devil and into his kingdom.
We can see here in Romans six also what God does to us in baptism. Here in baptism God joins us to the body, life and work of His Son Jesus Christ. See what happens, we are baptized into His death. Now this is extremely important. The wages of sins is death, eternal death. That debt must be paid. In as much as Jesus died to pay that debt, when we are baptized, we are joined to Jesus’ death. It is appointed man to die once and then the judgment. If we had died in baptism and received the judgment of our sin in baptism, then we do not die again. We cannot face the charges of our sins again. They have been taken care of by being joined to Jesus in baptism. You died with Christ in baptism and you were buried with Christ in baptism. What can Death do to you now? Nothing.
In baptism you are joined with Christ’s resurrection. Just as Jesus is risen from the dead you too are raised to newness of life. Your spirit/soul was dead because of sin. Now in baptism, being joined to Jesus, it is raised to eternal life. The living soul Adam was you now become once again. You now live your life in Christ. The devil will try to convince you that you are still the same old sinner you used to be and God cannot and will not love you. Do not listen to him. That sinner is crucified, dead and buried with Jesus. He is no more. The threats from our sins cannot touch us. We died and were nailed to the cross with Christ in baptism. We don’t have to listen to sin anymore. No, in Christ, in Baptism, (they are basically the same) you get to live a life free from the accusation of your sins. As such you are free to live the life of love that Jesus gives us in baptism. We died and are free from sin. You are in baptism, “think of yourselves as dead to sin and living for God.” Think that because that is the reality of your baptism. That is what God did for you in Christ, in baptism. What a gift of God!
Heavenly Father, in baptism you joined us with Jesus so we may be one with him in his death and resurrection. Grant us faith to receive this gift so we may be living for you all our days. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.