The Glory of Being Baptized into Christ's Death

Romans 6

In Romans 6, Paul describes a baptism into the death of Jesus Christ. Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Paul then describes a burial and a resurrection into newness of life. I am sure we have often heard this passage used to describe water baptism. But I believe that these verses are the actual thing that water baptism is meant to represent. When we are baptized into the death of Jesus Christ we are crucified with Him. It is as if we are on the cross with Him, dying to ourselves and to our own soulish life so that He might live through us.

When we live out of our own ability, our own intellect, our own soul realm, we bear fruit of all that we are, in ourselves, able to produce. If we really desire to bear the kind of fruit that God desires that we bear we are going to have to do it from something other than ourselves. It is only when we are dead and God is able to live through us His life that we can hope to bear fruit.

In John 12, Jesus spoke prophetically of Himself, and then included us in the very same experience that He describes happening to Himself. He says: Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. (25) He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. (26) If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

He says that it is only through His death that fruit can be brought forth. He then reiterates a statement He made earlier when He taught that we must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. If we love our life we shall lose it, but if we give up our own life, we shall find His life manifested through us. In the same way that His death brought forth the fruit of redemption, righteousness, and victory over sin our death will allow Him to live through us and bring forth fruit in and through us to His glory.

But what does this death look like? What does it feel like? There is an initial death that takes place when we decide that we are no longer going to live our lives our own way but rather that we are going to allow God to call the shots. But that is only the beginning. As we are surrendered to God and allow Him to speak to us, He will begin to deal with us about areas of our lives in which we need to die. How often have I been here? God may say, "You have pride in this area. I want you to die to that." He may say, "You are married to your own ideas about Me and My word in that area and you are wrong. I want to change your understanding of that thing." He may say many things, and each one of them will seem to touch an area of our life that is intensely deep and personal. To die to those things hurts. It is not at all easy and we often struggle with it. I cannot think of one time when I found it easy to die to some area of my life that God has revealed, for each of these areas has in some way been a stronghold. But I have never regretted this death because it has always led to the manifestation of the Glory of God in my life in a greater way.

I want to encourage you to allow God to deal with you, to get in your business in a very personal way. When He does, determine to die. The results are glorious.

I recall the Roman Centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant. He said that all Jesus need do is speak the word and it would be done. He recognized Jesus power, but said something very telling in that recognition. He said, "I too am a man who is UNDER authority and I say to one come and he comes and to another go and he goes..." His authority over his troops came only as a function of the Roman Government's authority over himself. He acted in authority only insofar as he was backed by the full weight and authority of Rome. He recognized that Jesus was acting in an authority that was above His human existence, that it was the power of God working through Him that gave Him the authority He exercised as He lived on earth. It is the same with us. Death to self is the only road to the power of God. Living for self will fill us with whatever self-power we can figure out how to wield, but who wants that? It is not real power. But when we are surrendered to the God who longs to demonstrate His glory and power through us??? It is glorious!

Blessings Brother. I have a thought that came as I read to your bottomline. In my heart, this is not off your topic. Would you and/or some of the other brothers interpret these four verses for us? Dan 11:32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. Dan 11:33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. Dan 11:34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. Dan 11:35 And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.

I have not been one who studies eschatology in great depth, although I do have what I think is a good, general idea of the scenario. Daniel speaks in this chapter prophetically of events that were to come. I believe some of these events have now clearly come to pass, and some of them are yet to come. But in the middle of this he speaks of how peoples hearts will be postured in the midst of all of this. I am not sure there is much interpretation needed for the four verses you noted. I am not trying to be trite, but I do think they are pretty clear in that they mean just what they say. I would say the word flattery and flatteries is interesting. It seems to indicate smoothness or slipperiness of speech. It means to be deceived by smooth talking or slippery arguments. I believe this is probably speaking both of people who went through the siege of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. as well as of those who will go through the time of the anti-Christ setting up his kingdom in the very near future as well. The two are very similar and pictures the one of another. My thoughts anyway.

It is a wonderful thing to enter into the "good land," finding our self life slain in Christ and his cross. Now, about all these large giants....these too, he will slay, as we hold to Him - our Life and Victory.

It will be good to begin acknowledging the place of baptism in the Holy Spirit in Christ's verifiably perfect and diacritical death on the cross, a.k.a., the critical mass for men and women to be born again of the Spirit (John 3: 1-15). God bless us all!