“In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, buried with Christ in baptism, raised to walk in newness of life.”
Baptism is one of the two ordinances that was instituted by Jesus during His life on this earth and is practiced by the Church today (the other being communion). The act of baptism, being immersed in a body of water and being raised up out of it, is an outward symbol of an inward event – salvation, the death of the old self and the birth of the new self.
When pastors perform a baptism, they say something like the quote at the top of this blog – “buried with Christ in baptism, raised to walk in newness of life.” Those, like myself, who have been attending church since childhood tend to not pay attention to these words. We hear them, but we hear them so often that we usually don’t contemplate their meaning or origin.
This declaration was not something that some pastor a long time ago came up with. It’s actually a biblically based statement. One instance of this wording (see also Romans 6:4) is found in the second chapter of Paul’s letter to the Colossians –
“having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,” Colossians 2:12-13, ESV
In this letter, Paul writes to the church in Colossae, warning them against the false teachers in their midst. These teachers were preaching a false gospel, a gospel “not according to Christ,” so Paul reminds them of the true gospel and of who Christ really is so that they will not be taken “captive by philosophy and empty deceit” (Colossians 2:8).
You may have noticed in the verses above that the word “with” is repeated three times. Paul is reminding the believers in Colossae (and believers today) of their participatory role in the gospel. We are buried with Christ. We are raised with Christ. We are made alive with Christ. Sounds like the baptism statement, doesn’t it?
But what does this participation mean exactly? What does it mean to be buried and raised with Christ? None of us were alive when Christ died and resurrected some two thousand years ago. None of us have died, been buried, and then resurrected three days later like Jesus did. What does our role look like?
In a recent sermon, Matt Chandler stated –
“This participation in the death of Jesus, in the resurrection of Jesus, and the return of Jesus is the pathway to freedom and life.”[1]
At salvation, we were buried with Christ. Just as Jesus died and was buried, our old, sinful selves have died. Before coming to Christ, our sinful natures made it impossible for us to not sin. But now we are no longer slaves to sin (Romans 6:6-7). Sin has no power over us. We have the ability to resist temptation and put to death the sins we have struggled with, whether it be idolatry, dishonesty, anger, or sexual immorality (Colossians 3:5, 8-9). Through our participation, we have been given freedom.
At salvation, we were also raised with Christ. Just as Jesus was resurrected and made alive, we were given new, everlasting life. All our sins, past, present, and future, were forgiven, and Christ’s righteousness was imputed to us. We now have the power to live the new life we’ve been called to, to live like Jesus. We can put on kindness, compassion, patience, meekness, and humility (Colossians 3:12). Through our participation, we have been given life.
What are we to do with this freedom and life? Paul answers this in the third chapter of his letter –
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” Colossians 3:1-4
We have participated in Christ’s death and resurrection. We have freedom and life that is secure in Christ. So, we must put off our old sinful habits. We must put on righteousness and strive to live holy lives. We must seek to learn more and more about who Jesus is. And we can look forward to a day when we will engage in another participation when we enter into glorious eternity with our precious Savior.
“I will extol You, my God and King, and bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You and praise Your name forever and ever.” Psalm 145:1-2
[1] Matt Chandler, “Living Into Reality,” TVC Resources, April 12, 2020, video, 28:45, https://www.tvcresources.net/resource-library/sermons/living-into-reality.
