From The Pastor’s Pen. Saturday, January, 1, 2022 | 10:24 AM
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” 2 Cor. 5:17
It can be frightening to stand at the beginning of a new year and ponder what the future holds, especially if we think we enter it alone. We who have been made children of God in the waters of baptism can take comfort that we are “in Christ”.
The expression “in Christ” appears some 200 times in the New Testament. To be “in Christ” describes many aspects of the Christian life. For a believer to know that he is “in Christ” brings confidence, joy, and eternal hope.
The Bible says “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore, we have been buried with Him through baptism into death in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. FOR IF WE HAVE BECOME UNITED WITH HIM IN THE LIKENESS OF HIS DEATH, CERTAINLY WE SHALL BE ALSO IN THE LIKENESS OF HIS RESURRECTION” (Romans 6:35).
In Galatians 3:27 we read: “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” Baptism is more than a ritual or a ceremony. Baptism is not a mere tradition of men. Baptism is a clear teaching of God in His Word. In baptism God is at work, bringing us into the family of God. Through baptism God miraculously unites us with Christ. Baptism is part of God’s ongoing creating, and recreating, power that He used to create the whole world. In baptism we become “in Christ,” and “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV).
The joy and power of baptism is crucial to the correct understanding of the New Testament and the strengthening of the Christian life. Through baptism we are miraculously connected to Christ and all His power for life. Through baptism Christ unites us to Himself, to His cross and resurrection, the only foundation and strength for all Christians. Through baptism God promises us power to overcome Satan, strength for a daily life of joy, and the blessed certainty of the final resurrection “in Christ,” unto life eternal.
Have no fear baptized child of God! Your past, present, and future are in the hands of our loving and gracious Father.
Prayer: Powerful and loving God, thank you for enabling us to celebrate, as your baptized Children in Christ, a life without fear. Amen
In His Peace,
Pastor Schultz