Romans 6:3 King James Version (KJV)
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Heard the question, "Show me your identification please?"
Someone wants proof you are who you say you are to complete a transaction where you pay for what you get.
In the spiritual realities with God, identification is necessary for anything we want or need from God. We must bear proof we are God's child and authorized to access the account of all our benefits.
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Know ye not...
In other words, "don't you know who you are?"
How can you access divine life for fruit [see John 15 on fruit bearing] if you don't know who you are, what has been done to you and given to you?
Identify YOURSELF! Show proof you are who you say you are!
Know means an inner conviction. It goes beyond mental acceptance.
Do you possess conviction of this truth explained by Paul in chapters 5 and 6? Are you convinced you are now a servant of Jesus Christ and you cannot go on living to practice sins?
The Inner Conviction permeates from the divine Seed, Jesus Christ who lives within. You cannot run from, deny, or refuse that conviction. That Seed will oppose every attempt at sin or selfishness inside you. It will take a lifetime to expose and guide you to recognize this and allow His Spirit and His Word to direct you out of the Old You. God's goal is to transform you into he image of His Son.
Romans 8:29 King James Version (KJV)
29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son,
You possess His convictions on everything. Any thing doubtful, anything you will not let go of, anything that comes anything close to offending Christ or breaking His laws of the Spirit [see Romans 8:1] is what He will go after. So, begin with what you know He now reveals to you about anything.
that as many of our were baptized into Jesus Christ...
baptized
"to dip, to submerge, to remove and place into a new environment whereby the present state is changed to conform with the properties of the new elements."
It means build with Christ. Buried means removal from the seen world to the "out of view" world. It means closure, entombment. No escape or movement once practiced.
into Jesus Christ...
"into" indicates "in a new direction towards union whereby an effect is realistically experienced."
In Christ is the sphere, the legal jurisdiction Satan cannot enter. It is a place, an entombment itself, it is a realm ruled governed absolutely by Christ, King and Lord, knowing all about us, providing all within us, guiding us each step of the way through this life, but requires our constant surrender, trust, and obedience to what He shows us.
This sphere requires to surrender of our will, the submission of our spirit and soul in order to experience union whereby He may respond blessings within the soul. We may legally be in the sphere of His kingdom but lack the "union." Salvation is constant. Union requires our will to listen and obey. We are now servants producing righteousness, not sins.
Our purpose is now to do the will of God. The purpose is to ...
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
1. Follow Him, not ourselves
2. Take up the practice daily of denying self
3. Practice taking up the cross, the obedience of suffering pain from our denial of sin and self.
4. Follow Christ. Follow His teaching, His Way, His Truth, His Peace.
Water Baptism
...is the outward expression of the inner accomplishment by Christ on the cross.
...means we knowingly identify ourselves followers of Christ, now serving Him as King and Lord in His kingdom, not the kingdom of this world.
...says I am not willing to be a cross bearer and Christ follower in all things.
baptized into His death...
...dipped into His death means we were placed into Christ as He died upon the cross.
The same word used for "dip" found in the following verse describing the request of the rich man in hell. The finger placed into water to ease the pain of the body, so parallels being placed into Christ relieves inward pain and brings satisfaction.
Luke 16:24 King James Version (KJV)
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
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Baptized into Christ means we say, " I submit to where I am in Christ. I cannot continue to practice sins when I lived in the old life. I submit to my new King and to all He wants and plans for me. I will accept the good, the bad, the need, and the wants. I will submit these things to Him, relying on Him to supply my inner faith and the needs of my soul to be satisfied, my needs as prudently met by Him in His time and in His way."
You are in Christ. You are no longer tied to this world and to sins. So stop trying to depend on 2 worlds. Depend solely on Christ and to please only Him. Then your ways will have true profit.
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