God’s offer is of
abundant grace. However, that does not come as a means of dealing with our
continuing and increasing sin – to respond to Paul’s rhetorical question, not
that we should need to do that (verse 1), though Paul, of course, does so
himself (verse 2). Grace does not appear as a result of a mounting pile of sin.
Rather, it emerges from God’s amazing generosity. As God's love surrounds us,
we experience something special that is best described as grace.
One of our problems
is that we are insufficiently willing to rely on God. We are not confident of
God’s promises. Paul here encourages us to move on in faith. We are in a
different place. We are experiencing newness
of life.
Paul uses the image
of dying and rising with Christ, which he links to baptism. Baptism is an
indicator of our new life with God. The symbolism is there whatever the method
of baptism – but perhaps more obvious in baptism by full immersion when the
waters close over the candidate, a symbol of being buried with Christ – and
then rising to new life.
As a minister, I have
conducted many baptisms. A few I remember; many, to be honest, I don’t. All,
bar one, of those baptisms happen to have been by sprinkling. However, one that
I certainly don’t (and won’t) forget is the single occasion that I have
baptised by immersion. When we lived in Panama, one of the relatively elderly
members of my congregation came to me and said that she wanted to be baptised,
and she wanted it to be by immersion in the river ‘just like Jesus’. So that is
what we did, a memorable and special moment – perhaps especially for a minister
who is a non-swimmer! Baptism is baptism. Every baptism is personal and
indicative of God’s grace. That was so on that occasion in a Panamanian river,
just as it has been at the fonts in various churches where I have had the joy
of offering that sacrament.
In each case,
whatever the detail and individual circumstances, baptism speaks of
resurrection, of hope, of possibility, of life. It is about unity with and in Christ.
Perhaps one of the
things many Christians could do a little more often is to recall their baptism,
to remember how it indicates the abundance of God’s grace, and so be inspired
to greater things with and for God.
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