Walk in the Newness of Life Romans 6:4

4Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.



Paul begins chapter 6 with this question, "1What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?" Paul uses the illustration of baptism to answer the question that he raised about continuing to live our lives in sin after being saved. In baptism we are buried with Christ into death and just as Jesus was raised us, so are we raised up from that death by the glory of the Father to do what, to walk in the newness of life that begins in this life and carries us into the life that is to come.

It is God's grace that brings this new life into our lives. God gives us this gift of new life when we confess our sin to Him and we receive His forgiveness for our sin and we repent of that sin and turn from our sin and turn to His will and way for our lives as given to us in His Word. Baptism symbolizes the death to sin that has a hold on us as well as the penalty for that sin having been paid on our behalf on the cross. When we are lowered into the waters of baptism, it signifies the fact that the old man has died to sin and as we are raised up out of the waters, we come up as a new creation in Christ Jesus to walk in the newness of life.

This faith walk has to begin somewhere. This beginning takes place in salvation when we turn from our own self-sufficient ways and turn to God's ways for our lives. This new walk is a daily walk that consists of one decision after another. As we begin to walk in the newness of this life, we come to know Christ and His love for us and we will begin to long for this life that He has come to give to us that is exceedingly abundantly better than we could ask or hope for.

Shall we who have died to sin continue to live in that sin? No! Why would we turn from the life that God has planned for us to live again in captivity and oppression? Why would we want to go back to Egypt when we have the Promised Land before us? We really do have a wonderful choice before us. God wants to bless us and He wants to give us life and this life that He wants us to have is indeed flowing with milk and honey. God wants to protect us and provide for us.

The key to His protection and provisions can only be found in His presence in our lives, which begins in our lives when we accept His grace and we die to sin and look to Him for His resurrection power for our lives. This power that raised Jesus up from the grave is the same power that can and will give you and me the power that we need to live victorious over sin in our every day walk as well so that God can give is a life that is new and fresh with His blessings each and every day!