August 19, 2012 1

Water baptism is a testimony of that which has

already happened in a believer’s life.

Water Baptism

Romans 6

When we are born again as children of God,

We are baptized into the body of Christ,

By the Holy Ghost.

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In a spiritual sense, we are crucified with

Jesus, and raised from the dead with Him

in that moment of salvation.

We actually take part in

His death, burial, and resurrection.

We testify to that spiritual baptism with the

act of water baptism.

What did we die to? Look at verses 1-3.

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Rom 6 1What shall we say then? Shall we continue

in sin, that grace may abound? 2God forbid. How

shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer

therein? 3Know ye not, that so many of us as were

baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His

death?

4

When we were born as human beings,

we were born into a life of sin and depravity.

When we were born of the Spirit of God into

the family of God,

We died to that old life.

5

A Christian can, no longer, find life in the

things he once thought of as life.

Sin no longer satisfies or gives the

same pleasure it once did.

We are dead to sin -- as a way of life.

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And that is portrayed

in the act of Baptism

when we are put under

the water.

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But, Jesus didn’t stay dead and in the grave.

He’s alive!

And we are alive in Him.

4Therefore we are buried

with Him by baptism into

death: that like as Christ

was raised up from the dead

by the glory of the Father,

even so we also should

walk in newness of life.

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5For if we have been planted together in the

likeness of His death, we shall be also in the

likeness of His resurrection: 6Knowing this, that

our old man is crucified with Him, that the body

of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we

should not serve sin.

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7For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8Now if we

be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also

live with Him: 9Knowing that Christ being raised

from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more

dominion over Him. 10For in that He died, He died

unto sin once: but in that He liveth, He liveth unto

God. 11Likewise reckon (account and declare) ye

also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but

alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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Christians are dead to that old life of sin, and

We deny ourselves the momentary pleasures

of a worldly lifestyle.

We are alive unto God, and

unto a life of righteousness

in the Power of God’s Holy Spirit.

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So, when I lay a person down in that pool of

water, it is his or her testimony:

“I have died to a life of sin and

worldly pleasure.”

And when I lift one up out of that water,

he or she is saying,

“I am alive unto God, to live a life of

righteousness

in the Power of God’s Spirit.”

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And it is also symbolic of their Spiritual Baptism,

by the Holy Ghost, into the body of Jesus Christ,

Which is the church.

As I bury each one (Jaya and Abigail) under the

water, she is declaring herself to be dead to sin.

And when I raise her up, she is declaring herself to

be alive unto righteousness in Jesus Christ.

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Only good

Do goodWhere God

directs.

From this day forward:

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This baptism today is your testimony:“I am burying my old life of sin.”

“I am going to live the Christian life in the

Power of God’s Holy Spirit.”