Dear Christian friends:

Sometimes you Lutheran church members sin more than people who never go to church. I hear some very bad things about our members, dirty things.

Maybe some of you sin thinking it's okay to sin a lot during the week because you can come on Sunday and get forgiveness. Maybe you think God is good and kind and He will always forgive.

If you think like that you are not thinking like one of God's children and you don't understand about your baptism.

In our text St. Paul shows what our baptism should mean for us so that we don't sin carelessly and foolishly like children of the devil. We need to wake up and live right, so let us attend to our text and see:

First it should mean that we are very closely and strongly joined with Jesus Christ and that we really are God's children. Paul says here, "we were baptized into Christ." (verse 3) Something like married with Jesus Christ. We became one with Jesus. We are in Him and He is in us. (John 17:20)

And Paul says further about our union with Jesus: "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore 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." (verses 3-4) So by baptism we become truly joined with Jesus Christ and share in the blessings of His death and resurrection.

What are the blessings of His death and resurrection? Forgiveness of sins, friendship and life with God and freedom from Satan's power and freedom from sins power. By baptism He has given power to become the sons of God.

Since we are baptized into Jesus Christ and share in the blessings of His cross and resurrection, what should this mean for our daily living?

First is means the death of our Old Adam, the old sinful nature in us. In verse six Paul says, "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin."

Our Old Adam is angry, hateful, jealous, not clean in sex, stingy, lazy, proud, doubting, sick with many sins and no good. He must be killed, "crucified" Paul says. How? By daily sorrowing and confessing our sins and fed-up disgusted with them and looking to Jesus Christ for forgiveness. It means daily dying to sin. That is what Jesus did when He was a true Man on earth. He was tempted exactly as we are tempted, but He said, "No!" to sin. (verse 10) We, too, like Jesus must "die to sin." (verse 11)

Sin should not be interesting and tempting or attractive to us. If we like that die to sin, then Satan will give up on us as helpless prospects for his kingdom. Our baptism into Christ means the dying of our Old Adam. It also means that sin has lost its power over us, verse 7, "He that is dead is freed from sin."

Before baptism man is a slave to sin. He sees trouble and punishment and hell ahead, but he is helpless, and cannot stop sinning, although he knows his sin will destroy him. Like the man who can't stop the smoking habit or bad sex habit. But baptism tells us that we are free from the rule and slavery of sin.

When we confess our sin and become truly sorry about it and then see how Jesus, has forgiven us in love and mercy, this gives us power to conquer sin in our lives.

And as Baptism into Christ means the death of the Old Man it also means the birth of the New Man. This means that we are alive to God. Dead to sin but alive to God. (verse 11)

When God speaks, we listen. His Word we long to hear and do. We gladly obey and do His Commandments, as dear children of our kind, wonderful Father in heaven. It means we are very happy in Jesus and happy in His service. It means also that the blessings of the Holy Spirit will show in our lives.

Instead of anger and hatred we will show love and kindness; instead of being jealous we will be happy when others have good times and success. Instead of stinginess we will be generous; instead of being lazy we will work hard; instead of pride we will be humble; instead of chasing after bad women we will be satisfied with one wife, and happy to obey God's rules of holy marriage. And you young people will stop mocking God's laws and not practice before holy marriage.

This is what our baptism should help us remember daily. When you are tempted to sin and do, foolishly, remember your Baptism into Jesus Christ.

Amen.