What does it mean to baptized into Jesus’ death or walking in the newness of life? Melissa Florer-Bixler unpacks this passage in Romans by explaining some of the symbolism of baptism, the three fold nature of baptisms, and what this means for us as Christians and Anabaptists.
The water used in baptism is ubiquitous in our lives and essential for life, yet we can drown in only a few inches of it. Water is death and life within one substance. Our submersion represents a death of self that somehow still connects us to creation and to other believers that share our experience, and our reemergence connects us to our redemption and rebirth in following Jesus.
However, this process of baptism is actually contains three distinct types of baptism for the believer. One, God’s invitation of grace – Spirit Baptism. Two, our pledge to God to take this love and live within it – Water Baptism. Three, our transformation in Christ that threatens the powers of this world – Baptism of Blood.
Melissa explains that this Baptism of Blood is a consequence of being remade by Christ into a new creation. By dying to sin and following Jesus, the water of life, we place ourselves into situations that oppose those powers that oppress, abuse, and rob the poor and powerless. Melissa reminds us of examples from our Anabaptist history where the mere act of baptism could lead to your death as an enemy of the church and state and modern instances where following Christ also lead to death and danger. However, we can place our hope in the fact that even if (as in the Roman’s passage) we follow Christ unto death (even just death to self) it does not end there because Jesus defeated death. It leads to resurrection and the building of God’s kingdom.
Death and scarcity may surround us, but in Christ we are dead to sin and alive and new to God. The question we must ask ourselves as we start this week is – where will we follow the water of life?
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