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We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. --Romans 6:4 There are many ways that you and I can express our faith. But one of the most significant ways is through baptism. Interestingly, the word baptism in the New Testament wasn’t a religious word originally. It was used to describe the act of immersing or submerging something in water, like when someone submerged clothing in water while washing them. So when we think of baptism today, this is just how we should think. When Jesus was baptized, he was submerged and then brought back up out of the water. And throughout the New Testament, when a person became identified with Christ, there were baptized. They didn’t raise a hand or join a church. So let me ask you today, have you been baptized and publicly identified with the Lord Jesus Christ? Embrace what Jesus has done for you and follow him in the symbolic act of baptism, letting others know that your past has been buried and you’ve been raised to walk in newness of life!   HAVE YOU BEEN BAPTIZED AND PUBLICLY IDENTIFIED WITH THE LORD JESUS CHRIST?

Why the Law Lacks Power

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
Romans 8:2–4

So many people all around the world think that if they can do enough good things or follow the moral law laid out in the Bible or other religious teachings that will make them acceptable in God’s sight. The reality, however, is that no amount of doing good or following laws, no matter how sincere or diligent can remove the stain of sin that each of us carry from the moment of our birth.
Charles Spurgeon highlighted the reason for the law’s inability when he said, “The law, as originally given to Adam, a perfect man, had he carried it out, would have glorified God, and would have produced in him a perfect life. But we are not in the same position towards God as Adam was, and we are not free from the taint of evil as he was. We have fallen.”
The same principle that applies to our salvation applies to our Christian life as well. There is no way that we can walk in the Christian life as God commands in our own strength. Even after salvation and the new nature, we lack the ability to overcome sin. It is only as we walk in the Spirit, obeying the Word and receiving His power that we can live in victory. This is not an option—it is a requirement. But if we work to obey God by following the law in our strength we are doomed to failure.
 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

Rather than seeking to overcome sin in our strength, we must rely on God’s Spirit for victory.