I am a natural debater. My Myers-Briggs personality is an “ENTP”, which is often referred to as “the Debater”. I enjoy verbally sparring—not in an argumentative way but as a means of thinking through an idea or concept. I often process things verbally. While I enjoy a good debate, there are some debates that simply do not interest me. It isn’t that the issue being debated is boring or unimportant; if the debate in question overlooks a far more important point, that debate will not interest me.

Today there are many who debate and argue over who can do what in a local church. Generally this debate centers on whether women can serve in the office of overseer / elder. This is an important conversation, even if it is a recent conversation. This was not debated in the church at all for 1,900 years. In recent decades patriarchy and even misogyny have marginalized women in the church and have relegated them to the background. We must correct this, but the debate focuses on the wrong things.

What gets lost in the debate is the importance of every single person in the church, whether male or female, regardless of whether either serves in an official capacity. The truth is that the overwhelming majority of members of a church will never serve in the office of elder and most will not serve as deacons. If the test of whether a person is valued for his or her contribution to the local church is service in an office of the church, then we have missed the point entirely. If a person’s value and contribution to the church is only found in an office, that would mean most in a local church have nothing to contribute since most will never serve in an office.

When we read through Paul’s letters, he focuses on the local church as the place where ministry happens. I don’t mean in a physical building, but in and through the people of God in a particular area. At New City, the ministry of New City happens in and through the people of New City, whether on Sunday mornings or in our City Groups or at various other times as we interact with one another or with friends and family and coworkers and neighbors, and even random strangers. Paul simply does not place the emphasis of ministry on the two offices of the church. Nowhere does Paul suggest that ministry only happens through the elders and the deacons of the church. Consider his words to the Christians in Rome.

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Romans 12:3–8 ESV

Notice that Paul does not say, “Having offices that differ, let us use them”, but, “Having gifts that differ, let us use them”. As we saw in last Sunday’s sermon, we must recognize the difference between office and gift. There are two offices in the church: overseer / elder and deacon. There are myriad spiritual gifts, however. Teaching, exhortation, prophecy, giving, leadership, wisdom, encouragement, service, mercy, tongues, etc. Paul lists spiritual gifts in a few of his letters and it’s clear that none of the lists is intended to be exhaustive. A spiritual gift is any manifestation of the Spirit of God by which he works through a person for the good of the church.

In that sermon I pointed out that in Ephesians 4:11 Paul is listing gifted people given to the church, not offices in the church. (There has never been an office of “evangelist”, for example.) By maintaining the distinction between a gift and an office, we can recognize that since gifts are given without qualification, they should be exercised by those so gifted. We can also recognize that since the church does the work of the ministry, the only requirement for the work of the ministry is a spiritual gift. An office is not necessary for a person to do the work of ministry! In other words, it isn’t that the elders do the ministry and everyone else just watches. As I said on Sunday, the elders lead the ministry and the deacons facilitate the ministry, but it is the members of the church who do the ministry. When elders and deacons engage in ministry, we do so as members of the church. The church does ministry.

The very fact that you and I have been given spiritual gifts means that you and I have been given the responsibility to exercise those gifts. This is because spiritual gifts are actually given for the church. We have received spiritual gifts on behalf of the church! This implies a responsibility to pass on these gifts. In the Romans passage above, the apostle instructs us to use the gifts we have been given, because we, together, make up the church. Offices in the church are just specific, formal roles that some are called to fulfill; it is much more significant for the life and ministry of the church that every member participates in the ministry of the church. This is the only way we can accomplish the work the Lord has given us to do.

The high qualifications that restrict the offices of overseer / elder and deacon should not be seen as limiting or preventing people from engaging in ministry. Rather, they should be understood as the very freedom to engage in ministry, for serving the Lord and his church is both the privilege and responsibility of every person in the church.

https://youtu.be/pdOP1mMQL90

Several years ago I injured my right knee while playing basketball. After getting some treatment to manage the on-going pain I had an MRI which revealed damage to the cartilage. I underwent micro-fracture surgery, which is a lot like using a tiny jackhammer to create holes in the end of my bone so that a clot would form and then produce new cartilage. It was during my follow-up appointment with the surgeon that I discovered something about this surgical repair that I should have known going into the surgery. The surgeon told me I was free to do whatever I wanted, including running and jumping and playing basketball, but that if I did these things I would need the surgery again sooner than I otherwise would.

I had assumed that the surgery was a permanent repair! Nope. It was a temporary patch. It was at this point that he told me I’d be better off swimming or cycling for exercise. I. Hate. Swimming. That left me with the option of riding a bike. My knee had been hurting for over a year at this point, which had greatly limited my physical activity, and I discovered during physical therapy how much my right leg muscles had atrophied from favoring my left leg, especially when climbing stairs.

Wanting to get in shape, I borrowed a bike from my friend Jim and began riding. I won’t forget that first ride. I rode three miles with my son. Well, sort of with my son. I won’t forget how he would wait for me at every stop sign so I could catch up. I was in agony. I couldn’t breathe and my muscles screamed at me. Still, I was hooked. I bought a road bike and soon was able to ride ten miles. Then twenty. Then one day I “accidentally” rode 50. Having ridden thousands of miles since then, I can truly appreciate the words of the greatest American cyclist who never cheated:

It never gets easier; you just get faster.

Greg LeMond, three-time winner of the Tour de France (1986, 1989, 1990)

I’ve discovered that what this really means is that cycling never stops hurting: you just hurt faster. Whenever I ride and struggle to spin the pedals I remember that ride, and I remember that I can make it up that next hill. I often ride the same routes so I am able to remind myself that I’ve climbed this hill dozens of times; I’ll get over it again. (One of the best parts about cycling, especially compared to running, is that I can coast downhill. As an aside, I’ve never ridden past a runner who was smiling.)

It is important for us to remember past difficulties we’ve overcome, for these memories give us the strength for current and future difficulties we face. The writer of Hebrews wrote this about remembering past difficulties:

But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

Hebrews 10:32–39 ESV

The writer encourages his readers to recall the time when they endured “a hard struggle with sufferings”. This difficulty included being publicly shamed and mistreated. They had close friends and family who had been imprisoned for their faith. They had property confiscated by others on account of their faith. What motivated them to endure these things was their knowledge of “a better possession and an abiding one”. Abraham and others “desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one” (Hebrews 11:16). The faith of the readers of Hebrews is what had given them the strength to endure the sufferings they had faced. The author reminds them of their prior endurance. They had made it through before; don’t forget!

Notice the reason for reminding them. He tells them in verse 35 to not throw away their confidence. Just like when I face a long slog up a steep hill and I remember how many times I’ve conquered that hill and then I have renewed confidence that I will get up the hill, so they must not throw away their confidence. They’ve gotten through this once; they can do it again. He tells them that what they need is endurance. They need the capacity to persevere. They need fortitude. Courage. Patience.

When we think about the saints of old, particularly those who endured great suffering, we tend to think of their endurance as something almost magical. We tend to glamorize their endurance, as if they endured with smiles on their faces. That isn’t what endurance looks like. Endurance looks like huffing and puffing, with a grimace on your face, sweat pouring out of you as you continue grinding away at the pedals, knowing that it’s just a matter of time before you crest that hill and you can catch your breath as you coast down. Until the next hill.

Endurance doesn’t simply happen. It’s hard work. It’s very hard work. Endurance only comes about as the result of exercise and effort. Endurance comes through pain. There is no shortcut to gaining endurance. Endurance grows as you, well, endure. The writer reminds his readers of their need in verse 36.

For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

Hebrews 10:36 ESV

He tells them what is on the other side of that hill: the promises of God. When he writes “so that…you may receive what is promised” he’s not saying that endurance is the thing that causes the promises of God to be fulfilled, but that endurance is the means God will use in their lives to bring about his promises. God works in us through our endurance, and then through that endurance he fulfills his promises. If God wanted to give us everything he promised all at once, with zero effort on our part, he would have done so. We would, right now, enjoy the fullness of his promises, yet here we are, waiting for them. We wait for the Lord to return to fulfill those promises. Like the saints of old we desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. It isn’t here yet, so we endure.

When the world brings pain and affliction, when the enemy of God puts opposition and difficulty in our path, when our own sinful desires tempt us to wander after other things, God calls us to endure. He calls us to persevere. We must not throw away our confidence, for we have endured before, and we will endure again. The writer says we are not those who shrink back from struggle. Instead, we are those who have faith and through this faith our souls are preserved. The very next thing he writes is this:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1 ESV

Whether you can see the top of the hill or not, whether the pain seems overwhelming or not, whether you can’t tell if your eyes are stinging from sweat or from tears, if it seems your lungs cannot pull in enough air to satisfy your aching muscles, remember the former days when you endured a previous hardship. Remember what God in Christ did for you then, and know that he will do it again. Don’t throw away your confidence, but keep your confidence in the Lord.

The thing we must remember is that endurance is based on faith, not on our feelings. You may feel as though there is no point in continuing the fight. You may feel as though you’ll never get through. You may feel as though the entire world is lined up in opposition against you. You may feel like quitting, and you may feel this way all the time. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for. Faith is the conviction of the things we cannot see. Faith is focused on Jesus, not on your feelings.

I read recently that if you look at your life you will see all kinds of evidence that you will not make it. If you look at your life you will be convinced—and rightly so!—that you will not, indeed, you cannot endure. But if by faith you look at Jesus, you will see that you cannot fail.

Don’t throw away your confidence. Don’t cast aside your faith. Look to Jesus. Trust in him. Remember what he has done and know that he will do it again. You can fail; he cannot. Trust him. Endure. He will get you through.

You’ve seen it on T-shirts and coffee mugs, wall plaques and bumper stickers. You can get it on jewelry and candle holders. Just go to Etsy and search for the phrase “I can do all things through Christ” and you’ll see what I mean. I recently saw an ad for a T-shirt with a better version of this: “I can do all things through…a verse taken out of context.”

When it comes to reading Scripture—or any literature!—context is key. One must understand the context before one can understand what is being said. If you walked into a room to overhear someone saying, “I love you”, discovering that the person was speaking to a mirror would greatly alter your understanding of what he was saying. Context is key.

Philippians 4:13 is frequently used out of context. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, but this doesn’t mean J-T can become a pro cyclist through faith. That’s not what the verse means. The context is Paul writing about facing hardships and struggles and suffering. Whether things are going well for Paul, or he is facing death (he wrote this while in prison!), he can do all these things through Christ who gives him strength.

I read Philippians this morning and I was struck by something Paul wrote that is made much more significant because of its context.

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12–14 ESV

Paul says he presses on. He forgets what lies behind and he strives for what’s ahead. That’s good advice. Too often we focus on failures and such and we forget what we’re trying to do. I’m reminded of Thomas Edison who failed 10,000 times to make a workable light bulb, yet when he finally did he said that he found 10,000 ways to not make a light bulb. That’s a good perspective on hard work and perseverance, and it’s not at all what Paul means.

Just prior to writing these words Paul explained what had once been his identity. He was circumcised on the eighth day, which indicates he came from a good Jewish home. He was of the people of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin—a Hebrew of Hebrews. Not only were his parents faithful, they could trace their lineage back to Abraham himself. He was a Pharisee, which means he himself was zealous to keep the law of Moses. In our day “Pharisee” is often used as an insult but in the first century the Pharisees were highly regarded by regular Jewish folk. They were so zealous to obey the law that if they grew mint in a pot on their window sill, they were sure to measure out a tenth of that mint in order to give a tithe of that mint. He was so very zealous that he says he persecuted the church.

The Pharisees believed that God would fulfill his promises to Israel, promises they understood as national power and prominence and independence, when all Israel obeyed the law of Moses. Since Christians were going around saying that the Messiah had been crucified, and therefore cursed by God, they were blaspheming against God. Since most of those first Christians were Jews, the Pharisees believed they had to do something to correct their blasphemy. For this reason Paul, a faithful Pharisee, persecuted the church. He was trying to wipe out blasphemy from among the Jews.

In short, Paul had been somebody important. He had been a rising star on the scene of national celebrity. He was becoming a hero to many. He was a man who got it, who understood how to make Israel great again. Then the crucified Messiah—now resurrected—interrupted Paul as he sought to persecute the church further. His identity changed. He was no longer the guy who was zealous for the law and who was better at keeping it than most. His identity was no longer his family tree and his own personal ability to obey Moses. His identity was now found in Christ. He wrote,

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Philippians 3:7–11 ESV

Paul gladly left behind his status, his growing fame, his notoriety. He gave up his access to the influencers of his Jewish culture. He left it behind because the righteousness that is his in Christ far surpasses any “righteousness” he may have mustered under the law of Moses. Paul understood that his status in Christ was one of complete and total righteousness. He was covered in the righteousness of Christ through faith.

It is at this point that he says he has not already obtained it. Righteousness was his through faith in Christ, but it was not as though his behavior always matched his status. He says he presses on “to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own” (Philippians 3:12). He’s striving to make the righteousness of Christ his righteousness. That is, he wants his behavior to match his status.

He says he acknowledges that he hasn’t “arrived” yet. He hasn’t truly become righteous, yet there is this one thing he does: he forgets what lies behind and he presses on toward the goal of becoming like Jesus. What actually lies behind, though? His own “righteousness”. His own sense of accomplishment. The things he once clung to as his identity. The stuff that made him feel good about himself, that made the world feel right.

The apostle Paul struggled with his identity. He struggled to keep it rooted in Christ. This is why he strains forward to what lies ahead. There is effort involved. Living according to our identity in Christ is not something that just happens. It is not automatic. We must work for it. We must engage in the effort, just as the apostle had to—along with every single follower of Jesus, ever.

This is the struggle of the Christian life. We must strive to forget what lies behind, which is our old life and its behaviors and desires and attitudes and values, and we must press on to become what we already are in Christ: righteous and holy. We must work to make our lives match our status in Christ. Here’s the good news: the same grace that grants us this status in Christ is the grace at work in us to bring this about. Paul said he presses on to make this righteousness his own, “because Christ Jesus has made me his own”. Earlier in the letter he wrote,

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Philippians 2:12–13 ESV

Like Paul, the Philippians must work out their salvation, the very salvation granted them by grace through faith. This work is possible because it is God who works in them and in us both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Our desire to be righteous comes from God who grants us his righteousness. As we experience his righteousness and his mercy and his grace, we are motivated to pursue it for ourselves, to live out what we are in Christ. When we see the context, that of God’s grace poured out on us in Christ, we are motivated to pursue what has been granted to us. Remember that this won’t just happen on its own. We must be intentional. We must press on.

There have been a number of incidents over the ten years of New City Church that will be forever etched into my memory. They are poignant markers of who we are as a church. One such incident happened a couple months ago. A young woman was visiting the church. She has visited a number of times over the previous few years. During our prayer time—that is, in our worship service—she asked for prayer for her drug addiction. After some time successfully fighting against it she had relapsed but was once again clean and sober—and fighting desperately.

I am always surprised when visitors are willing to share prayer requests, and I am always delighted that they feel comfortable doing so. This speaks volumes about the culture of our church. That this woman could share about her drug addiction in our worship service demonstrates where our hope is as a church. We gather, after all, to worship the Savior who died for the sins of his people. If we cannot confess our sins while worshiping him then there is no hope for any of us. We have hope, and so we can confess our sins, and she confessed her sin and requested prayer.

What happened after she made this request and someone prayed for her is what will be forever etched in my memory, but first, a bit of the backstory. On the Thursday before this my City Group met. I’m in the same City Group as Quiana. She was sharing with our group that she had been praying that God would cause our church to grow and that we would be a beacon of hope in a dark world. (Those aren’t her exact words, but that’s what she was saying.) She then said—quite prophetically it turns out—that one day our windows would be open and someone trapped in drug addiction would hear the music and come inside to hear the message of hope, the gospel of Jesus.

That “one day” came just four days later. Our visitor showed up and confessed her ongoing struggle with drug addiction and asked the church to pray for her. I forget who prayed but I remember quite clearly that after the prayer Quiana got up and walked over to her to address her publicly. I don’t remember her exact words but she expressed joy that this woman could share publicly, and, speaking as much to the church as to this woman, she said that we’re all sinners, even if our sin shows up differently. She said it doesn’t matter who it is or what sins he or she struggles with, we’ll make room. She said each one of us in the church would scootch over so there’s a place to sit. To say this another way, New City Church makes disciples…by scootching over.

It is difficult to have a judgmental attitude toward the sins of others when we understand the depth of our own sin—and the enormity of the mercy and grace given to us by God in Christ through his Spirit. The truth is that others in the church have already scootched over so that we might find a seat in the presence of God as we worship him together, and we have scootched over for them.

Recently I received a letter from a woman who is same-sex attracted. She wondered whether there were a place for her at New City. In my response to her I pointed her to 1 Corinthians 6:9–11, which most definitely does NOT exclude her, any more than it excludes any of us. Paul wrote these words:

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

1 Corinthians 6:8–11 ESV

At first glance it might appear that these words exclude, but ask yourself this: why is Paul warning the Corinthians about these sins? Because they were still struggling with them! (Just read Paul’s letter!) Rather than excluding them for getting drunk or committing adultery, he’s telling them to stop doing these things because they are inappropriate for followers of Jesus. That is who the Corinthians once were, but that is no longer their identity. They are the people of God, those who have been washed clean and have been sanctified. They have been declared righteous in the name of the Lord Jesus who works in them by his Spirit. They must, therefore, live according to their true identity, which is found in Jesus Christ.

After receiving my letter in response, this woman graciously agreed to meet for breakfast so Erik and I joined her. She asked me quite directly why churches so often focus on this one sin while ignoring so many other sins. I told her that the gospel of Jesus prevents me from being able to focus on the sins of others, because the gospel of Jesus is the story of true justice.

I told her that when we think of justice we intuitively understand that the penalty must match the crime. If a person is convicted of a crime and sentenced to life in prison, you would expect the crime to be quite serious—that’s a hefty penalty. If you learned the crime was shoplifting, you would immediately recognize that life in prison is not justice. Six months of probation? Sure, that makes sense. If a murderer were sentenced to just six months of probation that’s not justice, either.

I told this woman that the just penalty for my sins against a holy God was this: the death of the Son of God. Whatever my sins are (and they are myriad), it took the death of the Son of God to achieve justice, that I might be forgiven them. How could I ever look at another person and think that his or her sins are too great for my God to save him or her? Whatever those sins are, it also took the death of the Son of God to reconcile that person to God.

Each one of us is involved in the struggle with sin. Some of us are proud and get angry at drivers who dare drive too slowly or who act as though they own the road. Okay; that one is me. Some of us are filled with envy or bitterness. Others struggle with pornography and lust. Still others struggle with greed or malice or laziness or gluttony or drug and alcohol addiction. Some cheat on their taxes and some are too self-righteous to even think of such a thing. Some are same-sex attracted. Some are filled with resentment or jealousy or have a divisive spirit. Wherever you are on the spectrum of sin we’ll make room for you. Here at New City we are all about making disciples, and one way we make disciples is by scootching over to make room for one more sinner.

We’ve been working our way through the Apostles’ Creed as a guide for what has been believed “everywhere, always, and by all” Christians. The core of our Trinitarian faith is contained in the Creed, yet the Creed does not contain all that we believe. Within our ancient, historic faith are broad streams that diverge on various matters, yet we remain united because of our common confession. One of these areas of divergence is the issue of baptism.

Last Sunday we were encouraged and exhorted to remember our baptism (in case you missed it, you may find it here). Baptism functions much like an adoption ceremony in a courtroom. It is the formal declaration that a child belongs to a new family, though that family has already embraced the child as their own. The formal declaration is important. So baptism is the formal declaration by a church that God has claimed the one being baptized as his own. I pointed out in that sermon that baptism is less that we are publicly identifying with God and much more that God, through baptism, is publicly identifying with us. It is the formal, visible, and public ceremony by which one is identified as God’s child.

One of the great difficulties with preaching is knowing what to cut. A given text says many things and the challenge I face each week is knowing what to leave out and what to keep in the sermon. (Prayer is absolutely vital for this.) In that sermon I focused on baptism as the instrument God uses to grant us a new identity in Christ. All other identities will fail; his identity given to us never will. We rest in who we are in Christ, come what may. While baptism does this, this is not all that is happening in baptism!

Dr. Michael Svigel, a Patristics scholar (early church fathers) at Dallas Seminary, points out six things that baptism is. Baptism is:

• a public confession of the Trinitarian faith (Matthew 28:19)
• a personal association with Christ’s death and resurrection (Romans 6:3–4)
• a repentance from a life of sin (Acts 22:16; 1 Corinthians 6:11)
• a pledge to live a sanctified life (1 Peter 3:21)
• a rite of initiation into the covenant community (1 Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:27)
• a mark of official community forgiveness (Acts 26:18).

On Sunday I focused on the personal association with Christ’s death and resurrection, and touched on baptism as a rite of initiation into the covenant community and as a mark of official community forgiveness. Through baptism the church declares what God has already determined to be true: the one being baptized has been forgiven of his or her sins through faith in Christ, thus indicating that he or she is a part of the body of Christ.

Throughout this series we’ve focused on the Apostles’ Creed, which began as a baptismal confession. This is why the Creed is Trinitarian in focus, with the three major headings being, “I believe in God… I believe in Jesus Christ… I believe in the Holy Spirit”. Baptism is merely the beginning of this public confession of Trinitarian faith.

What about the other two things baptism declares, that of repentance from a life of sin and a pledge to live a sanctified life? When we are called to remember our baptism, we are being called to remember these as well. This is Paul’s point in Romans 6:

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 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 6:1–4 ESV

Baptism is a pledge to remain identified with Christ as one who has died to sin. The outcome of this is newness of life—a life no longer under the control of sin. Sin’s power has been broken in the life of the believer, for by union with Christ that power remains nailed to the cross. It remains buried, and sin’s power will never experience resurrection. We, however, have been raised with Christ, that we might walk in newness of life. However, in the very next chapter of Romans Paul expresses the struggle with sin that we all experience:

For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.

Romans 7:19 ESV

None of us is free of sin. Each one of us struggles with the ongoing pull toward it. When we remember our baptism, we resist this pull, but we must also remember that baptism is our repentance from a life of sin. Remembering our baptism means a life of ongoing repentance. (For more details see this article.) A life of repentance is a life filled with God’s grace and mercy. Consider John’s words in his first letter:

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

1 John 1:8–10 ESV

To deny that we sin is to lie to ourselves but to confess our sins to God is to receive his mercy! What a beautiful declaration! Notice the reason why God forgives: he is faithful and just. We get the faithfulness. We know God is good and merciful, yet John also says God is just to forgive us. He is upright and fair and righteous for doing so. Why is this? This is because if one is in Christ, his or her sins have already been dealt with at the cross! Remember that through baptism when Jesus died, we died, and when he was buried, we were buried, and when he rose from the dead, we were raised with him in newness of life. It is just for God to forgive us our sins because he has given us his identity as his people, and that means in his eyes we are already righteous. His ongoing forgiveness is his repeated declaration that this is true.

So let’s remember our baptism. Let’s remember that our public confession of our Trinitarian faith is our rite of initiation into God’s covenant community by which God unites us to Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection, which is also the church’s declaration that we belong to God and have already been forgiven by him. It is also our pledge to live as his people as we live in ongoing repentance and continually receive his mercy and grace.