Life After Baptism Sermon

Raised To Walk: What Baptism Declares And What Comes Next

There is a moment in the Christian life that is visible, public, and unforgettable. A person goes down into the water and comes back up. It takes only seconds. But what that moment declares, and what it calls us to for the rest of our lives, is the subject of everything we are going to explore together from God's Word today.

Whether you are someone preparing to be baptized, someone who was baptized years ago and wants to understand it more deeply, or someone who is simply curious about what Christians believe and why we do this, I want you to know that this message is for you. We are not going to rush past the meaning of baptism. We are going to open the Scriptures and let the Word of God speak.

Before we go to our main passage in Colossians, let me anchor us in a single verse from Romans 6. Paul has just explained that Christian baptism is a public declaration of union with Christ in his death and resurrection. Then he draws out the implication in verse 11: "So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." That word "consider" is not wishful thinking. It is a call to reckon with what is already true. Because of what Christ has done, and because you have trusted him and declared that trust in baptism, something has genuinely changed. You are not who you were. Now live accordingly.

That is the hinge on which the entire life after baptism turns. And Colossians 3 is where Paul shows us what that life looks like in beautiful, practical, Christ-saturated detail.

What Baptism Actually Is

Before we go further, let me say a word about what baptism is and what it is not, because there is real confusion on this in our culture, even among sincere Christians.

In the Baptist tradition, baptism is an ordinance. That means it is something the Lord Jesus himself commanded and that his church practices in obedience to him. We baptize by immersion, and we baptize those who have already repented of sin and trusted in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We do this because the New Testament pattern is consistently one of faith first, then baptism as the public declaration of that faith.

Baptism does not save you. It does not wash away sin in a literal or mechanical sense. It does not make you a Christian. What it does is declare, in the most vivid physical language imaginable, what has already happened in your soul. Going under the water pictures death and burial. Coming up out of the water pictures resurrection. You are saying to the watching world, and to yourself, and to the church: I have died with Christ and I have been raised with Christ. I am not the same person I was.

Other Christian traditions understand baptism differently, and we can respect those brothers and sisters while holding firmly to what we believe the New Testament teaches. What we all agree on is that baptism points to something real, something costly, something glorious: the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and our union with him by faith.

Now, with that foundation in place, let us go to Colossians 3.

Seek The Things Above: The Upward Orientation Of The Baptized Life

Paul opens Colossians 3 with these words: "So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God."

Notice how Paul begins. He does not say "if you want to be raised with Christ someday." He says "if you have been raised with Christ," speaking of something that has already occurred. The resurrection of the believer is not only a future hope. It is a present reality. Because Christ rose from the dead, and because you are united to him by faith, you share in that resurrection life right now. Baptism declares that publicly.

And because that is true, Paul says, your whole orientation must change. Seek the things above. Set your mind on things above. This is not an instruction to become so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good. It is an instruction to let the reality of your new life in Christ shape the way you think, the way you choose, the way you spend your time and energy and love.

The baptized life is a life pointed upward. It is a life of worship. Not just Sunday morning worship, though that matters deeply. But a whole-life orientation toward the God who raised Jesus from the dead and who, through faith and the Spirit, has raised you with him.

Put Off And Put On: The Daily Discipline Of The Baptized Life

Paul then gets very specific. In verses 5 through 11, he tells the Colossian believers to put to death what belongs to their earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, greed, anger, wrath, malice, slander, and lying. These are not abstract categories. These are the habits and patterns of the old life, the life that was buried in the waters of baptism.

Then in verses 12 through 14, he tells them what to put on: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and above all, love. He says, "Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity."

This language of putting off and putting on is deliberate and important. Paul is drawing on the image of changing clothes. You take off what no longer fits who you are. You put on what belongs to your new identity. And this is not a one-time event. This is daily. This is a discipline. This is what it means to live the baptized life.

Here is the pastoral truth that I want every person in this room to hear clearly. Baptism is not a finish line. It is a starting line. The moment of baptism is glorious and significant, but the Christian life is not complete when you come up out of the water. It has just begun in a new and public way. Every single day after that moment, you are called to put off the old and put on the new. You are called to reckon yourself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

This is not a burden. This is a gift. Because you are not doing this in your own strength. Paul tells us in verse 15 that the peace of Christ is to rule in our hearts. In verse 16, he says the word of Christ is to dwell richly among us. The Holy Spirit who raised Christ from the dead lives in you. You are not alone in this daily renewal.

The Community Of The Baptized: Together In Christ

One of the things I love most about this passage is that Paul does not address an individual. He addresses a community. Look at verse 12: "Therefore, as God's chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." He is speaking to the church together.

Baptism is not a private transaction between you and God that you then keep to yourself. It is a public act that joins you to the body of Christ. When you are baptized, you are not just declaring your faith. You are entering a community of people who are all on the same journey, all putting off the old, all putting on the new, all seeking the things above together.

This is why verse 16 is so beautiful: "Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts." The baptized life is a singing life. It is a life of mutual teaching and encouragement. It is a life lived in community, not in isolation.

If you are preparing for baptism, I want you to understand that you are not just making a personal statement. You are joining a family. This church is not a club or an audience. It is the body of Christ, and every person who is baptized becomes a living part of that body.

Whatever You Do: The Witness Of The Baptized Life

Paul brings the passage to a magnificent summary in verse 17: "And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Everything. Not just Sunday. Not just when you feel spiritual. Not just when it is convenient or comfortable. Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do it in the name of Jesus.

This is the witness of the baptized life. The world is watching. Your neighbors, your coworkers, your family members who do not yet know Christ are watching. And the way you live, the way you speak, the way you treat people, the way you handle failure and forgiveness and hardship, all of it is a declaration. It is a continuation of the testimony you made in the waters of baptism.

You said, going under the water: I am done with the old life. You said, coming up out of the water: I am alive in Christ. Now every day is an opportunity to say it again, not with water, but with your words and your deeds and your love.

Conclusion: The Invitation Of The Raised Life

If you are here today and you have trusted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior but you have not yet been baptized, I want to invite you to take that step. Not because baptism saves you, but because Christ commands it and because it is a beautiful and important declaration of what he has already done in your life.

If you were baptized years ago and the fire has grown dim, let this passage call you back. You are still raised with Christ. The old is still buried. The new is still alive. Set your mind on things above. Put on compassion and love. Let the word of Christ dwell richly in you. Begin again today.

And if you are still exploring, still asking questions, still not sure what you believe, I am glad you are here. Keep reading. Keep asking. The gospel of Jesus Christ, his death for sinners and his resurrection for our life, is the most important truth you will ever encounter. We would love to walk with you as you seek.

The baptized life is not a perfect life. But it is a new life, a real life, a life hidden with Christ in God. And one day, as Paul says in verse 4, when Christ appears, we will appear with him in glory. That is the hope that sustains every step of the journey.

Go and live like someone who has been raised.

Sources Consulted

Douglas J. Moo, The Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon, Pillar New Testament Commentary, Eerdmans, 2008.

Thomas R. Schreiner and Shawn D. Wright, editors, Believer's Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant in Christ, B&H Academic, 2006.

Thomas R. Schreiner, Romans, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Baker Academic, 1998.

N. T. Wright, Colossians and Philemon, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, IVP Academic, 1986.

John Piper, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals, B&H Publishing, 2002, chapter on baptism and the Christian life.

The Christian Standard Bible, Holman Bible Publishers, 2017.