GOD IS!

Obedience To The Gospelthere is continual cleansing of sins, andthus, eternal life (1 Jn 1:7; 5:11)? Inother words, how must one obey thegospel event of the death, burial andresurrection of Jesus in order tocome into Christ?The good news of Jesus was God’spart in our salvation to bring us into thegrace of God. What must every personnow do in response to God’s grace?Obviously, we must first believe thegospel. Jesus came preaching, “Thetime is fulfilled and the kingdom of Godis at hand. Repent and believe thegospel” (Mk 1:15). One must believethe gospel before he will respond to thegospel.We assume that you believe. Nowhow can you be reconciled to God bythe cross of Jesus? How can you andothers have hope of eternal life by theresurrection of Jesus? Romans 6:3-6is a clear and simple answer.ROMANS 6:3-6In the letter to the Romans, Paulwas writing to Christians in Rome, andthus, reviewed their past obedience tothe gospel. Verse 3 is a question, “Ordo you not know that as many of us asObedienceto theGOSPEL!47were immersed [baptized] intoChrist Jesus were immersed[baptized] into His death?” But Jesusdied in Jerusalem. He died almost twothousand years ago. Nevertheless,how can you today be “immersed intoHis death”? Again, the answer issimple and given in verse 4.Therefore, we were buried with Himthrough immersion into death, that justas Christ was raised up from the deadthrough the glory of the Father, evenso we also might walk in newness oflife.It would be hard to miss Paul’sexplanation of how to be baptized intothe death of Jesus in obedience to thegospel. Notice the preposition “with.”By immersion in water (baptism) onegoes to the grave with Jesus.Something great, something spiritualthus happens in baptism. Jesus wasburied. In obedience to the gospelevent, we are also buried with Him.In immersion we are coming into aspiritual union with Jesus. A covenantis being established. A personalrelationship with God is beginning.Because of the seriousness of thisteaching, Paul repeats the answer to thequestion of verse 3 again in verse 5.For if we have been united together inthe likeness of His death, we will alsobe in the likeness of His resurrection.By immersion into Jesus one isunited together in the likeness ofJesus’ death. As Jesus went to thetomb almost two thousand years ago,