Read Romans 6:1–23
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. Romans 6:4

The mode of baptism in the early church was immersion. It was (and is) an outward symbol of an inward experience. Their immersion was a picture of what the Holy Spirit did: He identified them with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.

This means that believers have a new relationship to sin. They are “dead to sin” (Rom. 6:11). If an alcoholic dies, he can no longer be tempted by alcohol because his body is dead to all physical senses. In Jesus Christ we have died to sin so that we no longer want to “continue in sin” (v. 1 KJV). But we are not only dead to sin; we are also alive in Christ. We have been raised from the dead and now walk in the power of His resurrection. We walk in “newness of life” (v. 4 KJV) because we share His life. Like Paul, each of us can now say, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).

Something to Ponder
In what ways have you demonstrated that you have “died to sin”? What steps do you take to “stay dead” when tempted by old and alluring sins?