Baptism is the whole hearted… whole bodied statement of the absolute end of my old self by my death happening with Jesus’s death. I am no longer the old me. I am now unified with Christ and there is not a single category of my life aside from that. The new life of living with God is our new life and it is, as promised.. the sweetest, deepest, richest life. God gives us three calls to action to live in this new freedom for God.

Look at the horrible situation that we all existed in and then how powerfully, thoroughly and magnificently Jesus crushed the whole situation and brought us far greater good out if it than we started with.

The sweet grace of Christ is not primarily escape from the penalty of our sin, but rather escape from the darkness of sin itself and, in its place, having hearts able to see, long for and take confidence in the superior wonder of God.

According to God’s Word alone, Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone to the Glory of God Alone. This is the good news.

God wants us all to know that all of us who have faith in Christ alone are legitimate heirs to God’s promise/covenant made with Abraham 4000 years ago.

God is beyond us. He transcends us and amazingly invites us into things, information and promises that transcend our ability to fully understand. These elements of transcendent knowledge do not work smoothly in the smallness of our human minds and hearts. They are too wonderful for me…. For us! Will they be welcomed and cherished as the beautiful wonders they are or thrown aside under our own judgment?

God is holding every human accountable to follow him, either through his provided teaching about Christ’s saving and ruling work or by his ethics being written on their hearts. God desires obedience over ceremony… following from the heart wholly dedicated to Jesus.

God’s wrath on our rebellion is evident and willfully embraced until Christ, through the Gospel frees us through repentance and trust in the work of Christ for our needed righteousness.

Since the beginning of humanity, we have been warned by God through the presence of his demonstrations of wrath that our denial and negligence of him are a capital offense. We are dishonoring him and in active collaboration in suppressing the truth from others.

The Resurrection asks to the question: "Will you truly listen to Jesus, the one the Father affirmed to you by raising him from the dead?”

God has chosen to place his saving power in the message of the Gospel itself. The gospel message, promises and world view is our open treasure… or else it is clearly not and in it we newly find the righteousness we have always needed.