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Galatians 3:27-29 (NET) For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female – for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to the promise.
When Segun believed in the Lord Jesus and was baptized into Christ, he realized that he no longer had the old desire to steal the way he used to before he became a believer in the Lord Jesus. This was a wonder to him because before he accepted the Lord Jesus, he was a compulsive thief who had lost count of the things he had stolen. He stole so much that if it were possible, he would have stolen from himself.
Before Segun accepted Jesus and was baptized into Christ, he was a slave to sin, but because he was baptized into Christ, he was no more a slave to sin. This was possible because Segun accepted that Christ was now his all in all. He was willing to forsake his culture and identity and pick up the new identity and culture of Christ. He even changed his name from Ogunsegun to Peter Oluwasegun. He no longer primarily saw himself as a Yoruba man but as a Christian whose life and home had to be shaped by the Kingdom culture revealed in the Holy Scriptures.
From today's Bible verses, we can see that as many as were baptized into Christ have clothed themselves with Christ. It is instructive that today's Bible verse did not say "as many as believe in Christ" because being baptized into Christ is a step deeper than just believing in Christ. Baptism connotes death and burial; death to the old self; death to the old life and identity, and resurrection into the new life and identity of Christ.
One sign that a believer has been baptized into Christ is that there would be no more Jew nor Greek. This means that the cultural identity into which he was born would no longer define him. He would no longer primarily view himself through that lens. Paul who was a Jew among Jews before be believed said this in 1 Corinthians 9:20: “to the Jew, I became like a Jew to win them”. You will see from here that in truth, Paul no longer primarily viewed himself as a Jew but as a Christian. He was referring to Jews as "them" but referred to fellow Christians(many of whom were formerly Gentiles) as "us".
Many people have believed in Jesus but are still the same old person because they have not been baptized into Christ. They have not died to their old life and identity and received their new life and identity in Christ. They are still slaves to sin because they have not died to their old life and identity.
Go into today remembering that the only way you can discontinue the curses and blemishes of your old life and reap the blessings of being a member of the body of Christ is through baptism into Christ. This means death to your old life and identity and resurrection into the life and identity of Christ.
Confession: I am Christian. I am a member of the body of Christ. Christ is my life. He is my identity. He is my all in all.
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