Letter to the Congregations: 24th August 2024

Our Dear Brethren,

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?" (Romans 6:1-2). The apostle Paul writes clearly here, reminding us who have repented of our sins must fully give up sin. We must not turn back to what we have given up. This includes, of course, false worship of God that we might have held so dearly previously.

At the time of our baptism we have already repented of our sins. And at baptism we partake in the death of Jesus Christ. In fact our baptism is symbolic of our own death, the death of the old self before we repented, "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death" (verse 3)? Our coming up out of the baptismal water is symbolic of resurrection. It isn't that we actually are resurrected at that moment, but that we have been washed clean, the old self has been put to death, and we are ready to walk in righteousness without sin.

"Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin" (verses 4-7). The passage continues describing the fact that we are now dead to sin, "but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (verse 11).

This symbolic resurrection looks back at Christ's resurrection and also looks forward to our own future resurrection that will happen at the return of Jesus Christ. But only if we heed the warning found in this letter to the congregation in Rome to refuse to obey the pulls of sin, and instead become instruments of God's work for the rest of our lives. And when we hear that seventh trumpet call, we will be raised up and changed, being given salvation and eternal life! The upcoming Feast of Trumpets (this year on Thursday, October 3rd) looks forward to the time that Jesus will return and we will join Him as spirit beings. Let's stay focused on that moment in time so much so that every choice we make in life helps us to seek that moment rather than pull us away!

If you'd like to read more about the Feast of Trumpets, here are some links to articles and messages on the topic: https://www.ucg.org/members/news/feast-of-trumpets

Our love is with you,

Lewis VanAusdle

Pastor, United Church of God

NYC, NJ, CT, Malawi, Zimbabwe