Colossians 2:11-15 ~ The Message Bible
Entering into this fullness is not something you figure out or achieve. It’s not a matter of being circumcised or keeping a long list of laws. No, you’re already in—insiders—not through some secretive initiation rite but rather through what Christ has already gone through for you, destroying the power of sin. If it’s an initiation ritual you’re after, you’ve already been through it by submitting to baptism. Going under the water was a burial of your old life; coming up out of it was a resurrection, God raising you from the dead as he did Christ. When you were stuck in your old sin-dead life, you were incapable of responding to God. God brought you alive—right along with Christ! Think of it! All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ’s cross.
It took me years of being a Christ follower to really understand that it was Christ who did all the work to provide a relationship with Him. My part was to believe and accept, not to work my way into His good favor. No striving, ritual, rule keeping or false humility will help me find freedom in Christ. It is all about Him and His sacrifice that gives us access to Him. Today may I exhort you to relax, remember He loves you unconditionally. He knows our short comings, our weaknesses and our imperfect understanding and He still loves us completely. Where I am writing this today it's cold and dreary outside but in the presence of His love and acceptance I find warmth and joy knowing He loves me today. He loves you too!