Lived in this sin; where do I begin?

Sin.  It seems to be what we do best.  We do it daily and much!  We seem to be stuck in it as pigs in mud and mire.  We’re either a dumb sheep which wanders, or we have a large plank in our eye so we can’t see.  As a song says, “Lived in this sin; where do I begin?”

Baptism.  Baptism is where the Christian begins.  In fact, each day we recall our Baptisms and drown Old Adam.  Yet often through the day Adam comes a swimming back, and we sin.  While we feel pained because of our sin, still we return to our Baptism.  There is solace there; just as the rock in the desert continually gushed forth water for Israel in spite of their sin (the rock is Christ-1 Corinthians 10:4), so also Christ still gushes forth his most bountiful grace upon us since we were joined to Him at the font.

If the Law tries to torment you more, tell it, “I’m Baptized even from you, dear Law.  Be gone with you!”  And if Satan tempts and torments you because of your sin, tell him, “You torment me and yes I sin, but your schemes avail nothing.  You killed our Lord Christ, but He broke those bonds.  And by my Baptism that reality is sealed on my head and heart.  Be gone with you!”

The world doesn’t understand this.  Something that is considered a sin must be overcome by pure willpower.  But not true.  Where do we begin?  Christ, and him sealed on us in Baptism.  When we sin we walk away from our Baptism, so to speak, but no matter how we sin or how much remember what Luther said, “if anyone falls away from his Baptism let him return to it. As Christ, the mercy-seat, does not recede from us or forbid us to return to Him even though we sin, so all His treasures and gifts remain."