In baptism we die and are buried with Jesus Christ, so that as Christ is raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live a new life. As we are united with him in a death like his, we are also united with him in a resurrection like his. Baptism is not based on the initiative of the person being baptized, but on the initiative of Jesus Christ alone. We do not come to the baptismal font seeking God. Rather, at the font God comes to us, as his Word meets our faith in that Word, faith which God himself creates in us.
Baptism is no gentle invitation to strive to live a good life.
It is a harsh command to die and then come alive again in Jesus Christ. It is a command to be set free from all the wrappings of our past that bind our feet and hands and cover our face. Baptism is a command to die in order that we might live. Baptism then sets us on the regular course of daily repentance and forgiveness. Each day we are tempted to get all wrapped up again in the shrouds of our old, sinful life.