We serve the living God, and we are to be characterized by that same life, the life which He has imparted to us. This is the basic division in Scripture—life and death. The division is not between those who know the passwords and those who do not. The division is not between those who go through the motions and those who do not.
Baptism is the sovereign declaration of life, but a long time ago the enemy of our souls taught us how to slander our baptisms by dallying with the ways of sin and death after having received our union with Christ in baptism. Paul is astonished at this inconsistency. How can we live in sin when we have been buried in the death of sin? We have been raised to newness of life, and so how can we live in death? Reckon yourselves dead to sin, therefore, Paul tells us.
His exhortation tells us two things. First, it tells us what baptism is; this is not the same thing as telling us what baptism ought to be. We do not control what baptism is by our sins, or our doctrines, or anything else. The second thing his words teach us is that it is possible for baptized Christians to live in a way that is inconsistent with what He has given to them and is teaching them. This inconsistency needs to be understood by us as the way of death. And this death always carries with it its own telltale marks on its forehead. In a religious setting like ours, the way of death is marked by peevishness, pettiness, scruples, hypocrisies, endless rules, squabbles, grievances, and the like. Those who live this way will not inherit the kingdom.
You are forgiven. Your sins are washed away. What does this mean? It means embracing that life by faith. And this means forgiving others.