Romans
6:1-11 -Your baptism is a birth
certificate; your baptism is a death certificate. In baptism you died to sin
and became alive to God. When we come to the Father in repentance and faith,
our old Adam, that is, our old sinful nature is drowned and killed while a new
man becomes alive in us to live before God in righteousness and purity. Each
day is a death to self and a new life to God. The words of John the Baptist are
a fitting refrain, “He must increase I
must decrease” (John 3:30).
This section of Romans 6 contains 3 very powerful
analogies to help us understand our walk with Christ. Remember from chapter 5
that Paul is arguing that although grace exceeds sin (Romans 5:20) we must
avoid sin if we intend to claim that we belong to Christ (Romans 6:1-2).
Now Paul offers three key comparisons to help us
understand what he means. The Christian has become one with Christ or “united”
with him. We will examine each of these comparisons and see just how important
each on really is. Remember, Paul’s goal is to teach us about being with Christ
and joining with him in death.
Here are the analogies:
Death
Christ Died - We Die to Sin
Paul’s purpose is stated in Romans 6:2, “How can we who died to sin live any longer
therein?” The Christian is dead as far as sin is concerned. Just as a King
or Ruler cannot rule over a dead man and cannot compel him to do anything, sin
no longer has power over the Christian. He makes this very plain in Romans 6:7
when he writes “For one who has died has
been set free from sin.” Consider also, Colossians 3:3 and Peter’s thoughts
at 1 Peter 2:24. Dying is essential to the Christian life.
Burial
Christ was Buried –
We are Buried in Baptism
Paul says that the disciple has been “baptized into his death” (Romans 6:3).
Then in the very next verse he continues by saying that “we were buried therefore with him by baptism into death…” It would
seem that this is an important comparison for Paul. Just as Jesus was buried in
a tomb we are buried with him in baptism.
To give greater emphasis here Paul writes that we are
“buried therefore with him by baptism
into death , in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory
of the Father we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4,). We are
baptized in order that we might be raised!
Burial is the normal, natural event that follows
death. In the case of the flesh, we bury those who have passed this life. In
the case of the Christian, we are buried once we die to sin.
Resurrection
Christ was Raised – We too shall rise
Here are two ways in which the Christian is
resurrected. Immediately the Christian is raised from the water of baptism to “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).
In 2 Corinthians 5:17 we are declared a “new
creation.” The Galatians were told that the Christian was no longer living
in his old ways but now Christ was living in them (Galatians 2:20). Paul, later
in Romans, calls on believers to be a “transformed”
people (Romans 12:2). In fact, the very example of Paul is of a man totally and
completely changed after his conversion in Acts 9. So when Paul here speaks of
being raised his immediate thought is of one who arises from baptism to a
different way of life.
But there is a second, grander, sense in which Paul
speaks. Those who have joined with Christ in his death will be raised like
Christ for an eternity!
“For if we have been united with him in a
death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like
his.”
This idea of a resurrection to eternity is scattered
throughout the New Testament, but 1 Corinthians 15 is probably the key chapter
on the subject. The resurrection of Jesus and its meaning for us cannot be
overstated. Paul says it this way: “And
if Christ has not been raised, four faith is futile and you are still in your
sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17).
1 Corinthians 15 is one of the greatest chapters of
the Bible. The gist of the chapter is that Christ has been raised from the dead
and, as a result, we too can expect a resurrection and eternal life. It’s a
thrilling thought to consider that there is far more ahead for the Christian
than this brief troublesome stay in the flesh.[2]
[1] The Baptism of Jesus, copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things
[3] Collect for Epiphany, Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis
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