Romans 6:3-4 - Baptized Into Christ

Romans 6:3-4 - 3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

Message: Being baptized apart from actually being baptized

Time: Paul wrote Romans from Corinth as he prepared to leave for Palestine. Phoebe (16:1,2) was given the great responsibility of delivering the letter to the Romans believers. At this time, Rome had a population of 1 million, many of whom were slaves. The Romans church was doctrinally sound, but it still needed rich doctrine and practical application. Rome had massive buildings but also slums.

What the Lord is Saying:

Background
The first 5 chapters of Romans has dealt mainly with doctrine. Paul is set apart to preach the gospel of God (1:1-15) and the righteous man shall live by faith (1:16-17). Every person is accountable to God because every person is a sinner and has not done good all the time, so no matter how you are affiliated with God, God will look at and judge each person the same (1:18-3:20). There is nothing a person can do to make himself right with God, as we are helpless without Him. Instead we believe in Jesus, in accordance with grace, that He lived a perfect life, died, His blood was shed, and He conquered death. This belief in Him credits us with righteousness and our sin is thrown on Christ. We are no longer seen as sinners, but as being in Christ (3:21-4:25). And we have peace with God and access with Him forever (5:1-11). Christ justified us one time because Adam sinned one time. Christ's justification is once for all because Adam sinned once for all (5:12-21).

Transition
How then shall we live? What place does sin have in our life? Well, for one, we don't now sin more so that grace will increase more in our life (6:1-2). We don't remain in Adam. We go forward and live life in Christ.

The picture of baptism
Paul then brings us the picture of baptism. Baptism is a picture to signify what has occurred in a person's life. Baptism is an ordinance that we are instructed to do, similar to circumcision to the Jew. But, there is disagreement among many whether infant baptism is sufficient or baptism by immersion after one has placed their trust in Christ. On one hand, Jesus was baptized and he obviously wasn't needing to be saved so his baptism didn't occur following a conversion, but he did get baptized to give us the practice and help us see that it is something we are to do.

Burying sin
The point that Paul seems to be covering so far in these first few verses of Chapter 6 is the dying to sin that has occurred by being in Christ. A saved person should have no desire for sin. And that could mean many different things to a person. But, there should be a change that has occurred in a person. My life should not continue to look like I am in Adam. Thus, I should not continue to sin.

And now here in verse 3, Paul explains why, because sin has been buried. Baptism is a picture of putting to death sin and putting to death my old life. It is obviously describing an old way of living life that must be put asunder.

This is what I believe I must see in another person to show that they have truly made a decision to follow Christ. Has their been a life change in them? Do they see their life in Christ as being different now? And is it anything more than wanting to do more good than bad?

Newness of Life
I'm not sure at this point what that newness of life looks like in the life of the new creature in Christ. It is clear that we are no longer in Adam, but now that we are not, what does in Christ look like? I'm not sure if this verse necessarily answers that question. But, it is clear that we were dead because Paul tells me that just as Jesus was raised from the dead, from being dead, so am I also being raised from the dead.

Promise: Baptism confirms and reminds that we are new in Christ.