Romans 6:3-4 - Baptized into His Death

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.

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- - - Walk in Newness of Life - - -
In Him	In Christ	In God	In You
John 1:4; 6:56; 15:5; Acts 17:8	Rom. 6:23; 8:1; 12:5;  1 Cor. 1:2, 30; 15:22;  2 Cor. 2:14; 5:17, 19	Col 3:3;	John 14:20; 15:4, 11; 17:21; 8:9-11; 1 Cor. 3:16; 2 Cor. 4:12; 13:5
2 Cor.5:21; Eph. 1:7; Phil. 3:9; Col. 2:6, 7, 10; 2 Thess. 1:12	Gal. 3:28; Eph. 2:10, 13; Col. 1:28	-	Gal. 4:19; Col. 1:27; 2 Thess. 1:12
1 John 3:6, 9, 24; 4:13, 15; 5:20	1 Thess. 4:16; 2 Tim. 1:1, 9; 2:10	-	1 Pet. 3:15; 1 John 2:24, 27; 4:4

V. 3 - “Do you not know” - The writer of Hebrews says almost the same thing: “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.” (Heb. 5:12) You should know and understand the following:

“all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus” - This verse gave me pause. A cursory reading could lead us to think that only by water baptism are we added to or included in Jesus’ family and church. I do not believe that baptism is a prerequisite for salvation. Baptism is an outward demonstration of your commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

From “Systematic Theology”, the following paragraph: "Baptismal Regeneration is Contrary to Grace. The belief that baptism brings regeneration is inconsistent with scriptural teaching on God’s grace. Salvation came “by grace through faith,” and not by any “righteous works” (including baptism). Jesus called baptism a work of “righteousness” (Matt. 3:15), and Paul declared that it was “not because of righteous things we have done, but because of His mercy” that God saved us (Tit. 3:5); “By grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8-9 NET). So baptism is not more necessary for being saved than is any other work of righteousness.”
(See note 1, below)

This verse emphasizes that being a Christian is not a spectator event. We don’t just know information about Jesus. We don’t gather data. It is more than a friendship, more than a relationship - it is all of those and more. Jesus is in us, each one. We, each one, are in Jesus. (See: John 14:18-21; 17:20-23). In this case, ‘baptized’ means or implies ‘total immersion’. That we are in Jesus, or that Jesus is in us, is throughout Jesus’ teachings, and throughout the teachings of the apostles. I did a search of the NT for the word combinations “in Him”, “in Christ”, “in Jesus”, and “in you” - looking for scripture showing believers are joined with Christ and God. There many other verses which refer to ‘believing in Jesus’ or Him or Christ, and several that are ‘faith in Jesus’. The phrase “in Christ” is first mentioned in Acts, and then throughout the letters by the apostles - about 60+ times; “in you” about 80+ times.

“have been baptized into His death” - I want eternal life with Jesus. Being in heaven, worshipping God and Jesus, walking the streets of gold in New Jerusalem on this new earth, is more wonderful than I can completely imagine. I want to be there.

But this - immersed in His death - this sound serious. It does not mean, as far as I can tell, that I will have to suffer a death like Jesus for salvation to count. It does mean just as Jesus physical human body died, His new resurrected body is now alive in Heaven.
Jesus said we must be born again (See: John 3:3-8).
This body we live in, beset and infected with sin cannot be part of eternal life. (See: 2 Cor. 4:16)
We must receive new perfect, unblemished bodies. We will receive bodies just like His. (See: 1 John 3:1-2)
Jesus died to or for sin. We also must die to sin. When we accept Jesus as Savior, we become “dead man walking”. Supposedly, in some prisons, a convicted criminal slated for execution, would be designated ‘dead man walking’ when he moved outside his cell. These bodies are condemned, they will not be allowed in Heaven. When we worship at the throne of God, when we are displayed as the bride of Christ, or children of God it will be in our new incorruptible bodies.These are given to us by God, through the grace of Jesus Christ.

Watchman Nee explains this quite well. “When the Lord Jesus was on the Cross all of us died - not individually, for we had not yet been born - but, being in Him, we died in HIm. ‘One died for all, therefore all died’ (2 Cor. 5:14). When He was crucified all of us were crucified with Him... All references to it [His crucifixion, death] are in the Greek aorist, which is all the ‘once-for-all’ tense, the ‘eternal past tense’... That we have died in Christ is not merely a doctrinal position, it is an eternal and indisputable fact.” (See note 2, below).

V. 4 - "Therefore we have been buried with Him” - This may be read “since” we have been buried with Him. We are immersed with Christ in His death. Our bodies die, just as His body died. We will be raised in new bodies, just as He was raised to new life.  

In Romans 6:4-11, Paul presents a case for believers to know that if they share in Christ’s death, they will also share in Christ’s life. This is a magnificent passage, almost a prayer song, a celebration song. For me it ranks up there with 1 Corinthians 13. When you confess that you believe in Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior, you have been immersed into His death. (Confession is more than just saying, “I believe.” Saying you believe is important, but making the commitment, turning over your self and life to Him, that you will be His, and He will be yours is the key.) There are eight key statements in these verses showing that when you have Jesus’ death you also have Jesus’ life eternal.  

Paul states that when you are baptized, after confessing Jesus as Lord in your life, you have died to this present existence, and raised to new life, a new existence in Christ. Although you do not physically die when baptized, that moment of immersion is a sign to the spiritual realms you no longer are what you once were, you are a new person. It is physical point in time to which you can anchor yourself. You can know you are Christ’s because you can look back at the baptism. It is a physical act that cannot be imagined, it really happened. On that day you became a child of God. If you do not get baptized, it is too easy to deny anything changed in your life. You could tell yourself you just imagined it. Baptism gives a starting point for our new life - we died with Christ, we are raised up to new life with Christ. 

The following chart summarizes Paul paean to life in Christ Jesus our Lord:

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Death and Life in Christ
Baptized into His Death	V. 4	Raised to walk in His Life
United in His Death	V. 5	United in His Resurrection
Crucified with Him	V. 6	No longer Slaves to Sin
Died, therefore -	V. 7	Free from Sin
Died with Him	V. 8	Live with Him
Raised from Dead	V. 9	Never Die Again
Christ Died to Sin	V. 10	Christ Lives to God
Dead to Sin	V. 11	Live to God in Christ Jesus

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Note 1: Norman Geisler; “Systematic Theology, Vol. 4, Church, Last Things”; (Bethany House; 2005).
Note 2: Watchman Nee; “The Normal Christian Life”; (Gospel Literature Service; 1957).
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Romans 6:1-2 - Are We to Continue in Sin?

1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?
2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?

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CHAPTER 6
6:1-2 - Continue in Sin?
6:3-4 - Buried / Baptised
6:5-8 - Know - Identify with Jesus Christ 
6:9-11 - Reckon/Consider
6:12-14 - Yield
6:15-18 - Obey
6:19-23 - Slaves vs. Free
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V. 1 - “Are we to continue in sin?” - This is not a facetious question. In Rom. 5:20-21 (see above) we see as sin increased so did the grace to meet it. God’s grace is greater than all our sin. A logical progression could go like this:
  Don’t you want grace from God?
  Don’t you want as much grace as you can get?
  Didn’t Paul just say the grace grew to match the sin? (See also: Rom. 3:5, 8)
  Therefore, why not sin as much as possible in order to get as much grace as possible?

V. 2 - “May it never be!” - NO! A thousand times, No! The question is asked by someone who does not understand what Paul has said. Someone who does not want to understand.
Nothing you have done in your life is beyond the forgiveness and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is that simple.

However, when you accept Him as you Savior, your relationship with God changes - fundamentally.

Before Christ	After Christ
Sin reigns in your life.	Sin need not reign.
Death and fear control you.	No fear of death
Helpless	No longer helpless
Enmity with God	Now a child of God
Condemnation	Justified
Guilty before God	Reconciled with God
You were on your own	You have the Holy Spirit
Hell is your future	Heaven is yours!

You do not need to do anything to garner “more grace”. You have been given all you will ever need. The partial list (above) of the way your life has changed is not theoretical, or only spiritual in nature. The changes in your life will have ramifications in your daily life. The next couple of chapters of this letter tells us why we are “more than conquerors!” (See: Rom. 8:37-39)

“How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” - This powerful question leads into how our union with Christ changes the way we live now. Accepting Christ as Savior guarantees our future with Him. Somehow, that is too nebulous for us to grasp and cling to as a reason to live differently.

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Romans 5:20-21 - Grace reigns

20 The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,
21 so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Grace Abounded All the More

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V. 20 - “The Law came in so that the transgression would increase” - Not that the Law caused people to sin more or worse. People were now aware of what actions were sinful, because they were spelled out. For example, you probably were not very aware of what a speed limit is (other than your mother telling your father he is driving over the speed limit). But when you were ready to get your own drivers license you found there are speed limits everywhere! In towns, 25 MPH; on highways, 55 MPH; on freeways, 65 MPH; around schools, 20 MPH. Now you know, and you know when you are breaking that law.

“but where sin increased” - As people were made aware of sin, the realization of their lost condition became more profound. If you think you have only sinned a little bit, then you tend to think you only need a little bit of grace. When you begin to see how vast and how deep are the breadths and the depths of you sin nature, you begin to realize all is lost and hopeless. If you owe the bank $20 for a bounced check, that’s one thing. If you owe $20 million, how do you pay that? If you owe God your life because of your sin, what can you do? God’s grace is there for the little white lie. Grace is there for the anger and hate. Grace is there for the rebellion against Him. God gave Himself to cover all the sin of the world. His grace is greater than all our sin.

Marvelous, infinite matchless grace, freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face, Will you this moment His grace receive?

Chorus
Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace that is greater than all our sin!
Hymn by Johnston & Towner

V. 21 - “So that, sin reigned in death” - This verse echoes verse 17, above. Death commands our attention and fears. Death is the result of sin. Sin is the driving factor in all of our activities and life on earth. Sin reigns. James Madison (one of the authors of the U. S. Constitution) said, “If men were angels, no government would be necessary... “ Laws are necessary to control the government and the actions of men.

I am a big fan of science fiction (as mentioned another time), and also of mystery stories. The science fiction writers are peering into the future and speculating on the condition and actions of mankind. Not many of the authors have a positive outlook on the behavior of humans. Likewise, there are almost no Christian protagonists. Finding other planets, or other sentient life forms, does not change the anger, hate, greed, jealousy, rebellion - sin - in mankind. The future is no better than the present - because sin reigns. The authors will not acknowledge that sin is the problem. Likewise, there is no solution to the sin. Sin reigns. Death reigns as a result.

The outlook for mystery writers is much the same. There are no believers in the fictional private investigator professions. Sin reigns, Death follows.

“even so grace would reign” - As sin and death grow and spread, God’s grace is there. It is always greater than sin and death. You and I see the grace for us - as little or as much as we need. I am not sure we are aware of how much greater is God’s grace than our need.

God’s Grace is greater than sin and death. God is greater than all - men, women, angels, planets, stars, galaxies, the universe.
God’s righteousness is greater than all. God’s righteousness is given through His grace to us.
God’s righteousness is demonstrated by the gift of His Son who died for us. He was the sacrifice that paid the penalty for all sin.
God’s righteousness is in you when you have Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. That gives you the gift of eternal life. No second death; no eternal separation from God’s glory.
Grace reigns. Righteousness and eternal life are yours in Jesus Christ. There is no other way.
“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) 
 Grace Reigns!
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End of Chapter

Romans 5:15-19 - Transgression vs. Gift

15 But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.
16 The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification.
17 For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
18 So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.
19 For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.

On the Other Hand...

Paul lays out four ways Adam’s act of disobedience affects us, contrasted to the ways Christ’s obedience affects us.

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V. 15 - “the free gift is not like the transgression” - Adam may foreshadow Christ Jesus. Despite the similarities, the differences are HUGE. Both are ‘firsts’ - first human and first in the church. In Adam we have received the inheritance of death. In Christ we receive eternal life. In Adam, you have no say on whether you want the sin nature - you have it by being born. His transgression bequeathed it to you. Death is not a gift to mankind. However, eternal life in Jesus Christ is a gift. Unlike the inheritance from Adam, humans get the opportunity to accept or reject the gift of life Christ offers. Because Jesus Christ lives, we are bequeathed life through Him.

“by the transgression of the one” - This is the explanation of ‘original sin’. Adam’s sin and the sentence pronounced is visited on all his descendants. (See: Gen. 2:16-17 and Gen. 3:1-21) The verse says the results is ‘the many died’. What an amazing understatement! Not just many die - we all die.

“the grace of God and the gift of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.” - It is simple. All sin and fall short of the glory of God. (Rom. 3:23) Therefore, all die in their sin. We are lost. We are doomed. What shall we do? God has done it for us. By grace and by gift - we are blessed by Jesus! For the next few verses, the one man, Adam, is compared to the one Man, Jesus. More accurately, the results of Adam’s disobedience is compared to Jesus’ obedience and sacrifice. I think these verses provide the most thorough analysis of this topic in scripture.

V. 16 - “The gift is not like...” - Two men, two different results. “One thing is not like the other..” (Song from Sesame Street). The gift came from the man who did not sin. The other result is directly the result of sin.

“for on the one hand” - God handed down His judgment on Adam. That first disobedience, that ONE rebellion resulting in condemnation for all who followed. The condemnation, separation from God, is referred to as the second death. Also, the curse was placed on the world, which would become Satan’s princedom. “Life is hard, and then you die” is a snarky way of saying don’t expect anything good out of this life. Corruption and decay of the world and mankind reigns until Christ returns to establish His eternal kingdom.

“but on the other hand” - Adam sinned - we all die. Jesus died - so we may live. The free gift restores the world, the universe, to the “as designed” condition. The many, many sins of the world required a perfect sacrifice to cover them all. Anything less than perfect means some were missed. The treatment protocol for  cancer may involve chemotherapy, radiation, and/or surgery. The goal is to eliminate all of the cancer cells in your body. One cancer cell may begin to grow and spread, which may be fatal.

All sin must be eliminated in order to purify the world. I do not think the phrase “from many transgressions” means that sins piled up, and when a sufficient number occurred an alarm is triggered. Klaxons go off in heaven; God springs into action. Based on the context, “from many” probably includes the sin of other humans - all the other humans.

V. 17 - “death reigned through the one” - Looking back into Genesis, we can see that death started very soon after they left the Garden of Eden. Abel was killed by an angry Cain (Gen. 4:4-11). Mankind is corrupt and God brings on the Flood, saving Noah and his family (Gen. 6 & 7). Next, the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1-9). Abraham appeals to God for Sodom and Gomorrah - in vain as it turns out (Gen. 18 & 19). And so it goes, all the way to today.

Death is all around us, whether from natural causes - illness and accidents - or criminals and terrorists. Murder, rape, robbery and thievery. Abortion clinics have killed more than 80 million babies - and we are told it is a good thing. Churches in Europe and America are being desecrated, but we are warned not to suspect Islam, but it is a religion of peace. All around us people are calling good as evil and calling evil as good. (See: Isa. 5:20-21)
Because death is the monarch of this world, much of what we do is to hold death at bay.

Benjamin Franklin told us, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” We fear death far more than taxes. Beyond this life is a mystery. We cannot see through that veil. We dread the process of dying, and dread what may lurk on the other side. Our physical deaths are frightening enough.

Jesus told us that belief in Him will result in life, even if we die. (See: John 11:25, 26). How can this be? How do we die, yet retain eternal life? This body which now houses my soul and spirit will pass away, but my soul and spirit lives on. The question is whether the soul and spirit lives on with God, or separated from Him. The people around Jesus understood eternal life. (See: Matt. 19:16; 25:46; Luke 10:25-26) Jesus warned us to fear Him who could kill our soul and spirit. (See: Matt. 10:28) God is loving, but there will come a day when His judgement will be meted out. That is the day when those who reject Him will experience eternal separation - the “second death”. Fear that! (See: Rev. 2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8) There death reigns. In Dante’s “Divine Comedy”, the entry to hell has this inscription, “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.“

“righteousness will reign in life through the One” - What a contrast! In Jesus Christ life reigns! No more death. No more pain. No more shame. No more guilt. The grace is given freely and abundantly through Jesus Christ. There is righteousness. There is life with God. There is praise. There is worship.

Through Adam death reigns; we have sin, condemnation, and death.
Through Jesus Christ righteousness reigns; we have joy, and life.
It is your choice. I can’t make it for you.

Jesus Christ is the King of Glory. He loves us! We need not fear Him. He died in our place. Joy and peace is there with Him.

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V. 18 - “there resulted condemnation to all men” - All that have followed Adam are under condemnation. The wrath of God remains on them (See: John 3:36). Wrath does not mean out-of-control rage and anger (think: Hulk from the comic book movies). Wrath is the action required to execute God’s sentence against sin. It cannot be pretty or meek and mild because sin is not pretty. It is the natural consequence of rejecting God and His commandments. It is the penalty sentenced and delivered. Condemnation leads to death.

“there resulted justification of life to all men” - Jesus’ sacrifice breaks that link to death for us. Righteousness and eternal life is now available to us all. This does not mean that all will benefit from the righteousness of Jesus. I have heard a story of an immigrant who came on a steamship from Europe. On the trip across the ocean, he ate what little food he had brought in his luggage. He didn’t realize until he landed that his ticket included room and meals on the ship.

Death is penalty we all must face. We have no say in it, because it is in our blood, inherited from Adam. Life is a gift we can choose. We’ve done nothing to deserve life. It cannot be earned.

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V. 19 - “one man's disobedience the many were made sinners” - Adam’s sin is ours. Through our self-will, either “active rebellion or passive indifference” (see note 1) we are sinners. Notice this is in past tense - the many were made sinners. That one act, in the beginning, is passed down to us all.

“obedience of the One the many will be made righteous” - Jesus’ obedience is the vehicle that transports us to a right relationship with God. The similarity for these two ‘ones’ - we did not earn them, both were given to us. The big difference between these two “ones” - we can choose or reject the gift of life! You don’t get to choose death - it is yours because you are human. God does not force you to choose life. Not all people will choose Jesus. Why? Self-will and pride; rebellion; indifference to what God is offering.
The phrase "the many" is repeated in verse 15 and here. It does not mean 'a lot of people' were infected with sin, which would imply that some escaped the penalty of sin beause they were not part of the 'many'. No. All people, every person, anyone who has ever lived - except of course for Jesus Christ - falls under the penalty of sin. Jesus Christ, because He was both God and man, lived without sin. He voluntarily took the penalty of sin - death - upon Himself on the cross. His death consumed all the death for all those who believe and accept Him.

Have you beleived and accepted Jesus Christ as your savior? If not, you can do it right now! You can pray to God. The following is a suggested preayer:
"Lord Jesus, I need You. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for Forgiving my sins. Take control of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be."
(see: Note 2)

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Note 1: ‘Law 2’ of Four Spiritual Laws; Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright.
Note 2: Prayer from Four Spiritual Laws; Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright.
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