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Believer’s Baptism and the Death of Christ

Romans. 6:3

 

Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?” — We know that baptism does not put us into Christ. No work performed by man can do that! If we are in Christ, God put us in him (1 Corinthians 1:30), and he did it in eternity, before ever the worlds were made. And though the Holy Spirit has put us into Christ in regeneration, he is never said to baptize us into Christ. So, what do Paul’s words in this place mean? Symbolically baptism puts us into Christ. But the symbolism of this ordinance is described in verses 4 and 5.

In this verse Paul is showing us the connection between believer’s baptism and the death of Christ. Actually, the word “into” in this verse would be better translated “unto”, just as the word “for” in Acts 2:38 would be better translated “because of.” Romans 6:3 really should read, “Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized unto Christ were baptized unto his death?” Baptism does not put us into Christ; but it looks to Christ. It does not put us into his death; but it has reference to his death.

Baptism, if it is true baptism, is an act of faith. It looks to Christ. It is an act of obedience to Christ. And it follows the example of Christ. As he was baptized by immersion, as an act of obedience to God, identifying himself as the Son of God, to fulfill all righteousness, so are we.

Baptism has reference to the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a picture of his death as the sinner’s Substitute, and of our death in him. We died in him representatively. And by baptism we publicly avow our faith in the redemption he accomplished by his death, by which all righteousness has been fulfilled.

Baptism is an outward, visible picture of grace experienced in the heart. Baptism declares that we are one with Christ, and that in him we are dead, dead to sin, dead to the world, dead to the law, and dead to the past. It shows a connection between the believer and his Savior, between us and the death of Christ. As he is dead to sin, in him we are dead to sin. As he lives unto God, in him we live unto God. Until this grace is experienced in the heart, baptism has no meaning. It is nothing but an empty, hypocritical, deceiving religious ritual.

 

 

 

Don Fortner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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