Paul s Discussion of Christian Baptism in Romans 6 1 14
Paul’s Discussion of Christian Baptism in Romans 6.1-14 First, here is a little background on Romans. The book of Romans was written in A. ... The author of the letter is Paul, as stated in Romans 1:1. The people to whom Paul was sending this letter were probably members of several different churches, not just one church, in Rome. Paul was writing to both Jewish believers and Gentile believers. Paul wrote this letter from Corinth at the end of his third missionary journey (own opinion/Bible/Dunn, James “World Biblical Commentary”). My focus is on Chapter 6, verses 1 through 14. ... The title of the chapter is “Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ”, which gives us a clue that this chapter talks obviously about Christian baptism. It was a sad thing in history when slavery existed here in the great United States of America, even after the freedom of slaves had been secured through President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, and through the war between the States. ... The state of many of us Christians is very similar to this; we are enslaved to the force of sin in our lives, yet freedom from sin has been won for us through Christ’s work on the cross. I think that Romans 6.1-14 is our declaration of freedom from the sin that we are so accustomed to letting control us. ... When sin, the principle, is allowed to control our choices, the result is “sins”, actions and attitudes that are contrary to God’s will and desire. ... Bruce “The Epistle of Paul…”). Paul concluded chapter 5 with the shocking statement that God gave the law so that sin might increase, and where sin increased, grace increased all the more, and all this so that grace and eternal life might be made available through Jesus Christ. ... Chapter 6 gives me the answer to this question. ... Paul is quick to argue that salvation by faith in the death of Christ is not a license to sin. The first five chapters of Romans have dealt with justification. Romans chapter 6 deals with sanctification. The word “sanctification” means “holiness” (being set apart for God’s service) and this word is also found in Romans 6:8 “God is saving me from the power of sin”, this is sanctification. ... We as believers are not to sin so that God’s grace might increase. ... This is the principle for the believer’s sanctification (life of holiness/godliness). The pattern for this argument is baptism or immersion. Paul describes baptism in verse 3 as baptism in Christ (not baptism into water). Paul describes baptism as becoming immersed in Christ’s death, burial and resurrection (verses 3-4). It is interesting the word Paul uses in verse 5, translated in the NIV as “united”. ... So Paul’s logic in Verse 5 is…if we have been grafted into Christ, if we are growing in Christ, if we have been planted together with Christ and are growing along with Christ, we will certainly also be grown with him in the life to come.