Understanding Baptism and Our Union with Christ

What is Baptism?

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. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts,

13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

-Romans 6:3-14

I. Understanding baptism What is baptism?

It’s a funeral service. In God’s mind, you are under the water/placed in the ground and have died. Buried in the likeness of His death and raised to walk in the newness of life. Baptism is a commandment to be obeyed (Matt. 28:19). It’s the first step of obedience. It’s a ceremony to be observed. It’s an ordinance of the Church. You were immersed or incorporated into the Church, joined to the body of Christ. They are now to walk in that new life.

1689 Baptism Confession of Faith

Baptism is an ordinance of the New Testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, to be unto the party baptized, a sign of his fellowship with him, in his death and resurrection; of his being engrafted into him;1 of remission of sins; 2 and of giving up into God, through Jesus Christ, to live and walk in newness of life.3

1 Rom. 6:3–5; Col. 2:12; Gal. 3:27

2 Mark 1:4; Acts 22:16

3 Rom. 6:4

Baptism is a symbol, not a mere sign, for it actually pictures the believer’s death and resurrection with Christ.

Millard J. Erickson

II. Understand our union with Christ. Planted is to be closely connected or associated with experience. We are connected or united with the experience with Christ. What is the effect or result of the union? “knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;”

-Romans 6:6

The old man is everything you are or were in Adam. When you were born in this world, you were placed in a spiritual arena.When we are saved, God takes us out of the first Adam and placed us in the second Adam. We were in darkness, now in light. Dead and now brought back to life. In the kingdom of darkness but now in the kingdom of light. What does he mean the body of sin? Where does sin operate? It operates in the body. It works through our eyes, ears, mouth, hands, feet, etc… The power of sin was rendered inoperable or broken that we should not serve sin. A new power has taken place in your life and that power is the power of Jesus Christ. 1 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

-2 Peter 1:1-4

· The power of sin is not greater than the power of new life in Jesus Christ. The result is that the body that I live that is active can be used for righteous purposes. We are dead with Christ through our baptism, union with Christ, and through Christ dominion over death.

“knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.”

-Romans 6:9 Christ resurrection cannot be reversed. He has defeated our greatest foe which is sin and death. Once He overcame death, He had power over it.

We all are driven by love. Before coming to Christ, we love our appetites.

“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”

-1 John 2:16

That interest has been broken. What has captured us is His love. At the moment of our regeneration, God’s love was poured into our hearts. That means our desires and appetites are new. These old man appetites are still present, but we are now able to overcome them by the power of the Holy Spirit that indwells us.

(V. 14). What does it mean to be under the law? The law says do and you shall live. Grace says live and then you shall do. It starts with life and continues to works.

When the Bible says you’re under a different Law, it means you’re under a different system. Once under the Law but now under the law of grace.

(Illustration) Apple and Microsoft are different systems. The same is true for the law of Grace and the Law of Moses.

Meditation and Application

1. Recognize your old self is dead.

2. Use your body for new purposes.

3. Recognize the new law that operates in you.