Ordinances/Sacraments

Baptism

Big Idea of the Message: The church revolves around the ordinances (or sacraments) of baptism and communion, which represent the believer’s response to, cooperation with, and participation in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Affirmation

Christian Baptism is affirmed by tow parts - fact and implication - Paul is going to begin explaining this “were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death”;

So the first thing that needs to asked is which baptism is Paul speaking about, water baptism or spiritual baptism;

Now some believe he is only referencing spiritual baptism, however the author I am studying believes he is speaking of the ordinance of baptism in v. 3 & 4;

The Book of Romans Affirmation (Verse 3)

Still, the outward ordinance is not of any saving merit. It is but an object-lesson, a symbol of the real thing.

Now Paul is using water baptism as a figurative example of spiritual baptism which is similar to 1 Peter 3:21;

The Book of Romans Affirmation (Verse 3)

So when Paul mentions the fact that we were “baptized into Jesus Christ,” he does not mean the ordinance itself placed us in union with Christ. He does mean that ordinance was a public profession and representation of the union with Christ we experienced by faith.

Baptism is about the most prominent part of our Christian life - Christ’s death;

The Book of Romans Affirmation (Verse 3)

Our union with and identification with Christ, which was visibly portrayed in our baptism, was especially a union and identification with His death.

Why is His death prominent - first His death was the basic “work” - His death performed our redemption;

The Book of Romans Affirmation (Verse 3)

Thus this was the effective part of Christ’s work which must be put on our accounts, so to speak, and by which justification is applied to us.

Second is immersion “burial” which is our identification with His death and burial;

Third is death to sin - when we accept Christ there should be a death to sin which represents Christ’s death for you.

Application

Paul now begins applying what he has sated in v. 3;

“The believer died with Christ” here Paul is referencing v. 3 as truth of baptism;

The Book of Romans Application (Verses 4, 5)

The believer was baptized into Christ, and thereby baptized into His death (3); therefore this baptism was a burial of one dead.

Immersion represents our burial after death to sin and reflects the death and burial of Christ;

The Book of Romans Application (Verses 4, 5)

Paul’s point is right plain: Living men are not buried. When the believer submitted to that burial of immersion under water he was declaring himself a dead man, one dead and buried with Christ.

So here is the answer - with a question to the question - “If a sinner died, does he yet live?”;

The Book of Romans Application (Verses 4, 5)

Can the one baptized into Christ (assuming his water baptism is a true profession) live as a sinner?

“The believer rose with Christ” this the first time Paul calls to our “new life” as believers;

The Book of Romans Application (Verses 4, 5)

Christ’s death was not the end of His work. The resurrection was just as essential to the whole. Just so, we did not merely die when Christ died; we arose when He arose.

The rising is the purpose of salvation experience - death, burial & resurrection;

Let’s look at v. 4 for a moment;

focus on “we also should walk”

The Book of Romans Application (Verses 4, 5)

Note in verse four that the verb “we also should walk” is expressed (in Greek) in the tense that refers to decisive, crisis action. The time when the believer committed himself to that new walk is referred to. And this verb “walk” is the one that goes with the “that.” This could be rendered as follows: “(in order) that … we might set ourselves to walk in newness of life.” Again Paul is looking back to the time the believer took his stand for Christ.

Reaffirmation

Verse 5 is for the most part repeating verse 4;

In order for something to be made new something old must go;

Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 15:36;

The Book of Romans Application (Verses 4, 5)

Our “planting” together with Him then is the same as the “burial” of verse 4; our being in the likeness of His resurrection is the same as the newness of life of verse 4.

No we don’t have to wait to die in order to made new - we can do that now by allowing the newness of salvation take control;

The Book of Romans Application (Verses 4, 5)

We shall be, as Christians in the here and now, new persons, thus manifesting our identification with His resurrection. Some interpreters disagree with this and see a reference to the future bodily resurrection here.

The Book of Romans Application (Verses 4, 5)

The believer by his baptism declares that he buried, as dead, the person he used to be. He declares that he arose a new person with an entirely new and different life. And he declares that all this was effected by virtue of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. That declaration is totally out of keeping with the idea of continuing in sin, the basic issue under discussion.

Application Point: Members of the church should be baptized, and they should partake in the Lord’s Supper. These are gifts of God to them.