Romans 6

I'm writing a series of articles on the book of Romans, which, as you know, is one of the more difficult and controversial books of the New Testament. This is not going to be a verse-by-verse analysis by any means, but I will write a lengthy article on each chapter of this sixteen-chapter book. I hope that you find this helpful...

Is baptism essential for salvation? Or is it just an outward sign of an inward grace?

This is a question that I have discussed on this blog before, but it has to be considered again here as we examine the sixth chapter of the book of Romans. And really, it is good that we consider this issue often, for our salvation may very well depend on the answer. If water baptism is essential for salvation, if it is FOR the remission of sins, then the majority of people in the denominational world are lost for they have NOT been baptized for the remission of sins. If baptism is NOT essential, then...well, then I am wrong and most religious people are right.

Of course, this is not about WHO is right...this is not a competition. Our main objective here is to determine what is right. So what does Romans 6 say about baptism? Let's begin by reading verses 1-7...

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For He who has died has been freed from sin."

In verses 1-2, Paul seems to be concluding the discussion from chapter five. He has made the point that we're all under sin, but that we can be saved by the grace of God through Jesus Christ. The question now is: shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? The apostle stressed in chapters four and five that we're not saved by a system of meritorious works, but by the wonderful grace of God. We access this grace by faith in Jesus Christ, and it is through Christ that we are ultimately reconciled to God. Paul was afraid that his readers would swing from one extreme to the other extreme. In a system of meritorious works, there is a rigid set of rules and traditions that ultimately leads people to believe that they have earned their way to heaven. But in a system of grace only, people conclude that there are no rules, and that they can disregard the concept of holiness and consecration. Both extremes are equally dangerous.

In an effort to counter this false concept of grace only, Paul reminds the Roman brethren that they had died to sin and thus needed to be holy and righteous. How did they die to sin? At what point did they transition from a life of sin to a life of holiness? At the point of baptism!

According to Romans 6, we are baptized into the death of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, and then raised up from the watery grave to walk in newness of life. There are several things that I want to emphasize here:

1. Baptism is by immersion, not sprinkling or pouring. Paul describes baptism as a burial. When you bury something you do not sprinkle dirt on top of it. You completely immerse it. This is consistent with the meaning of the Greek term baptizo which means "to submerge." The Catholics, Methodists and Presbyterians are wrong in their practice of sprinkling and pouring.
2. When someone is buried, are they buried dead or alive? When you go to a graveside service after a funeral, is the person in the coffin alive or deceased? We know the answer to this question; it's obvious to us. THEY ARE DEAD! Likewise, we are baptized into the death of Christ and buried with Him in the baptismal grave. With this in mind, how can we logically argue that the person being baptized was spiritually alive prior to their baptism? Think about it. If a person is saved before baptism at the point of faith, then they are ALIVE when they are buried in baptism...hence, they are buried alive! This is the common practice throughout the denominational world, but it is clearly wrong. According to God's word, a person is spiritually dead when they are buried in baptism. Salvation does not come before baptism, but at the point of baptism, and that brings us to the third point...
3. According to Romans 6:4, we are "raised from the dead" to "walk in newness of life." Again, Paul is talking about baptism. It is a grave. We go into the grace dead, but we are raised by the power of God to obtain newness of life. Is this newness of life obtained prior to the point of baptism or AT the point of baptism? The answer is clear.
4. Finally, it is very important to connect the language of Romans 6:3-4 to what was said back in chapter five. In Rom. 5:9-10, the apostle says, "Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." We're justified by Jesus' blood which was shed at His death; we're reconciled to God by His death. Just a few verses later, in chapter six, Paul says that we're baptized into His death. Interesting. So at what point are we reconciled to God? We are reconciled to God when we are baptized into Jesus' death where His precious blood was shed.

Based on verses 3-4 alone, we have already established the necessity of baptism, but believe it or not, there is more to be said here in chapter six about this important condition of salvation. In verse six, for example, Paul says that when we are baptized the "body of sin is destroyed." If the body of sin is not destroyed until the point of baptism, then we are not saved prior to baptism.

Furthermore, Paul is clear that at the point of baptism, there is a transition. We transition from being slaves of sin to being "freed from sin" (vv. 7). It is this concept of spiritual slavery that Paul continues to expound upon throughout the rest of the chapter.

In verses 17-18, we are told, "But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness." The form of doctrine is clearly baptism. What Paul is talking about here is a pattern of teaching. This is not something that is arbitrary, but rather it is a very specific pattern to which we submit. It is obedience to this specific pattern of doctrine that ultimately brings about our deliverance from sin.

So here's the question: if a person is baptized as an outward sign of an inward grace, did they obey from the heart the form of doctrine outlined in chapter six of Romans, or did they obey from the heart a form of doctrine that originated with men? We can't have it both ways, folks. Either baptism is FOR the remission of sins or it is not! Either we are saved before the point of baptism or AT the point of baptism!

It is not the baptismal water that saves us, per se. The water is not holy, it does not have any inherent saving power. It is simply the divinely ordained medium by which we contact the blood of Christ. What ultimately saves us is our obedience to God's command. If God has not stated that baptism is an outward sign of an inward grace, then it is a human commandment that will not lead anyone to salvation. We must obey GOD'S command to be saved.

Friend, have you been baptized FOR the remission of sins? Have you obeyed from your heart this form of doctrine? Or are you yet in your sins? Please, let me know if I can help you in any way.