“What shall we say? Shall we continue to sin that grace may increase? No, indeed! How shall we who died to sin continue to live in it? Do you not know that as many of us as were immersed into Christ Jesus were immersed into his death? We were buried together with him through immersion into death, in order that we also might walk in newness of life, in the same manner that Christ was raised from the dead by the splendour of the Father.” (Romans 6:1-4 The Everlasting Gospel, 5^th edition, by Hugo McCord)

In many ways it is surprising that so many people who claim to follow Jesus have a problem with being immersed in water. Jesus not only said his followers must do this, but he even did it himself. When we read through the book of Acts those becoming Christians were immersed in water. What does this have to do with forgiveness of sin and being saved?

When Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome he was not writing about how to become a Christian. Instead, he was reminding them of what they had done when they became Christians. When we are immersed in water we are in a way reenacting Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection and in this way we are joined with him. Jesus’ physically died; we die to sin. Jesus was buried in Joseph’s new tomb; we are buried in water. Jesus rose from the dead on the third day; we rise from the water to live a new life.

In many ways it is sad that rather than translate the Greek word baptizo in early English translations that it was decided to transliterate the Greek word and make it an English one: baptise. The problem is most don’t know what the Greek word meant. A simple definition would be: to immerse, to plunge, to dip. When we think about what Paul wrote in Romans 6 that makes perfect sense – as Jesus was buried in a tomb we are buried in water when we are plunged beneath it. When we are immersed in water in this way we are putting to death our life of sin and coming out to live a new, different life.

“If we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we shall also be united with him in the likeness of his resurrection. We know this, that our old self has been crucified together with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that we should no longer serve sin. He who has died has been freed from sin. If we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We also know that since Christ has been raised from the dead, and dies no more, death has no more power over him. In that he died, he died to sin once for all, and in that he lives, he is alive to God. In the same manner, consider yourselves truly dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:5-11)

Our life as a Christian, as someone who is trying to follow Jesus, flows out from the fact that we have been united with a likeness of Jesus’ death. Our old self, our old life characterised by sin, has been put to death – it has been crucified with Jesus. This frees us from sin. We can now live for Jesus. We are no longer dead in our sins – that life has been put to death and buried. We are now alive to God. This means that we now must live a different life, a changed life. It would be meaningless to go dig up the dead corpse of an old life and start carrying it around with us. We have a new life and that life must be lived differently.

“Do not let sin reign in your mortal body, to obey its lusts, and do not yield your members as instruments of wrongdoing to sin. Instead, yield yourselves to God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.” (Romans 6:12-13)

Photo by Jon Galloway

Readings for next week: Romans 5-11