Daily Devotions
Romans
"Baptized into Christ Jesus..."
Text: Romans 6:3
THE DOCTRINE OF BAPTISM
It is interesting to note how Paul brought in the doctrine of baptism to strengthen his argument that the genuine believer cannot and will not choose a life of sin.
“Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized
into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?”
Romans 6:3
1. “Did you not know?”
Once again, Paul highlights the danger of ignorance.
a) A lack of knowledge exposes the individual to great danger.
b) A lack of knowledge can rob a person of great potential blessing.
c) A lack of knowledge will enable false teachings to advance and corrupt
d) The challenge is “to know”.
2. Knowledge of the doctrine of Baptism.
a) The mode of baptism is not the issue here.
b) The theological significance of baptism is obviously Paul’s main thrust here.
c) Baptised into Christ Jesus.
i) This text does not clash with what Jesus taught about baptizing people in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).
ii) The focus here is the relationship that the genuine believer has with Christ.
iii) The sharper focus is one of identification with the Lord Jesus Christ.
d) Baptised into His death
i) The death of Christ brought about justification.
ii) The death of Christ destroyed the power of sin and Satan (Cf. Hebrews 2:14-15).
iii) The believer is totally identified with Christ in His death.
The genuine believer who is fully identified with Christ cannot live in sin!