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Romans 6:1-4
As Paul completed his argument concerning the only way in which men can be justified, he moved on to
the ramifications for men, in being justified. Pauls discussion of these results will encompass several
chapters at the heart of his letter to the Roman assemblies.
We have just completed chapter 5, in which we find Paul peering ahead to the end result of being justified;
being glorified. And Paul has shown what leads there: by faith, men are justified, and reconciled with
God.
This in turn ensures their future: that they will be saved from wrath, and delivered from their bodies of
corruption, into bodies of glory saved in the Life that Jesus brought forth from the grave Life
everlasting. What God has begun for the individual believer, God will complete.
Having peered ahead to the end result, Paul then peered back to the beginning, to show that the certainty of
this future for believers is based on the plan of God, which He has executed through two men Adam and
Christ.
In this view, from the eternal perspective, God only has two men, each the head of a creation in them, each
the representative of the creation in them. All men are born into the first creation, in Adam, through natural
birth. Believers are born again into the new creation, in Christ. All men are either in one creation, or
another; and through a single, definitive act of the head of that creation, the destiny of every man is
determined.
Through the transgression of Adam, those who are in him have been judged guilty, condemned to death,
and are destined for the Lake of Fire, following final judgment. But through the righteous act of Jesus
Christ on the cross, those who are in Him are justified, receive the gift of righteousness in grace, and will
reign in Life everlasting through Him.
Through the contrast between these two men, no one can miss why it is essential that one must get out of
Adam, and into Christ, which one can do, by faith, believing into Christ. But looking at the context of this
letter, we can see that Paul intends more for his listeners, from this comparison.
What Paul is doing is reinforcing the certainty of the believers future in glory, this time based on the
perspective of Gods plan, which is realized through His two men. As certainly as God has begun His plan
in Adam, He will complete His plan, in Christ. And as certainly as the destiny of destruction is secured for
men who remain in Adam, so also is the destiny of eternal Life in glory secured for the sons of God, in
Christ.
But Paul intends even more with what he has written much more. In laying the two men side by side,
Paul makes it clear how much more men have in Christ than man ever had, as originally created. I want to
look back at these much mores for a moment, because they have bearing on the next part of Pauls letter.
In verse 15 of chapter 5, we see the much more is tied to the gift in grace of Jesus Christ the gift of
righteousness. In Christ, men become the righteousness of God which is much more than Adam ever had,
as he was originally created. Paul says this righteousness abounded to the many past tense; it was
accounted to them, the moment they believed. So in a sense, this much more reflects the believers
beginning justification.

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In verse 17, we see that the much more has to do with reigning in Life through Jesus Christ. Notice that
this is in the future tense believers shall reign in Life. This speaks of when believers become glorified
sons of God when they receive their bodies of glory. We could say that this much more reflects the
believers end glorification.
Finally, in verse 20, Paul speaks about grace abounding much more it superabounded, with the idea that it
exceeds all sins; believers are completely covered, by the grace of God.
Then in verse 21, Paul brings out the purpose of this much more grace: so that the grace might reign
through righteousness, to eternal Life in glory, with our Lord.
This reflects back on our standing in grace, that we learned about in verse 2 of chapter 5. Thats our
current position while were still here on earth; our standing, in the present, from Gods perspective.
We are absolutely secure in the grace of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord. We will never come into
judgment for any sin, because Jesus has already paid the death penalty for us. We are in the realm of the
Grace, now; for the believer, the Death no longer reigns.
What is it that Paul says that the Grace reigns through, in verse 21? Through righteousness. Remember
that righteousness is what Grace gives us the gift of righteousness, in grace, of the one man, Jesus Christ
(v. 15, 1-17). That righteousness was imputed to us, when we first believed; credited to our account.
But in terms of time, that righteousness is gradually being realized in our lives; we are learning to draw on
that righteousness, which had been credited to our account; to live our righteousness; to become, what we
already are.
And this is what Paul desires to share with the assemblies in Rome next and with all his readers, to this
present day: what it is to live righteous, in the present; to experience the much more that Christ died to
give us, so that grace does indeed reign in our lives, in the here and now through living the righteousness
that Grace has given us.
So Paul moves from our past justification the beginning of our much more to our future glorification
the end of our much more, in Christ to what comes between the beginning and the end the middle of our
much more, we might say our lives here, on earth. That middle is the process of sanctification: of
being made holy, as God is holy.
Although Paul will speak about sanctification for three and a half chapters, we will only be looking at the
first four verses this morning.
[Read Romans 6:1-4]
So we see Paul now transitioning to the subject of sanctification, beginning with a rather startling rhetorical
question (v. 1), which he then answers (v.2), stating the impossibility of what was suggested, and why it is
impossible. In verses 3-4, Paul explains this in greater detail.
Lets start with verse 1.
v. 1 If we read through the next several chapters, we can see that Paul is speaking about the sanctification
of the believer, and that this is where he is beginning to do so. But we need to ask, why does Paul begin
with this particular question?

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This question is connected to verse 20, of chapter 5 where Paul was writing about the Law of Moses,
given to the Jews, which caused sin to become exceedingly sinful excessive. At that point, Paul had
indicated that grace abounded much more, to more than cover this excessive sin, brought out by the Law.
Paul now uses that thought as a springboard, to present an idea he intends to refute: that if grace covers sin
for the believer, that leaves the believer free to just continue in his sin, because after all, grace will cover it.
Does grace cover all sin, for the believer? Yes; grace more than covers sin; grace superabounds. So then,
whats the problem with continuing to sin? God has it all covered, right?
This was a concern particularly on the part of the legalistic Jews, who thought that the Law was necessary
to restrain sin. In fact, the enemies of the gospel of grace sometimes accused Paul of arming believers in
the name of their liberty in Christ with opportunities for their flesh (Acts 15, Gal 5). Even in this letter,
Paul alluded to a slanderous statement, attributed by opponents to him: Let us do evil that good may
come (Rm 3:8).
The idea of using the grace of God as license to sin has been a plague for the church down through the
ages, and as you can see, the Holy Spirit refuted it right from the beginning so that believers could know
without a doubt that they are not free to continue in sin.
Grace does abound to cover sin; but if we continue in sin, then what about righteousness? The very
purpose for which Christ died that men should be made righteous would be made of no effect.
And what kind of witness would it be, if we continue in sin, to those who are on the outside those who are
still in Adam? They would see no difference between themselves, and a Christ One because there would
be no difference, to be seen. That compromises the very reason why the Lord purposed for us to continue
our lives here on earth to be a witness to the unregenerate, as to the power of God to transform men into
His righteous sons.
And finally, what of the glory of God? To continue in sin, that grace might abound, would be a disgrace; a
dishonoring of our Lord; an abuse of His unfailing love for us. No one could look at the sons of God and
say, Like Father, like son; no one would see a reflection of His glorious, righteous Son, in us; no glory of
God, to be seen.
And so Pauls answer to that question shall we continue in sin that grace may abound is a resounding
NO!!
v. 2 Certainly not! is the strongest Greek idiom for repudiating a statement. It contains a sense of
outrage that anyone would ever think the statement to be true. Literally, its May it never be! Jesus died
to free us from sin; not to give us license to sin. Paul is saying, What an abhorrent thought!
In verses 1 and 2, sin is preceded by the definite article, as in chapter 5: its the sin. Once again, Paul
is personifying Sin as a despotic ruler over men, who has absolute power over them, like a master over a
slave.
Whereas Paul emphasized the reign of Death over men in chapter 5, we will see the reign of Sin as the
focus in chapter 6. This makes sense, in that the emphasis in chapter 5 is on the completion of Gods plan,
in Christ the power of death, overcome through Life everlasting; but the emphasis is on sanctification in
chapter 6 the power of sin, overcome through righteousness.

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We see that Paul answers his question in verse 1 with a counter question, in verse 2: How shall we who
died to the sin live any longer in it? How can we possibly continue living in the sin, when we died to the
sin?
What Paul is doing is using the sharpest imagery possible to show the incompatibility of the believer
continuing to live in sin. The contrast is between life and death.
Death and life are completely, mutually exclusive. You cannot be dead and alive at the same time. Theres
no gray area here. And with death, there is a decisive and final break; a severance; an absolute one-way
departure, from this life; theres no going back.
And that is Pauls point. He is saying that we believers have died, past tense weve died to the sin. Now,
if we died to the sin, we cannot live any longer in the sin. Paul is using this illustration to show just how
absolute a deliverance we have from the sin, in Christ Jesus. Jesus not only delivered us from the penalty
of sin; He delivers us from the power of sin. And He does so, completely.
Now, the Roman assemblies might have been scratching their heads at this point. What does that really
mean, that believers died to the sin? The tense that Paul chose for the word died indicates something that
happened at a particular point in time, in the past. In what sense did we die to the sin? Were not dead;
that is, our hearts are still ticking. What is Paul saying?
Maybe you have wondered the same thing. Fortunately for all of us, Paul explains his statement further in
the next two verses.
v. 3-4 In verse 3, we can see that Paul is tying in the believers death to the sin, with the death of Christ;
specifically, that the believer, having been baptized into Christ Jesus, has been baptized into His death.
And this comes in the form of yet another question, from Paul to the Roman assemblies do you not
know this meaning, are you ignorant of this?; dont you understand? Now, Paul is not saying they
should know this; he is simply using the question do you not know? as a way of introducing his teaching,
on the subject; through the Spirit, Paul is intending to enlighten their understanding.
The understanding of being baptized into Christ Jesus, baptized into His death, will then enlighten their
understanding concerning having died to the sin they no longer live there, so they must not continue in it.
We need that same understanding, dont we? And for that purpose, we need to be clear on just what Paul is
intending when he speaks of believers being baptized into Christ Jesus, into His death. There is a great deal
of thinking about what baptism is, and what it means. Hopefully, after we consider this together, we will
come away with a clear understanding of what Paul means here and what he doesnt mean.
The word baptize is transliterated into English from the Greek baptizo. It is derived from the word
bapto, which simply means to dip.
In the common language, this word was used by the Greeks to signify the dyeing of a garment, or the
drawing of water by dipping one vessel into another. So from that first usage dyeing a garment we can
see that a garment dipped in dye would be infused with the dye; the dye would permeate, saturate the
garment, penetrating all of its fibers, and binding to it in a permanent fashion; the dye and the fabric are
united.

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From the second usage dipping one vessel into another we have the idea of filling; a ladle dipped in a
vessel is filled with the liquid in the vessel. What is in the vessel is in the ladle that has been dipped into it.
Common to both uses is the idea of something being immersed in a liquid, submerged completely under the
liquid, then emerging from the liquid. In addition, there is the idea of a changed condition: the garment is
no longer without color, but now dyed; the ladle is no longer empty, but now full. We will revisit these
ideas as we discuss how the word baptized came to be specially used.
The idea of baptism as dipping, or immersion in water was not exclusive to those who believed into Christ.
The concept was not unknown even in pagan rituals, and was also reflected in the ceremonial washings of
the Jews.
The Pharisees used to baptize their Gentile converts, having them immerse themselves in water. This
symbolized the final removal of their Gentile impurity; the Gentile was leaving behind his life in paganism
and sin, to join himself to the religion of Judaism. He was a changed man.
In Scripture, we begin to see baptism in the NT, where it accompanied the preaching of John. Turn to
Matthew chapter 3. John was the forerunner to Jesus; the herald, sent to announce the King.
[Matthew 3:1-6, 13-17]
v. 1-2 John preached the kingdom of heaven was at hand, because the King had come to visit His people;
Israels Messiah, Jesus.
v. 3 Isaiah prophesied of Johns ministry; he would be the voice, who would proclaim the Word Christ
who is the Way into the presence of the LORD.
v. 4-6 This was Johns baptism; a water baptism. Stephen will say that it was to all the people of Israel
(Acts 13:24). Thats remarkable, because Jews ordinarily did not get baptized; it was the Gentiles who did,
to indicate their conversion to the religion of Judaism.
Later in this passage, Matthew calls this a baptism with water unto repentance (v. 11). Was Matthew saying
that after the Jews were baptized by John in water, they became repentant? Of course not.
Mark and Luke add that John preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins (Mk 1:4, Lk
3:3). Were they saying that Johns baptism washed away sins? Certainly not; can water remove sin? No.
So what is the idea, with Johns water baptism? That in receiving it, the Jews were symbolically showing
that they recognized their need to become changed men; to have their sin removed.
This was a baptism unto repentance; to lead the Jews to repentance. It was a turning away from their
religious, hypocritical posturing in Judaism, to a genuine sorrow for their sins. Johns fiery preaching
caused them to see this; in recognition that their King was coming, the people felt convicted of their sins.
Paul would later write that John baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they
should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus (Acts 19:4). Johns water
baptism, then, was symbolic, preparing the hearts of the people for their Savior, who would then deliver
them from their sins if they would put their faith in Him.
The day came when Jesus Himself came to John to be baptized. Skip down to verse 13.

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v. 13-15 Initially, John did not understand why Jesus intended to be baptized. He recognized Jesus to be
Israels Messiah; surely the Sinless One did not need to receive a sinners baptism!
But Jesus had another purpose in it, and indicated to John to permit it. This was the proper way in which
righteousness would be fulfilled the right way, toward its fulfillment.
What did Jesus mean? The baptism of Jesus was to be the initiation of the ministry of Jesus as the Sinbearer the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. In symbolic form, Jesus was presenting
Himself before His Father as the substitute for sinners that they might be made the righteousness of God,
in Him to fulfill of all righteousness.
v. 16-17 The alighting of the Spirit of God on Jesus was the Fathers seal of approval on Jesus; His
anointing, for His ministry of redemption.
The apostle John recorded the testimony of John the Baptist at this time. The Lord had told John that the
One upon whom the Spirit descended and remained was He who baptizes in the Holy Spirit; the Son of
God (Jn 1:33-34).
That baptism the baptism in the Holy Spirit was to be a different kind of baptism. Jesus informed His
disciples concerning it, shortly before His death. Then after His death and resurrection, before He ascended
back into heaven, Jesus told His disciples to wait together in Jerusalem for this baptism.
Turn to Acts chapter 2. Ten days after His return to heaven, on the day of Pentecost, Jesus poured out the
Holy Spirit upon His collective body of believers on earth.
[Acts 2:1-4, 37-41]
v. 1-2 So the sound, like a mighty rushing wind filled the whole house; this was a audible manifestation of
the Holy Spirit. In that the sound filled the whole house, and the disciples were sitting in the house, what is
being communicated is that this was their baptism in the Holy Spirit, of which Jesus spoke.
v. 3-4 Now there was a visible sign of the invisible Spirit divided tongues as of fire which denotes the
Divine presence. These tongues as of fire came upon each disciple individually, showing the anointing of
the Body of Christ for their ministry; they were endued with power from on high (Lk 24:49), which was
immediately manifested in the speaking of tongues foreign languages, which were not known to the
speakers.
Water baptisms are always symbolic. But was this baptism the baptism in the Holy Spirit symbolic?
No. This was a true baptism, a spiritual reality, as the disciples of Jesus were immersed in the Holy Spirit,
and collectively filled with the Spirit, who now empowered them as a Body for their ministry of reconciling
men to God.
The disciples spoke in these foreign languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance, proclaiming the
wonderful works of God no doubt, the work of the redemption in Christ. Peter then addressed the
religious pilgrims who had gathered, hearing of these works in their own languages. With newfound
boldness, Peter preached to them Jesus, whom they crucified, whom God had made both Lord and Christ.
This was the result. Skip down to verse 37.

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v. 37-41 So many of the listening Jews were convicted by the words of Peter, and asked what they were to
do. In verse 38, Peter says what they are to do is to repent, and be baptized. And many gladly received
Peters word, and did so. This was no baptism unto repentance; it was not just a preparation of heart; this
was actual repentance; a complete change of heart; a turning away from sin, and turning to Jesus, in faith,
so that their sins were washed away; so that they were saved.
Although the text does not explicitly say, we can tell by the context that the baptism indicated by Peter is a
water baptism; they are being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. As mentioned, water baptism is always
symbolic.
Then what is its significance, here? It is a testimony to their belief into Jesus Christ; being baptized in His
name symbolizes that they have united themselves to Him, by faith. They have taken His name, like a
woman does when she is united by marriage to her husband (Gen 2:24). They are now Christ Ones.
This was a powerful witness to the world at large, and to the Jewish community, in particular. It was also a
dangerous witness, especially in Jerusalem; the Jewish rulers had declared even before Jesus death that
anyone who confessed Him as the Christ would be put out of the synagogue; he would be excommunicated
(Jn 9:22). Unless a Jew truly believed, he would never be baptized in the name of Jesus. In that day, it was
a real indicator of true faith.
Water baptism was an act of obedience on the part of the Body of Christ. Jesus had told His disciples that
wherever they went, they were to be making disciples of all the nations and baptizing them in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Mt 28:19) a symbolic, water baptism, which indicated
their conversion, to Christ Ones.
Throughout the book of Acts, we see many examples of those who put their faith in Jesus Christ, and then
are baptized in water, both symbolic of their conversion, and a testimony to others of their faith. By the
time of Pauls letter to the assemblies in Rome, baptize had generally come to refer to this symbolic
water baptism.
Lets return now to Romans chapter 6, and reconsider what Paul means in our passage.
[Return to Romans 6]
When Paul introduced the word baptized into his letter to the Roman assemblies, what is it that they
would most likely have thought of? Would they not have most certainly thought of their own water
baptism? Yes.
Did they know that was symbolic? Of course they did. They would have known that it symbolized their
conversion; when they became a Christ One. And they would have known that it was their witness to
others, as well, of the change in them. They would well remember the day when they were baptized in the
name of Jesus, their Lord.
But is that what Paul is saying? No. Notice that Paul does not speak of believers as having been baptized
in the name of Jesus Christ; he speaks of them having been baptized into Christ Jesus; not in the name, but
into the person. And Paul is not emphasizing the personal name of Jesus, but instead, His office; His work,
as the Christ; that is why Paul says Christ Jesus and not Jesus Christ. Christ Jesus is the order in the
original Greek text.

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This is not water baptism that Paul is referring to, although he knows that the Roman assemblies have
experienced that, and so can relate to what he is saying. This baptism is not symbolic at all.
This is a true baptism with real power, and real effect and in that way, alike to the baptism in the Holy
Spirit. It is, in fact, the reality that is symbolized by the water baptism, which Paul will now use as a
teaching tool, for the Roman assembly and all who believe.
Having said that, the term baptism is being used in a metaphorical sense here, even as it was in Acts
chapter 2. The word has the literal significance of dipping into liquid. So baptized, as used here is a
metaphor; nonetheless, the descriptive picture in baptism is of a spiritual reality.
The spiritual reality is that through faith through believing into Jesus we are baptized into Christ Jesus.
Who is performing this baptism? God; this baptism is Gods act, in Christ. What is it we are immersed in?
Into Christ Jesus, into the work that He did for us on the cross; His death.
What is it that dies? A body dies. God the Son united Himself with men by taking on a body of flesh.
Remember that body was anointed for His ministry of redemption at His baptism. Then Christ took that
body into death in the stead of men, on the cross.
When a man unites himself to Christ through faith, Christ takes that man into death with Him; and
immersed in Christ, in His death, Christs death becomes the believers death. It is through his death with
Christ that the believer is freed from the penalty of the sin; God justifies him.
But thats not all. Paul indicates that we were buried with Christ, through baptism into death. Now, Paul
does not often write of the burial of Christ. Most often he speaks simply of the death the cross and the
resurrection. But Paul does bring it into his discussion of baptism into Christ Jesus here, because it adds to
the picture.
After Jesus died on the cross, His body was removed and placed in a tomb in which no body had ever been
lain; a virgin tomb. That is what men do with dead bodies; they put them in a place of separation from
those still living in the world a tomb or a grave. They do so because once Death takes the body, the
process of corruption sets in.
But did the body of Jesus corrupt in the grave? No; that body, conceived of the Holy Spirit, was a perfect
body; it had no sin in it; and while Jesus resided in that body, He did no sin in it. So the body of Jesus did
not experience the corruption that Death brings to other mens bodies; this was the incorruptible Seed. The
body of Jesus just took up temporary residence in the grave, knowing that it was only for a time. The body
of Jesus rested in hope. What was that hope? That hope was a certain, know-so hope, of a future reality;
and that hope was in the Father.
The Psalmist prophesied of Messiahs hope: For You [His Father] will not leave My soul in Sheol, nor will
You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You will show Me the path of life; in your presence is fullness
of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore (Ps 16:9-11).
The body of Jesus rested in the grave, separated from the world, but Jesus was filled with the certain hope
that His Father would raise His body in resurrection, to be reunited with Him forever.
When we were united to Christ through faith, He took us into death with Him, and so we were then buried
together with Him. Immersed in His death, we were then submerged, so to speak, in His burial. This
pictures our separation from the world system; from life on earth among men of time and sense.

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Submerged in our burial with Christ, resting in His incorruption, we become more and more saturated with
that incorruption ourselves like the dye, penetrating every fiber of the garment dipped into it. That
garment eventually becomes filled with the dye, just as we keep on being filled with the Spirit of Christ
(Eph 5:18).
So in the burial, we see the transformation of the believer in his inner man; more and more set apart from
this world system, more and more set apart to God. This is the process of sanctification. But in this picture
of baptism, the process is not in view, here; just the final result: completed sanctification; holiness; holy, as
God is holy.
This picture is the eternal perspective, on the believer who is in Christ. So when we were buried with
Christ through baptism into death, we were completely sanctified, made holy, freed from the power of the
sin.
Buried in Christ, we rest in Him rest in hope of our certain future, in glory with the Father. And that is
where Paul goes next. After the immersion, after the submersion, comes emersion. In baptism, you come
out of the water.
The death and the burial had a purpose, for Christ: the incorruptible Seed had to fall into the ground and
die, in order to produce much fruit (Jn 12:24). The fruit is sons of God, in bodies of glory. Death was for
the purpose of resurrection; the means, to the end.
Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we; in like manner; conformed to
His glorious body (Phil 3:21). Christ took us into death with Him, for that purpose: in order that we be
raised with Him, in glory.
Here is the completed work of God, in Christ: glorification, by which the believer is completely freed from
even the presence of the sin. The change is complete; it is all a finished work; the believer has been
delivered out of the realm of Sin, and Death, into the realm of Grace.
And that is what their water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ was the symbol of. Now the believers in
Rome can know this as can we.
Now we come to the last point: when and where did this baptism into Christ Jesus take place?
It is interesting to note that throughout this description of the baptism, Paul uses the Greek tense which
indicates something that happened at a particular point of time in the past.
So when were you baptized into Christs death? Two thousand years ago, when Christ died. When were
you buried? Two thousand years ago; with Christ, in His tomb. And when were your raised from the dead?
Two thousand years ago, when Christ was raised. How is that possible? Because this is a spiritual reality,
which transcends time.
As mentioned, God is the One who administers this baptism to the believer. So where would you say this
baptism took place? In the eternal heavens. How is that possible, when we are here on earth? Because
this spiritual reality, which transcends space.

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10

This spiritual reality transcends time and space; so how does it become real to you, as an individual man,
who is under time, and on earth? By faith. That is how God unites you to Christ, to make it real for you,
individually, personally. You enter in to the eternal work of God the baptism in the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus through faith.
Now, one verb in the description of baptism is not in the past tense. It is translated in the English should
walk. The tense does not indicate any time; the activity is undefined in that way, but is in the form of a
command.
Paul is saying that based on what God had done for us, in Christ, we should now walk how? In newness
of life. It is a command to conduct ourselves in the powerful Life that Christ brought out of death: a Life
in which the Sin does not even have a presence. This is what Paul is meaning about having died to the Sin;
were in a whole new place; we no longer live in the realm of Sin. And as well see next week, that
changes everything.
Continue reading Romans chapter 6.