BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST
(Romans Bible Study Series Tape Fourteen)
Recommended reading - Romans 6:1-6.
Paul, in Romans 6:1-2, strongly condemns those
who continue in sin, try to take advantage of the death of Christ and of
the grace of God. Paul describes baptism as a death. It is very important
that we understand the meaning of baptism. The clearest explanation of the
significance of baptism is in Romans 6:3-6. Most individuals who
have been baptized have done so by using the correct mode of immersion, or
being buried according to verse 4. Many have had the correct mode,
but have not understood the truth and the real meaning of baptism. The
mode is correct only when it signifies the truth. Baptize is from the
Greek - baptizo, which means to be buried in water. Baptism is the public
confession of a very special experience to the believer.
I. Baptism is necessary for people to be saved.
· Baptism, belief
and being saved, Mark 16:15-16.
· Baptism, as an
act, is usually done by a Pastor, a teacher, or another led by God.
Notice Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:26-40. Philip
was not an ordained minister or a Pastor, he was an individual led by
God. Jesus Christ through, His Spirit, gives to us the gifts of the
Spirit enabling us to do as He desires.
· God was with
Philip so he did not need the ordination of an individual or an
organization, he was given the responsibility directly from Jesus
Christ. Philip taught Jesus Christ to the eunuch. Philip baptized the
Ethiopian.
· What happened
to the eunuch after his baptism? Did he join an organization or a
church? To whom did he go and submit himself? It is amazing what we have
come up with in this modern time, after 2000 years of corrupting the
basic truth of the Bible.
· We need to
analyze where we have allowed ourselves to be led regarding to these
very issues, as noted above.
· The act of
baptism is not limited to an ordained ministry. as to whom can baptize.
Paul performed few actual baptisms. Whoever baptizes does so in the name
of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
II. True baptism is not done by a Minister, a Deacon, or any other
man.
· Baptism, of a
truth, is done by Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit of God, as we see in Matthew
3:11. We are baptized by the Father, by the Son, and with the Holy
Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes into us to lead and to guide us.
· Paul states the
true significance of baptism in I Corinthians 12: 13. The act of
Baptism does not save; it is the truth that saves.
· We are baptized
by one Spirit into the body of Christ. The foundation of baptism is
found in Romans 6:3.
· Baptism is
always into Christ Jesus. It is not into a church or into a
denomination. There is not one denomination or organization that can
save you. Only Jesus Christ can save you.
· Paul explains
the meaning of being baptized into Christ Jesus in Galations 3:27.
We have been clothed with Christ and become one with Him, when we are
baptized. In order for Christ to be our Savior, and for our salvation to
become effective, Christ had to identify Himself. In our case we must
identify ourselves with Christ. It has to be reciprocal because God is
love. God has redeemed all men in Christ. Redemption can only become
effective, when we accept identification with the holy history of Jesus
Christ.
· God states that
I have given to you My Son at infinite cost to me; but, He is a gift.
You can accept the gift or you can reject the gift. Jesus says in John
15, abide in Me and I in you. It is a two way relationship for the
picture to be complete.
III. Salvation is made effective in a personal way by faith and
baptism.
· We notice in
the last part of Romans 3:6, that our union with Christ and our
baptism is not vague, it is very specific. We are baptized into the
death of Christ. We accept the death of Christ as our death.
· Paul explains
in Romans 6:10, the kind of death that Christ died. The death was
to sin. The Law of God says the wages of sin is death. It is a tragedy
when anyone tries to do away with the legal framework of the Atonement.
Some try to do away with the fact that the violation of the Law (or that
the wages of sin) is death. The breaking of the Law demands a death as
we see in Hebrews 9:22.
IV. Christ did not come to change the death sentence.
· If Christ came
to change the death sentence, He would be breaking His own Law. The Law
demands a death sentence for those that violate the Law.
· Christ came and
fulfilled that death sentence; Christ died to sin. He had met the
justice of the Law. When Christ arose, He left sin in the grave forever.
· Our sins had
separated Christ from God; Christ had no sins of His own. Sin separated
Christ from God, as sin separates us from God. Sin causes the separation
from God. When that separation occurs, we are separated from the source
of life, peace, joy, and happiness. That is why Christ cried out in
agony, with sweat of blood.
· The separation
was the ultimate agony for Christ. He had experienced tremendous pain up
to that point. The ultimate agony was the separation from God.
When Christ cried out , "Father ,Father, why have you forsaken
me", He was experiencing the curse of the Law. This statement is
not calling Christ accursed because of His own sins. Christ was under
the curse because he carried our sins. Christ accepted that curse for
us. Christ is resurrected and He is blessed of the Almighty God. He was
under the curse and separated, but never again will He be separated from
His Father.
V. A Christian is baptized into Christ's death.
· We are baptized
into Christ and say in our heart good-bye to sin, as Paul explains in Romans
6:11. Our lives of sin have been nailed to the cross.
· God will not
separate Himself from those who have been baptized into Christ. There
will only be a separation for those that ultimately and persistently
reject the gift of God. God will withdraw, and when that occurs the
source of life is gone, and all is over.
· The very
begetal at conversion is a rare experience in this age in which we live.
The churches today are often perplexed because many do not really
experience that change inside, in the very heart and core of their
being. Many don't experience that true baptism and indwelling of the
Holy Spirit, because they don't understand the truth of God. Many are
in the church, but not in Christ!
· When one is
interested in baptism, one must be confronted with the cross of Christ.
An individual must understand the death, the burial, and the
resurrection of Christ. We die and are buried with Christ. Once this has
occurred, we are told in the last part of Romans 6:4, to walk in
newness of life. We, at that point, should speak as the Apostle Paul
spoke in Galations 2:20; we are crucified with Christ.
· Romans 6:7 states
that once we die, we are freed from sin. The word freed is used three
times in this chapter. The first time is in verse 7, the second
time is in verse 18, the third time is in verse 22. Verses
18 and 22, use a different word from the one used in verse 7.
The word used in verse 7, is the same word Paul used in Acts
13:39. The word freed used in verse 7, is translated as
justified in Acts 13:39. Paul is saying he that is dead is
justified from sin. We are no longer under the rulership of sin, because
sin has died.
· Sin which has
ruled over us has been crucified with Christ. The Law says the soul that
sins must die. The moment we are born into the world, the Law of God
says, we must die.
· We are born on
death row because of the fall and sin of Adam. The Law is relentless;
the Law will not give up until we die. Once we die the Law is satisfied.
Once we die in Christ, the Law cannot come after us.
VI. We are one with Christ
· Paul describes
this oneness in Romans 6:5.
· When our
baptism is genuine, our resurrection is absolutely guaranteed. In this
world we begin with life and end in death. That is the natural order of
things. In the gospel it is the opposite. We begin with death and end
with life, as Paul explains in Romans 6:8. The word if, in this
scripture, means that if we don't die we don't live. Paul gave a very
strong message to Timothy regarding this very matter. We see Paul's
statement in II Timothy 2:11. If we die with Christ we will live
with Christ.
· We have to come
to the understanding and reality that, it is not I, but Christ.
· We should fall
on our knees before the Great God knowing that, we must have Christ
living in us. We still struggle with sin, but in our heart we say
good-bye to sin.
· One thing is
clear, there is no resurrection with Christ unless we first die with
Him. Paul describes our old life in Romans 6:6. The old life,
that we were born with, is condemned and must die. The original Greek in
this scripture properly stated, is that the body of sin would be
deprived of its' power and is rendered powerless.
· Paul tells us
not to walk in the flesh but in the Spirit. Galatians 5:24,
states that we have crucified the flesh with all its' desires. The human
body will be deprived of the power to sin.
· The very life
of Christ, a life of love, of caring, and of self-giving can live in us
today. The world needs to see this life.
VII. Paul links the experience of the Jews with salvation.
· We see this
link in I Corinthians 10:2-5. The Jews who crossed the Red Sea
were baptized into Moses. Moses was a type of Christ. We see the
symbolism of the New Testament Passover. They ate and they drank the
spiritual food. The Rock, what they ate and drank, was Christ.
· The exodus, out
of Egypt, was a symbol of salvation. Egypt represents the world; Pharaoh
represents Satan; crossing the Red Sea represents baptism. The Jews are
headed to Canaan, (the Promised land). The Jews are living on the
spiritual food, the body, and the blood of Christ.
· A problem
developed because they did not say good-bye to the life in Egypt. While
they were physically out of Egypt, their hearts were still in Egypt.
They wished they could go back. Their baptism was a sham and they all
died in the wilderness.
God did not bring Israel back to Canaan until they were
properly baptized. God told Joshua in Joshua 4:1-9, that the life
lived in Egypt, and which was brought with the Jews from Egypt, could not
go into Canaan. That life must be buried in the Jordan River. The life
that was resurrected must be taken to the Promised land. The Jordan River
becomes the true baptism. That is why Jesus was baptized in the Jordan
River rather than the Red Sea. If we were buried alive then our baptism
was a sham. We must understand God's truth about baptism and we must now
surrender to the cross of Jesus Christ. |
Baptized Into Christ 