With Christ In His Baptism
Minister: |
Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: |
9/22/2013 AM
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Text:
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Romans 6:3,4
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Psalters: |
238, 330, 50, 207 |
Sacrament of Baptism |
- The meaning of union.
- Context (chapter 5) speaks of the two unions in the human race: with Adam and with Christ.
- When Paul compares these two unions, he declares the union in Christ to be the greater (16a, 20b).
- Paul is refuting a false charge by showing that union with Christ means that one is dead to sin and alive to newness of life.
- Our text portrays union with Christ as being “baptized into Jesus Christ.”
- Consider being “into” Jesus.
- Because grace is greater than sin, and Christ than Adam, we are no longer in Adam, but in Christ.
- To be in Christ means that whatever is true of Him is true of all those in Him.
- Union with Christ signifies that two things are true of those in Him.
- First, we are joined with Him “into His death.”
- Jesus’ death was a death “unto sin” (10).
- This is confirmed with: “we are buried with Him” (4a).
- Having died with Christ, death (and sin) no longer reign over us.
- Second, we are joined with Jesus in His resurrection.
- N.B. that Jesus’ resurrection was by means of “the glory of the Father,” i.e., by a manifestation of the Father’s power.
- Jesus’ resurrection meant that the reign and power of sin and death were completely conquered, for His lives!
- “As Christ was…, even so we also (4).
- There are great implications in this.
- “Know ye not?”
- This implies that union with Christ was common knowledge to all Christians.
- Converts are early taught about their former union with Adam and their present union with Christ.
- By saying “so many of us as were baptized into Jesus” means that not all baptized with water were baptized by the Spirit.
- Finally, this implies that we are able to walk in newness of life.
- We are dead to sin and alive unto God because of our union with Jesus.
- Because the power of the resurrection from the dead is alive in us, the rule of sin is destroyed and can never get us again.