Introduction
In virtually all of Christian history, baptism has marked the beginning of the Christian life. Not the completion of it. Not the reward for it. The beginning.
But over time, in many churches, baptism has drifted toward becoming a graduation ceremony — something you do after you've been cleaned up enough to deserve it. Paul would find this baffling. His understanding of baptism is far more radical.
I. The Death (Romans 6:1-4)
Romans 6 begins with a question that shouldn't need asking: 'Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?' Paul finds the question absurd: 'By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?'
Then comes the baptism connection: 'Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?'
Baptism is not a bath. It is a burial. The going under the water represents the death of the old person — the person who was captive to sin, fear, and self. When you go under the water, you are declaring: that person is dead.
Paul assumes his readers understand this. He's not introducing the idea — he's reminding them of what they already did. 'Don't you know?' implies that this was standard teaching given at baptism.
II. The Resurrection (Romans 6:4-6; Colossians 2:12)
But Paul doesn't leave us in the grave. 'We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.'
The coming up out of the water is resurrection language. A new person emerges — one who is 'united with him in a resurrection like his.' The old self was 'crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with.'
Colossians 2:12 puts it plainly: 'buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God.'
This is not metaphor for the sake of poetry. Paul is explaining what actually happened — in the spiritual realm — when you were baptized. A death and a resurrection occurred.
III. The Community (Galatians 3:26-29)
Baptism is also a communal act, not just a personal one. Galatians 3:27-28 is astonishing: 'For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.'
In the ancient world, these divisions were considered natural and permanent. Social stratification was built into the cosmos. Paul says baptism undoes all of it. When you come up out of the water, you enter a community where those categories no longer define you.
This is not a nice sentiment. It is a social revolution. And the church is supposed to be its visible demonstration to the world.
IV. The Pledge (1 Peter 3:21; Acts 2:37-38)
1 Peter 3:21 describes baptism as 'the pledge of a clear conscience toward God' — not the removal of physical dirt but a promise. An oath of loyalty.
Acts 2:37-38: when the crowd was 'cut to the heart' at Pentecost, Peter's answer was 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.' Baptism is connected to the entire package of salvation: repentance, forgiveness, the Spirit.
Appeal
If you are baptized, your baptism was not a graduation. It was a death. And a resurrection. And it still speaks over your life today. The person who was baptized is dead. The person who rose from that water — that is who you are now.
If you have not been baptized, the invitation is not 'clean yourself up first.' It is: 'come and die and be raised.'