From Death to Life

Romans 6:1-14

To understand what Paul is saying about Baptism here in Romans 6 we need to step into Paul’s mind and catch a glimpse of his “big picture” of what God did do, is doing, and will do in, through and as Jesus the Christ.  When we get inside his “big picture” one thought that really sticks out is that in, through, and as Jesus Christ God has changed human existence.  Jesus is the new Man, Christ, as opposed to the old Man, Adam.  As the old humanity flowed forth from Adam so now in Jesus Christ there is a new human existence coming forth.  The difference is that the new human is in union with God in Christ through the Holy Spirit and that changes everything.  In Paul’s thinking God is changing humanity from “in Adam” to “in Christ” and at the Resurrection the change will be complete.

The old humanity, which Paul would call “in Adam” and which Paul names after the Bible’s story of Adam being the first human, is diseased.  We are sick in our minds with a disease called Sin that twists our perception of reality to be grossly self-oriented.  It makes us misunderstand God, ourselves, and each other.  We are unable to perceive God as we should and so we put ourselves and other idols into the place of God and in turn we each do not just bad things, but evil things even when we think we are doing good.  This disease of Sin culminates in Death and though death frees us from the misery of Sin we are especially fearful of Death because it ultimately dethrones us as our own gods.

Because God loves us and is deeply wounded to the core with our addiction to Sin God has acted to heal us.  In, through, and as Jesus Christ, God the Son took upon himself - unioned to himself - the Sin-diseased nature and flesh of the old humanity, “Adam”.  In Jesus God and Sin-diseased humanity became one – two natures, one person.  Just as Jesus touched lepers and took their disease upon himself, God took the disease of Sin into himself so that we will be healed.  Jesus then lived the faithful life that we are unable to live though tempted in every way as we are.  He then died the death that is the consequence of sin.  Then God the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead with a human body, indeed created matter, that is now healed from sin and that will not die - voila, the first born of new humanity which Paul calls “in Christ”.  In the wake of Easter God has poured the Holy Spirit upon the followers of Jesus, opening our eyes so that we see, experience, and understand the nature of God rightly as he has revealed himself in Jesus as unconditional, self-giving, redeeming, healing Love.  The Holy Spirit is at work in us healing our Sin-diseased nature making us to desire to be more Christ-like, making us to desire to live the faithful life.  Then in the end when the Day comes, God will raise us from the dead as well.  All creation will be healed of the futility it now suffers.

  Baptism fits into this “Big Picture” of Paul’s as the moment a person has for certain passed from the Old Humanity into the New Humanity in Christ Jesus.  Baptism is a mysterious participation in Jesus own death and resurrection with the result that the person baptized is dead to sin and alive to God in Christ.  The person being baptized is in essence being put to death and raised to new life in Christ. 

Understanding Baptism in Paul’s way is probably a bit out there for most us.  Most of us have probably just been taught that Baptism is simply a ritual Christians do to say they and their children are Christians.  And, being Christian is simply a way of living where we clean up our acts and try not to do anything wrong so that we can stay on God’s good side. 

But, that’s not what Paul says Baptism is!

Baptism is incorporation into a new humanity – a new humanity that God brought into being when Jesus was conceived in his mother’s womb by the power of the Holy Spirit and brought to its completion with Jesus’ resurrection in the power of the Holy Spirit.  This new humanity is now at work in us “in Christ” by the presence and work of the Holy Spirit who is in us freeing us from our enslavement to Sin and Death as we go about walking in the Way of Jesus.

Baptism is our participating in the death and resurrection of Jesus.  With respect to that Paul writes, “You must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”  Elsewhere he writes, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I now live in the body, I live by the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:19-20).  For us, this basically means we are dead.  We no longer have claim to ourselves to do what we want to do with the lives we still live.  Rather, we must live as disciples of Jesus in prayerful discernment of what Christ Jesus is doing in and through us in the power of the Holy Spirit.  We cannot seek conformity to the world but rather we must yield to the Spirit’s transformative power at work renewing our aims and ambitions to reflect the new life in Christ.

Today we baptize two babies.  If we are to take Paul seriously, they are dying and rising with Christ.  They belong to him.  There lives will never be their own.  They belong to Jesus Christ who loves them and gave his life for them.  This has profound implications for parenting.  This means that parenting isn’t just parenting.  It’s discipling.  Parenting is discipling.  We must teach these children the ways of Jesus that they may be living witnesses to the new life that is in him.    When they get ideas of whom they want to grow up and be like, we have to point them to Jesus.  We must help them to understand that the Holy Spirit is with them – they are never alone – and that the Holy Spirit is at work in them making them more like Jesus.  We must teach them how to listen for him and sense the Holy Spirit’s moving and prodding.  Most importantly, we have to constantly assure these children that they are beloved children of God and that God loves them as much as he does Jesus, the only-begotten Son. 

Baptism is not simply the first rite of passage in life marking entrance into this world.  Christian parenting is not simply exposing our children to Christian beliefs and ways in hope that they will grow up and one day chose to be a Christian.  Baptism is like citizenship.  My children were born in Canada.  We filled out the paperwork to get them legally recognized as to enjoy the benefits of being Canadian citizens.  We raise them not only to abide by the laws of the land but also to be Canadian.  Likewise, my children were born into a Jesus-following family, into a “new humanity” family, into an “in Christ” family.  We had them baptized in recognition of what they are, of what we are, “new humanity in Christ”.  They, as are we, as is Jesus, are beloved children of God the Father.  They belong to him.  We are entrusted to raise them to abide in Jesus and live according to his commandment that we love as he has loved us and laid down his life for us.  With the help of the Holy Spirit, we raise them to be followers of Jesus who are becoming like Jesus. 
S___, Ch____, K___, D____; your children are “in Christ” and belong to Jesus because you are “in Christ” and belong to Jesus.  Today we acknowledge this reality.  God loves your children as one of his own.  May the Holy Spirit guide you as you raise them up “in Christ”.  We are here to help in any way we can.  Amen.