Romans 6 – Baptism: Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

Big Picture

Romans 1:18 – 5:11

Romans 1:18 – 3:20
- Men sinful acts
Romans 3:21 – 5:11
- Justification by faith in Jesus Christ
- Christ’s blood covers our sins
- Believers are credited as righteous

Romans 5:12 – 8:39

Romans 5:12 – 5:21
- Sinful nature
- Sin entered the world through Adam
- God’s grace came by Jesus
Romans 6 – 8:39
- Santification
  - Romans 6

It is an outward symbol of an inward experience
Baptism pictures the reality – transformation of a person when he believes
Baptism alone does not save us from sins, we must believe and repent
When a believer is baptized, he is baptized into Jesus death, he is buried with Jesus, and resurrected with Jesus (v3-v4)
Full water immersion (Act 8:36-39) vs. sprinkling
We baptize because we obey Jesus’s command (Matt 28:19)

God’s way of dealing with our sinful nature

God sent Jesus to dead for our sins. Jesus’s blood covers our sins, if we believe, we are credited as righteous, our sins are forgiven.
However, because sinful nature is in us, believers will continue to sin even after believing in Jesus Christ
God’s salvation plan is a complete plan, He has not only saved from our sins, He has also given us the solution to live a holy life – sanctification
God sets us free from the dominion of sin, not by strengthening our old self (man), but by crucifying him. (v6)
We used to be slaves of sin. We had no freedom. When we believe in Jesus, our old self has died with Him, we have been freed from sin (v7)
Just as Jesus has resurrected and live forever (Rev 1:18),we’ve also resurrected with Christ so we can live a new life (v4). We are new creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:17). We were born again.

Know our old self has die (v6)
- Although when we believe in Jesus, our old self has die, however if we do not know it, it has no effect in our life
Believe we are resurrected and live with Christ (v8)
Count (consider, reckon) yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus (v11)
- Let our knowledge becomes reality in our daily life
Offer (Present) yourselves to God (v13)
- offer our body as instruments of rightenousness to God, to be used for His kingdom

We are slaves to the one whom we obey (v16)
Before we were saved, we were slaves to sin, free from righteousness (v20), which leads to death (Spiritually, physically, eternally) (v16, v21)
After we were saved, we were slaves to righteousness (v18) and slaves to God (v22), free from sin (v18), which leads holiness (santification) and eternal life (v22)
The new life of believers is a life of submission and obedience to God