Death and Life / Romans 6:1-11 / Rev. Lowell Dennis, Emeritus / Sunday January 12th 2025 / Baptism of Our Lord / Mount Olive Lutheran Church

"Baptism: Death and Life"
Romans 6:1-11 [Epistle] - Three-Year Cycle - Series C
The Baptism Of Our Lord
January 12, 2025

IN NOMI JESUI

Dear Saints,

There are many things that we share in common with other Christians.
Depending on the denominations - most recognize the Trinity. Most
believe the Bible is, at least in some sense, God's Word. Most still
believe in heaven, some still believe in hell. And many would share our
beliefs about creation, Jesus' birth to a virgin, and His resurrection.

But one of the doctrines of Scripture that seems to be a real dividing
line for many Christians, a real watershed, if you'll pardon the pun, is
Holy Baptism. Just what is it, and what does it do? What does it mean?

For starters, we deny the idea that Baptism is merely symbolic. That it
is an empty and outward act which simply recognizes or signifies some
spiritual change within us. Scripture never speaks of it this way, but
rather, always talks of Baptism as actually DOING something. you just
have to look at the verbs. In addition, close attention to the language
shows us that Baptism is not something that we do, a human act or
work - but rather, it is something that we receive - a gift from God.
Look at the passive language about "being baptized" not, "baptizing
yourself '. And if Baptism is a gin from God, that means that babes, too,
can receive it.

On this day in which we honor and recall the Baptism Of Our Lord, we
also have one of the most important Epistle passages about Baptism
from St. Paul - in Romans 6. Let us focus on Paul's explanation of

Baptism today as sort of a sideways treatment of Jesus' baptism in the
Jordan.

Anytime you have a statement like, "therefore", or "in light of this", or
"what shall we say, then?", you should ask what the author was talking
about right before this passage - the near context. And to answer, in
the first 5 chapters, Paul has been discussing first our predicament of
sin, and then the righteousness of God that comes through faith, apart
from the Law. He shows how we are freed from the law, or by trying to
be righteous according to the law. It's the very Gospel itself - salvation
is by grace through faith in Christ, and not in any works of our own.

But such a pure and free no-strings-attached gospel has led many to
the question, "well, then can I just go on sinning? If salvation is free, if
I don't have to DO anything to get to heaven or be in God's good graces,
then I can do what I want, right? I can sin and not worry about it?!" and
so some have even accused us Lutherans of teaching. But Paul makes it
clear that the Christian response to the Gospel is not to on sinning that
grace may abound. And he proves his point with Baptism.

You have died to sin. You've been baptized into Christ Jesus, and that
means that you are baptized into His death. You are not the same as
you once were. Something is different about you, Christian, something
big.

One of the most important details about someone is whether they are
alive or not. We just had another New Year's observance, and one of
the lists you often see about this time is all the famous people that have
died in the year just passed. It's one thing with celebrities, but quite
another with people in your life, your loved ones. Their life and death
maNers much more to us. Nothing changes your life quite as much as
when a child is born into the family, or when a loved one dies and is no

longer with you. Birth and death are firm markers, bright lines in the
course of time, turning points beyond which nothing is quite the same.

So too with Baptism. It' s a life and death matter. Dead to sin, but very
much alive in Christ.Cf course, it is only seen spiritual, for now. You
can't tell, outwardly, if a person is baptized. You can't see it like a mark
on their forehead or a tattoo on their arm. But the name of God is upon
you. The seal of God is upon your forehead. You are marked and
redeemed by Christ the crucified. You know it, and more importantly,
God knows it.

And so, according to the Spirit, you have already died and been made
alive in Christ, you've been drowned and resurreaed. And since this is
a spiritual reality, it didn't only happen then, it happens every day. Our
catechism puts it this way: 

What does such baptizing with water indicate?

It indicates that the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and
repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a
new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in
righteousness and purity forever.

Where is this written?

Saint Paul writes in Romans chapter six: "We were therefore buried with
Him (Christ) 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. " Romans 6:4

The other aspect of Baptism that Paul highlights here, is our being
united with Christ. Here's how Christ' s baptism and our own are sort of
two sides of a coin.

In our baptism, we are united with Christ. We get what Christ gets. We
get His death, but also His life. Our Old Adam is drowned, and our New
Adam arises - and that New Adam is the one who is united with Christ,
the Second Adam. Just as Jesus is without sin, we are cleansed of sin.
Just as He is righteous, so we are made righteous. What God says of
Jesus, He now says of you, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well
pleased".

We are so united with Christ that elsewhere Paul speaks of Baptism as
being "clothed" with Christ, and so also where Jesus goes, we go, not
just to death, but to life. Therefore even the grave has no hold over us,
for it didn't over Jesus. He rose on the third day, and we will rise, bodily,
on the Last Day. In so many ways Baptism uniteus with Christ,
identifies us with Him, as one of His people, even the very body of
Christ, the church.

But in Jesus' baptism we see the other side of the coin. In Jesus'
baptism His united with us. He identifies with us. John was right, in a
way, to balk when Jesus came to him to be baptized. He said, "wait a
minute, Jesus. Pm the one who needs to be baptized by youi You don't
need any cleansing. You don't need any washing away of Your sins -
you don't have any| You're the Lamb of God, spotless and blameless.
you take away the sins of the world. What are You doing here, asking
to be baptized? This is all backwards."

And in a way, Jesus acknowledges this, by saying, "/et it be so, now..."
as if to say, "Normally, John, you'd be exaaly right, but now, just this
one time, let it be so - for there is a special purpose here - to fulfill all
righteousness". You see, by submitting to baptism, Jesus was uniting
Himself with us sinners, in order to save us sinners. He was initiating
the great exchange - giving us what He has - His righteousness - and
taking what we had - our sin, our guilt, and eventually, our death. "For

our soke He mode Him to be sin who knew no sin, so thot in Him we might
become the righteousness of God. " 2 Corinth!ons 5:21

Of course, Jesus would complete this process at the cross. There He
would, in His body, put to death all sin. There, He would, by His death,
literally take our place. And then, by His resurrection, burst open the
grave not just for Himself, but for all of us who have been united with
Him, He, with us, in His baptism, we, with Him, in ours.

And so Paul winds up by exhorting us: "So you olso must consider
yourselves deod to sin ond olive to God in Christ Jesus. " Just as we can't
see our Baptism, but trust in its power and promise, so also we must
consider what we can't see to be true: we are dead to sin. Sin has no
power over us. We are slaves no more. We have, by the power of the
Holy Spirit,E ability to fight temptation, to flee from wickedness, and
begin to live a life worthy of our calling. The paradoxical mystery is that
we will fall and fail, but the comfort of the cross of Christ is always at
hand to restore us. For even as we consider and regard ourselves as
dead to sin, we must also trust that we are, even now, alive to God in
Christ Jesus.

The Christian life is different. It is as different as life and death. It Is a
life lived in the daily flood of baptismal blessings that flow from Christ
and His cross. It is for young and old, rich and poor, slave and free, and
for sinners of all nations. All who are subject to death and the tyranny
of the Old Adam.

And when this body of sin is finally placed in the ground, when our flesh
and breath give up the ghost, then we will see the full measure of our
Baptism's power, when Christ returns to raise the dead and bring His
people to eternal glory. Then, and there, death will finally and fully be
undone. There and then, we will know only life, united with Christ
forever.

Baptism is death - and life - Thanks be to God. tn Jesus' name. Amen.

And now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding,
guard and keep your hearts and minds in Christ our Savior - now and
always. AMEN.

Sermon preached at Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Regina, SK
Sunday, January 12, 2025 Rev. Lowell Dennis, Emeritus

Photo Credit: Main Photo from Baptismal Fount Provided by Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Photo by Rev. Jason Schultz.