Romans
6:3-4 “3 Know
ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized
into his death? 4 Therefore
we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up
from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in
newness of life.”
This week’s Epistle deals with
some very important issues. It speaks of
one of the chief sacraments of the Christian Church, and it speaks of the
necessity of endurance in the Christian life.
Baptism is an area of great
discussion in the Christian church.
Great differences exist in its understanding, sacramental nature, and
application. Since the Protestant Reformation, these discussions have
continued, and probably will until Christ returns.
What is baptism? It depends what branch of the Church from
which you come. Sacramental bodies, like
Anglicans, Romans, and the Orthodox, believe it is a true sacrament, instituted
by Jesus Christ Himself. It was not the
baptism of John, which was primarily one of repentance for the coming
judgment. Christian baptism is a
sacramental entrance into the Christian life.
It supercedes the covenant of circumcision under Abraham and is the
entrance rite of Christianity. In the Anglican view, Baptism allows the
recipient to receive the blessings of the New Covenant in Christ. Salvation is not guaranteed by baptism, yet
one cannot be saved without it. With this understanding, we baptize infants,
accepting their sponsors’ commitment for their training in the Christian
faith. We later hear the child’s verbal
commitment to follow Jesus in the rite of Confirmation.
What then, does baptism
do? Once again, it depends which branch
of the Church you call home. We
Anglicans, along with the Roman and Eastern Communions, believe that there is a
mystical washing away of sin. Whose
sin? Our first parents’ sin, Adam and
Eve. Original sin is washed away and the
subject becomes fit for the promises of Christ. During the rite of Baptism, we
pray the Holy Spirit be given, that sin be removed, and that everlasting life
be granted through Christ. All things noted, it is an amazing rite.
After St. Paul addresses baptism, the second
point of this lesson concerns the necessity of continuance in the Christian life. We are told: (Romans
6:6): “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be
destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”
Note here that St. Paul does
not say that we will not sin after baptism. That is a fond hope, vainly
imagined. We all sin, every day. Anyone
who says differently is sadly mistaken.
Yet, the word used here is “douleo”, coming from the Greek “doulos”, or
slave. Thus, we are not to serve sin, in
the sense that the slave serves his master. We are not to give ourselves over
to sin, or as Strong says, “to become slaves to some base power.”[i] Instead, we are to
consider ourselves dead to sin. It is no
longer our master, although for all Christians, it rears its ugly head from
time to time. Does that mean we ‘serve’ sin? No.
It means that sin achieves a
momentary victory over us from time to time.
This victory is shortlived, however.
Once we recognize our sin and ask the Father for forgiveness through
Christ, this victory becomes defeat for the mystery of iniquity. Whatever impulse, prompted by whatever
spirit, is defeated.
Thus, take heart, Christians….yes,
we all sin; but it is not our native state anymore. Instead, we “…reckon ye also
yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ
our Lord.”
We have discussions with many
people who are confused about Christianity and the Church. Some people think that they must be perfect
to be a Christian. Would God that were
so! Yet, how impossible it is. Some people stay away from the Church, either
because of a sense of their own unworthiness, or because of the rampant
hypocrisy so easily engendered by a mindset of pretended perfection. Let us all
admit it. We are not perfect. We never will be, except in the final perfection
of our natures in Heaven. Yet, with
recognition of our condition and frequent confession to Christ, we can be
better, much better.
Our job is to love Christ with
all our hearts, minds, and souls. Our job is to love our neighbor as ourselves.
We also strive daily against sin, knowing that we cannot avoid it completely,
but we can avoid serving it.
With this attitude, we can
maintain our sanity, and our growth in holiness, day by day.
In the Name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
AMEN.
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