Five Reasons For Holy Living

by J. E. Todd (England)

4. BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN BAPTISED

As the apostle Paul describes the way of salvation in the first five chapters of Romans the subject of baptism is not even mentioned. But when we come to chapter six, where the subject of holy living begins, Paul assumes that his Christian readers have been baptised. This shows that baptism is not necessary for salvation, however it is necessary for a full compliance with the Lord’s teaching. ‘Baptising them … Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you,’ Matt.28.19-20. The New Testament consistently teaches believers' baptism by immersion.

Why be baptised? Why did the Lord teach baptism? Baptism has a twofold purpose. First, the symbolism of baptism teaches vital spiritual truths, which need to be learned and practised if the believer is to live a holy life. Second, baptism gives to the believer an opportunity to publicly testify that he or she has learned these truths and intends to practise them. Baptism is for both teaching and testimony.

By the lowering of the body completely in water, the symbolism of baptism portrays a death and a burial. Then the raising up from the water symbolises a resurrection to live a new life. ‘Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptised into Jesus Christ were baptised into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life,’ Rom.6.3-4.

In the epistles of the New Testament reference is made to the ‘old man,’ Rom.6.6, Eph.4.22. The ‘old man’ speaks of the Christian before conversion, when ‘the flesh,’ that is sinful human nature, controlled his or her life. This resulted in the works of ‘the flesh,’ such as ‘enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness,’ Gal.5.19-20, R.S.V. That old order of life, condemned by God, died at the cross when Christ died in the place of the believing sinner. Hence the symbolic death and burial of the “old man’ in the act of baptism. Now a new order has replaced the old order. The believer is raised to a new life. The risen Christ now shares His life with the believer by the gift of the Holy Spirit. The ‘new man’ is ideally the life being ruled by the Spirit. This life reveals itself by the fruit of the Spirit. ‘Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control,’ Gal.5.22-23, R.S.V.

The second reason for baptism is that not only does it symbolise the death and burial of the ‘old man’ and the resurrection of the ‘new man,’ it also allows the believer the opportunity to publicly declare that he or she knows these truths and accepts them and intends by the Lord’s help, to practise them. A solemn undertaking. In fact it is a public declaration that the person being baptised intends to live a holy life.

This is to be achieved in three steps as outlined in Rom.6. The first step is something that we need to know. ‘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,’ v6. We need to understand in our minds the new situation. That our ‘old man,’ that is the former person controlled by ‘the flesh’ (our fallen human nature), this person has died with Christ. ‘I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live: yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of (i.e. ‘in’) the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me,’ Gal.2.20. But how can we have been crucified with Christ when 2000 years have elapsed since the event? From God’s point of view, as a believer, Christ died for my sins, He died the death due to me as a condemned sinner. Therefore our old person has died from God’s point of view, this must now become our point of view. This is what we must know. Therefore our bodies once the instrument through which sin expressed itself, ‘Your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin,’ v13, now sin’s power to use our bodies has been destroyed, we need no longer serve sin, ‘That the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin,’ v6.

When we understand this in our minds, then our will must reckon it to be true in practice. ‘Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord, v11. We must reckon that we are dead to sin in every decision we make. This is the burial with Christ. But also through the Lord Jesus Christ, who makes us spiritually alive by His gift of the Holy Spirit, we must reckon ourselves as alive to God. That is to be aware that we live in the presence of God, that we walk with God. This is our resurrection with Christ.

But finally we must yield ourselves to these truths in our daily actions. ‘Yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God,’ v13. This is walking by faith, ‘For we walk by faith, not by sight,’ 2Cor.5.7. This is to trust that in every decision we make, every word we speak and every action we perform the Holy Spirit will give us the ability to do what is right, despite all the opposing circumstances. ‘That ye may know … what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His great might,’ Eph. 1.18-19.

In short, baptism is a symbol of holy living. The old life of sin is dead and buried with Christ, His death is our death. The new life, empowered by the Holy Spirit is NOW being lived. That new life is a holy life.

We remember the Lord weekly in the breaking of bread. We must remember Him daily that we have been baptised in Him to die to sin and live a holy life. ‘If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily (dying to sin), and follow Me (holy living), Lk.9.23.

—to be continued (D.V.)