Allow me to wade into a very controversial topic and just say a few words about it, before running for cover. Over the centuries, the mode of baptism has been a very, very hot topic among Christians. There have been disputes over this issue, church splits, friendship splits, denominational splits, and even deaths, whereby those who called themselves Christians literally killed other Christians largely because of a dispute over the mode of baptism – sprinkling or dunking, infant baptism or believer’s baptism. (Look up Anabaptist martyrs for more on that.)  I’m a baptist preacher, and I believe passionately in believer’s baptism by immersion, so let me say that first of all. That said, I’d be happy to be in the same church with Presbyterians like Tim Keller, Frank Barker (my former pastor) Kevin DeYoung, and others who hold tightly to the Word of God. The fact is, that people can make a biblical case for infant baptism, which I don’t agree with, and for baptism by sprinkling, which I don’t agree with either – but a biblical case can be made for both of those things…especially in regards to mode of baptism, because we honestly don’t see clear and unquestionable commands on exactly HOW to baptize people. The word itself seems to have a meaning of immersion/dipping to it, so there is that, as well as Scriptures like we see today in our passage:

⁴ Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4 

This is NOT a passage on the mode of baptism, but it does seem like baptism symbolizing our death with Christ makes a good bit more sense if we are laid down into the water, then picked back up, then it does by some sort of sprinkling. That said, and I realize this is a pretty radical statement coming from a committed Baptist, I think if the exact mode of baptism was supremely important, then the Word of God would be abundantly clear on exactly how people should be baptized. (Note: I am not here saying that mode of baptism is UNimportant, just that is is not of supreme importance, based on how the Bible addresses the issue.)

On to a deeper discussion. In today’s passage, we will see death mentioned a LOT for such a short passage. In English, at least, the word ‘die’ appears six times, and the word ‘death’ appears 8 times, and the word ‘dead’ appears 4 times. Most of this is in the first half of the passage, a passage dense with death, but, paradoxically, showing us that the doorway to TRUE and ETERNAL life is through death with Jesus. Consider these verses:

⁴ Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. ⁵ For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection. ⁶ For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, ⁷ since a person who has died is freed from sin. ⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him, ⁹ because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over him. ¹⁰ For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God. ¹¹ So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:4-11

What’s with all this death – why must we die with Christ if He has already died for us? Consider vs. 6 – the death being discussed here is not exactly metaphorical, but Paul isn’t talking about physical death either. He is talking about a very real and SPIRITUAL death of our old self – our old flesh – our old sin nature. Upon conversion, we reckon that old self as dead. The desires of that old self may kick and thrash about and resist death, but when we are saved, the death sentence is passed on the old man, and he must go away. Let’s hear some wisdom on this from Charles Spurgeon, and close out with that: