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Relitigating Baptism, Part 2: Romans 6:1-7, a Transitional Point

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Relitigating Baptism, Part 2: Romans 6:1-7, a Transitional Point Douglas A. Phillips PhD Candidate at Asbury Theological Seminary Professor of NT and Greek at SLCC Chair of the Biblical Division Relitigating Baptism, Part 2: Romans 6:1-7, A Transitional Point Life is full of transitions. At the age of 16, a person transitions from a pedestrian life to an automotive life. The ages of 18 and 21 also mark transitional experiences. There are also experiential transitions in life: marriage, childbirth, grandparenting, and more. Life is certainly transitional. There are vocational transitions also. For example, people move from one job to another job or from one ministry to another ministry. Furthermore, there is the spiritual transition from non-Christian status to a full member of the household of God. When does this happen and what marks the point of transition? The question of transition is what I want to address in this essay. The Apostle Paul addresses transition when he explains the conversional significance of baptism in one’s life. Please take a moment and read Romans 6:1-7. First, let me explain the extended context. Paul explains the human dilemma as a result of Adam’s disobedience in chapter 5. However, he also explicates the ministry of Jesus as a means of countering the effects of Adam. Simply, Adam brought a curse upon creation and mankind, and Jesus reversed the curse. We also discover that Adam brought condemnation and death, but Jesus brought righteousness1 and life. Furthermore, Paul is never brief because his scriptural acumen is extraordinary, and his theological training, from his Pharisaic education and increased understanding from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has forged a remarkable mind for God.2 Chapter 5 teaches that Jesus brought freedom from condemnation and death; however, liberty from the destructiveness of sin is also needed. Chapter 7 explains how life under the guidance of the Law (OT Torah) cannot provide the empowerment to overcome sin. Our rescue from this dilemma can only happen through Jesus, as Paul exhorts. Life under the direction of the Holy Spirit is the main idea of Romans 8:1-17. This is our extended context: chapter 5 teaches freedom from condemnation and death; chapter 7 teaches freedom from the Law; and chapter 8 teaches about freedom to live by the Holy Spirit. Chapter 6, which I intentionally bypassed above, teaches freedom from the guilt of sin. How does this happen? Let’s look at Roman 6 carefully and follow Paul’s argumentation. As I noted in the first essay on the instruction of baptism from Acts 2:37-39, identification of the literary type (genre) of one’s text for study is crucial. Romans is a much different type of writing than a historical account (e.g., the Gospels and Acts). The Apostle Paul’s letters are situational and not theologically exhaustive. Paul does not attempt to provide a 1 The Greek word dikaiosuvnh (pron. in Koine Era Greek as dikeōsunā) and its nominal and verbal cognates denote “right standing” with God. It is a legal term in secular Greek and conveys a similar sense in NT contexts. However, a Christian conveyance does not relate to secular legalities but to God’s moral directives, which have become neglected from the catastrophic choice of Adam. 2 The Apostle Paul was an apostle of apostles. He was a highly educated individual, most likely reaching the highest eschelon of educational training in the 1st c. CE. Being fully literate (which was uncommon to most), Paul had capabilities beyond the other apostles. Furthermore, his rhetorical writings exemplify an educational achievement of the highest levels. Having written thirteen letters in the NT, Paul made a contribution to Christianity that has not been equaled by any other fully human person. Jesus, being fully divine and human, obviously exceeds Paul’s contributions, but Christianity, without Paul, would be lacking. Let me clarify: Jesus, the Incarnate, made Christianity accessible, and Paul, the apostle, made it understandable. theological magnum opus when he writes, though the letter of Ephesians is Paul’s finest exposition on theological matters; however, Ephesians lacks eschatological instruction that one finds in 1 Thessalonians 4 or 1 Corinthians 15. Regardless, an overarching methodology for any of Paul’s letters is to view large sections of texts at a time. As Dr. Robert Lowery3 reminded us continually, “Think about paragraphs, and not verses, when reading Paul’s letters.” His advice is pertinent for us in Romans 6 also. For example, Romans 5:20-21 prompts Paul’s wording in 6:1- 7. His concern in the former is to explain the victorious gift of salvation (grace4) through Christ, which obliterates the detrimental effect of Adam’s disobedience. Paul further explains that the Law (Torah) increases awareness to sin; however, the Law is unable to empower people to overcome sin. There needs to be a release from sin’s persuasive corruption in our lives, and Paul explains how the release happens through watery death and resurrection, i.e. baptism. Before we move on to a closer examination of chapter 6, let me give you some helpful advice when you read Paul’s letters. All of his letters are exhortative to some degree, with some more than others. For example, in the letter of Galatians, Paul spends two chapters defending himself against Jewish antagonists and only begins to exhort in chapters 3, 4, 5, and (the beginning of) 6. This is much different than Romans, which is exhortation from the midway point of chapter 1 to the end of chapter 15. Because Paul’s letters exhort (some more than others) we need to pay close attention to verbs in Paul’s writings. Is he commanding someone? Is he indicating action that is more fitting for a Christian? Does he present hypothetical situations (conditional statements or purpose/result statements)? Sometimes it takes Paul awhile to get to his point. Therefore, read slowly and analytically. It is always better to read through Paul’s material several times. My approach will be literary analysis, which is a careful study of the wording. Therefore, I will be viewing sentences and how these sentences build to make a point. First, there is a clear break at 6:1. The asking of questions marks a transition, but Paul is not veering far from his earlier discussion of sin at the end of chapter 5. However, he will build upon the problem of the Law and sin. He wants to make certain no one misunderstands that he endorses an irresponsible life of sin. However, under our own power, people are incapable of overcoming sin; something (or better someone) needs to provide the power to free us from the clammy clutch of sin. There is another reason for Paul beginning this discourse with questions, and it involves communicative intent. The purpose is to slow down the transmission of information and to pull the audience back into the discussion. People tend to drift in lengthy transmissions of information; therefore, questions pull them back from their mental doldrum and reengage their mental processes. Most likely, the speaker would pause after asking the question in order to let the audience reignite the cognitive processes. This is important because what follows is vital, and the speaker wants the audience to be attentive. Let me illustrate below. “What shall we say then? Should we continue in sin? … (pause) No, never! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? … (pause) 3 Bob Lowery served as NT Professor and Dean of Seminary at Lincoln Christian Seminary. 4 The Greek word cavriV, which English translations render as “grace,” basically means “gift.” The term grace has become a dubious term in Christianity. Some convey grace as continual forgiveness enacted upon a Christian without any regard to confession. In some degree, this is true, but it is also stretching its conveyance beyond its normal usage. Christian usage of the word cavriV, in an ancient culture, does have a specialized nuance beyond normal secular usage, which simply conveys the notion of a gift. For the Christian community, cavriV connotes the “gift of salvation,” which happens through Jesus. To hold to a continual act of forgiveness as the meaning of cavriV negates the ministry of the Holy Spirit in one’s life, which is a ministry of conviction and sanctification. For an informative read on “grace,” see John M. G. Barclay, Paul and The Gift (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2015). 2 The answers to these questions are obvious to the audience in regard to sin because Paul has led them to an expected resolution. In regard to sin, Christians should not remain in that bondage, right? And the audience agrees because Paul has led them to agreement: “Should we continue in sin. No, we should not.” However, Paul has not explained the means of release from the clutches of sin yet. Now Paul has revived the attention of his audience, and he can move forward with his argumentation. Verse 3 is an interesting grammatical construction that emphasizes baptism. Paul presents an elegant concentric pattern. A concentric pattern presents repetitive elements, with the first piece of information and the last piece of information being the most significant. The information in the midst of the concentric pattern serves to augment the beginning and closing claim.5 The illustration below will show the construction. “Or do you not know that (a leading statement) All the ones who were baptized (an indicative claim stating a fact) into Christ Jesus (a qualifying statement about the means of baptism) into His death (repetition of the above qualifying statement) were baptized (repetition of the first indicative claim) The bracket marks the most important information, and it is repeated for emphasis.
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