Thoughts on Baptism

WHERE moral relations exist, law must exist. To destroy one is to destroy the other. The declaration is no more scriptural than it is reasonable, that "sin is not imputed when there is no law;" for "where no law is, there is no transgression." Rom. 4:15. But sin was imputed on the day of Pentecost, and without this, baptism would have been a nullity. Therefore the law then existed; by it they were condemned as transgressors.

If, then, "by the law is the knowledge of sin," as the apostle says, we are proved to be sinners as long as we continue to transgress the law. He who fails to do the will of the Father, has no interest in the kingdom of Heaven, no matter how earnestly he calls Jesus Lord. Character is determined by relation to law, and not by profession. The transgressor of the law is a sinner, whether he is in or out of a church. And this brings us to the subject introduced in Rom. 6. He who is a transgressor of the law, no matter what his profession may be, is living in sin, and he has no reason to show why he should be buried in baptism.

The condition or relation here brought to view is indispensable to Christian life; for no one can rise to walk in newness of life if the old life of sin still continues. "If we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection." Being planted in the likeness of his death can have respect only to the form and order of our burial with him, or our baptism into his death. "Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures; . . . he was buried, and rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures." 1 Cor. 15:3, 4. These are the facts as they occurred, and they present the pattern of duty in the gospel: 1. Die to sin; 2. Be buried in baptism; 3. Rise to walk in newness of life. This is "the likeness of his resurrection;" for "in that he died, he died unto sin once; but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." Rom. 6:10, 11.

The same idea runs through the illustration and its application in Rom. 7. The woman is bound by the law to her husband as long as her husband liveth. "So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress." Her relation to the law, must be changed to enable her to marry another; and this change is effected by death. But death does not change the law: it changes her relation to the law. The law remains to convince of sin, the same as before. The application he makes thus: "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to Him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God."

The whole connection shows that becoming "dead to the law," is to become dead to the transgression of the law; the same as "dead to sin." The law holds us under condemnation as sinners, and the wages of sin is death. Where sin is found, death must ensue. And the law in justice presses its demand until the penalty is inflicted. Christ so honored the claims of the law in respect to its penalty that we are now permitted to die with him, be buried with him, and be raised with him, Rom. 6:8, 4; Col. 2:12, and so avert the penalty in the future—the second death. An option is thus afforded us of dying to sin or dying for sin. By dying to sin, our relation to the law is so changed, through Christ, that we shall escape the curse which the law inflicts on the sinner. For "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law." Gal. 3:13. He does not redeem us from the obligation, but from the curse. In this sense we "are delivered from the law;" delivered from its condemnation, or curse.

It has been unjustly inferred from the conjunction of the two expressions, "dead to sin " and "dead to the law," that sin and the law are equivalents. No excuse can be admitted for this inference, for no one can accept this conclusion who takes the pains to read the chapter; for the apostle expressly denies it. "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid." The law is not sin: so far from it, that it condemns sin; it forbids and makes known sin. "I had not known sin but by the law; for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet." That is, he had not known the nature of his propensities or desires if the law had not enlightened him. "By the law is the knowledge of sin."

It is sin that brings the curse of the law upon us. We must not blame the law if we find ourselves under its condemnation. Our complaint must fall upon ourselves. Had we not arrayed ourselves against the law in transgression, it would not be against us to condemn us. Sin is the cause of our trouble, and not the law. "For sin," said the apostle, "taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me." It is true the law—and it only—convinces of sin. "For I was alive without the law once; but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died." This is a record of an important part of his experience. His being alive without the law refers to that part of his life wherein he thought he was doing God service in persecuting the church of Christ. John 16:2. His conscience was not awakened, because his mind was in darkness; he did it ignorantly in unbelief. 1 Tim. 1:13. "When the commandment came"—when he was enlightened by the law of God—"sin revived;" he found himself to be a murderer instead of a servant of God; he stood condemned, and as the only alternative, "I died"—died to sin; ceased to fight against God, and found a refuge and a remedy in the blood of the cross of Christ. The commandment was never given to condemn and slay people; it "was ordained unto life;" it was given in love, to form our characters aright, and thus to fit us to enjoy the favor and presence of God. Only when sin enters, is it "found to be unto death."

Paul, using the first person, reckons himself among those who were buried with Christ. And when was he buried? Of course, when the commandment came and he died. When else should he have been buried? And when should we be buried? It becomes a very important matter for us to determine whether we have died to sin; whether we have been planted in the likeness of the Saviour's death.

We have said there is no higher morality than that contained in the law of God. The apostle confirms this, saying, "For we know that the law is spiritual." Rom. 7:14. And if the law is spiritual, then obedience to the law is spiritual worship. Some affect to think that it evinces a lack of spirituality to keep the law; that it is mere carnality; or, as before noticed, they say it frustrates grace and dishonors Christ and his gospel. We have seen that Paul gave a very decided negative to the idea that we may transgress the law that grace may abound; and again we find him declaring that the law is spiritual. This ought to silence every cavil against a law which is holy, just, and good. But Paul goes farther: he not only vindicates the law from the charge of carnality, but he turns the charge pointedly against its originators. He says, "The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Rom. 8:7. The carnal mind—literally, the minding of the flesh, or walking after the flesh—is the opposite of obedience to the law, and so it must be, as "the law is spiritual;" for spirituality and carnality cannot agree. And the high morality of the law is further shown by Paul in stating the object of the gospel: "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."' Rom. 8:4.

The gospel is remedial. It is a cure for sin, or for the transgression of the law. Had there been no sin, there would have been no gospel; it would not have been needed. Then the righteousness of the law would have been fulfilled in every soul of man, for all would have lived in perfect obedience. It was "to put away sin" that Jesus came; to restore fallen man to obedience to the Heavenly Father. This is accomplished only in the obedient believer in Jesus; who accepts him as his sacrifice "for the remission of sins that are past," and is "reconciled to God by the death of his Son;" who "keeps the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Rom. 5:10; Rev. 14:12. In such, and in such only, is the righteousness of the law fulfilled and the carnal mind subdued.

One point in the apostle's argument in Rom. 7 remains to be noticed. The woman's relation to the law must be changed by death before she can be married to another without being called an adulteress. "My brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to Him who is raised from the dead." This is a plain declaration that he who seeks such a union with Christ before death has changed his relation to the law—before he has died to sin—is guilty of spiritual adultery. And as baptism is the rite whereby we signify our union with Christ ("as many of you have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ." Gal. 3:27), this rite is illegally performed if there is such an impediment to the marriage as is spoken of in Rom. 7:1-4. And thus we find in this illustration a strong proof of the view introduced in Rom. 6, that death to the transgression of the law must precede burial in baptism. Death to the law—to its condemnation for sin—must take place before we can be united to Christ; for Christ cannot be joined to the "body of sin."

We think we hazard nothing in the assertion that that is not Christian baptism wherein the conditions of the gospel are not met. We would speak with modesty, leaving it to each one's conscience as to how wide a divergence from the divine plan there must be to justify an imitation of the course pursued by Paul and the believers, recorded in Acts 19:1-5. But we would speak decidedly in favor of having both candidate and administrator look well to the teachings of the gospel on this subject. It is no light thing to trifle with divine ordinances. He who administers them improperly does so at his peril. Paul praised his brethren inasmuch as they kept the ordinances as they were delivered to them; and when they perverted one, he very deeply blamed them for not preserving it pure according to its intention. 1 Cor. 11. The importance of the ordinance of baptism, as presented by the Saviour in Mark 16:16, and by the apostle Paul in Rom. 6 and 7, cannot be overestimated; and the necessity of carefulness in its observance is according to its importance.

Paul to the Colossians speaks in terms equally direct and decisive on this subject: "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead." Col. 2:12. This adds new luster to the ordinance. Dead to sin; buried with Christ by baptism into death; and risen with him in the same ordinance. It cannot be possible that they who speak disparagingly of baptism, as some unfortunately do, have ever examined with care this impressive passage. Here it is shown that "the likeness of his resurrection" is not altogether reserved to a future life. "Risen with him." As he died to sin and lives to God, so we must die to sin, be buried with him, and rise with him to a new life—to a life of obedience to the Heavenly Father's will.

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." Col. 3:1. This brings to view the entire Christian life—a life of consecration to God in imitation of the love and zeal of our Saviour. In the present argument it is not necessary to pursue this further, having fully met our design,—to show the important place which baptism occupies in the divine plan for the remission of sin and union with Christ.