Immersion for water Baptism?
Is water Baptism by immersion really taught in Romans 6?
v2- May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?Nothing symbolic about water baptism described here. Believers simply have t o be dead to sin.
Dying to sin is not a deed or action enabled by water baptism. Baptism is a public witness, not an enabling mechanism.
Some believers do indeed lived in sin after water baptism, due to weakness, falling away from the body of Christ. Some are even pretenders, secretly steeling into the church to spy out christian joy and freedom.
v3- Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptised into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
Christian audience of Romans knew the truth, although the mode of baptism is not clearly stated in the bible. It is the meaning rather than the act or the mode being discussed here.
This verse is concerning baptism into Christ, not just in the name of Christ. This is an on going process of getting into Him, in union with Him, and getting like Him daily. This getting to be like Him is also getting into the likeness of His death to sin, rather than a physical death that christians cannot copy while living on earth; for there is hardly any physical life on earth after physical death.
Again, this is not symbolic, but a doctrinal truth of Christian living in the likeness of Christ. This is more than just a ceremony of water.
v4- Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
Immersionists always use the term- "go under". Christ was not dying/crucified under the earth, and Christ was not buried under the earth physically. So going under does not symbolise His death or burial. It only symbolise many modern burial, which was not practised or understood at the time of Paul, Christ and John the Baptist. This symbolisation did not have a parallel, therefore not readily understood by christians at the time.
The fact is that nobody in scriptures questioned the ritual, mode and the ceremony of water baptism; hinting that it was not confused or misunderstood at the time. The procedure was never questioned. Only the status of the Baptiser was questioned.
It was a rite established and used by John the Baptist, before the advent of Christ. So those who were baptised by John would not have understood it to symbolise (physically and closely) the death and burial with Christ. In fact, right till the ressurrection, the disciples of Christ did not understand that Christ, the Messiah was to die for their sin and for mankind. The plan of salvation was explained to them afterwards. So those who were baptised by John and Jesus would not have paralleled this physical symbolisation.
Christ died vertically on the cross; but immersionists place/laid people horizontally into water. Not a parallel symbolisation.
Christ was laid in a cave above ground. He did not physically go under at His burial.
Christ was raised from the dead in a transformed spiritual body. But those who are immersed had a change of heart before immersion, and do not undergo further transformation of the body or the spirit immediately after immersion.
So, we too might walk in newness of life starting from repentance rather than starting from a ceremony of immersion. Who is changed only after immersion. The passage does not mention expressly that water baptism is the only baptism under discussion/review.
The term - "in order" shows the effect of the first part - being buried with Him. This is not a continuation of the act of baptism discussed here.
The raising of Christ draw the victory of God/Christ and the advent of the New Covenant of freedom from sin. In this freedom we christians shall walk. This is not a condition dependent on immersion of water at a later time after accepting the salvation of Christ. Walking in newness of life is not dependent on having immersion or any form of water baptism.
Water baptism is a public witness to the world. It is not the empowering device.
v5- For if we have become united (united with the likeness) with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in (or with) the likeness of His resurrection,
Immersion by laying believers horizontally into water is not a likeness of vertically dying on the cross. There was no persecutor, no bleeding, no scourging, no insult, no shameful parade, and no giving up of the soul and spirit. The verse ought to be understood in the spiritual sense. If in the spirit, then there is no need for the physical. For the spirit is not seen; those who worship must do so in spirit and in truth(which is with honesty).
Christians are not united with Christ ONLY after immersion/baptism.
Christians can call to the Father Abba even before water baptism.
Believers can even enter Paradise with Christ before baptism by believing in Him.
This verse mentioned our resurrection in the future - ("shall be also", not "have been also"). It is not speaking of the believers being lifted out of water as a likeness of His resurrection in the past when we had our baptism/immersion.
v6- knowing this, that our old self (man) was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin;
Believers do not only leave their old self after immersion. God is already accepting the unbaptised believers, that the Holy Spirit may come onto them even before baptism.
Immersion is not the enslaving step towards God; repentance is. We belong to Christ in newness of freedom and life when we repented from our sin and accepted Christ into us as Lord and Saviour; not just after immersion or baptism.
v7- for he who has died is freed from sin.
Believers are freed from sin at repentance, not only after immersion or baptism.
This is not symbolic at all. It is the reality of transaction, died to sin, and therefore freed from sin. Not just like it - which symbolism refers to.
v8- Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
This is not referring to the ceremony of immersion or baptism. It is a matter of belief. A belief that we shall (futuristic rather than in the past) live with Him.
This is not describing a step of immersion (in the past). This is faith of what is not yet seen.
v9- knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.
Knowing is not commemorating.
This verse, again, is referring to Christ rather than to immersion or baptism.
Christians should know that death no longer is master over believers just as Christ; and immersion is not the cause of this freedom. Repentance and acceptance of Christ is.
1Pet 3
20. that aforetime were disobedient, when the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water:
21. which also after a true likeness doth now save you, even baptism, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the interrogation of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ;Noah and the ark were not immersed into the water.
The Ark was submerged, dipped in the great flood/water.
They were sprinkled from above.
So sprinkling with submersion in the living/running water is the mode of baptism in the Bible.
This act of contacting the water is not for removing filth or to symbolise death with sin; but to show a sign of good conscience toward God. Christ is the reality.
Remember, the Ark never went under the water level. It stayed afloat.
Immersionist:
The ark signifies immersion. All went in, being sheltered/covered completely by the instrument of salvation.
Those who went inside behind the shut door were saved.If the ark signifies immersion or baptism, there must have been numerous immersion and baptism; for they must have gone inside the ark many many times during and after its construction.
The animals also went in, but there is no animal baptism/immersion instituted.
There was water outside, and the inside of the ark was dry. It is a twisted notion to ignore water for signifying or comparing with water, and choose the object next to the water.
Believers who undergo immersion are not able to keep themselves dry when entering into the water.
The essenes did not aim to keep themselves dry in their immersion, but instituted that live water must be able to run round their whole body and touch every single part.
No immersion is instituted to have a number of believers being immersed all at once.
v20 tells us that the family were saved through water, not through the ark, or covering. There was water from above and under; and live water.
God waited while the ark was under preparation. The obedient entered into the righteousness of God. The water for baptism is not the water of obedience (as immersionist claim), but is the water of righteousness the believers are called to receive in their obedience.
The ark took years to prepare. Water for baptism does not take long to prepare or accumulate. Live water is to be found, not to be prepared. You do not prepare a sea, a river or a lake. It is there for you to get to. The ark hardly signifies a large body of flowing/live water.
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