INTRODUCTION
Posts 29 and 30 examine Romans 6:3-4 to determine if this passage supports the doctrine of baptismal regeneration. According to Dr. Jack Cottrell, it does. On page 84 of his book Baptism – Biblical Study (College Press Publishing, Joplin, MO (1989) [7th printing in 2006]) he writes [emphasis added]:
We have also seen that, according to this text, our union with Christ and thus our spiritual death and resurrection (another way of describing regeneration) occurred in our baptism. Other views as to the time of our dying and rising again cannot do justice to the clear affirmation that we are buried with Him through baptism into death. The centrality of death, burial, and resurrection in the symbolism of baptism shows the appropriateness of immersion as its only mode.
Post 29 presents the results of my observation of Romans 6:3-4, as well as the broader literary context of Romans 6:1-11 in which verses 3-4 reside. My takeaways from my observations are:
(1) When Paul wrote Romans 6:3-4, he described the spiritual condition that was the alternative to the description of living in continual sin, i.e., “continue in sin” and “still line in” sin, in Romans 6:1-2. Broadly speaking, the alternative spiritual condition was walking in newness of life and being dead to sin.
(2) When he wrote Romans 6:3-4, Paul employed the concept of immersion (or possibly baptism in a figurative sense) to picture the spiritual reality of a believer’s union with Christ, which was a one-time permanent change that took place at conversion through the action of the Holy Spirit.
(3) When Paul wrote Romans 6:3-4, he employed the concept of immersion (or possibly baptism in a figurative sense) into the death of Christ to picture the believer being dead to sin, which was the divinely orchestrated cleavage between a believer and their sin nature.
(4) When Paul wrote Romans 6:3-4, he used the expression of a believer being buried by immersion (or possibly baptism in a figurative sense) to establish the predicate for, and picture of, the spiritual resurrection of a believer to walk in newness of life, which means a believer cannot revert to a lifestyle of continual sin.
Post 30 discusses the impact the doctrine of analogy of faith has on my interpretation of Romans 6:3-4. Further, Post 30 presents my interpretation of Romans 6:3-4. Finally, Post 30 applies Romans 6:3-4 to the doctrine of baptismal regeneration
OBSERVATION OF ROMANS 6:3-4
The Text – Plurality of English Translations & Nestle-Arndt 28th
Romans 6:1–4 (NASB95) [emphasis added]:
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
Romans 6:1–4 (WUESTNT) reads:
1 What then shall we say? Shall we habitually sustain an attitude of dependence upon, yieldedness to, and cordiality with the sinful nature in order that grace may abound? May such a thing never occur. How is it possible for us, such persons as we are, who have been separated once for all from the sinful nature, any longer to live in its grip? Do you not know that all we who were placed in Christ Jesus, in His death were placed? We therefore were entombed with Him through this being placed in His death, in order that in the same manner as there was raised up Christ out from among those who are dead through the glory of the Father, thus also we by means of a new life imparted may order our behavior.
Romans 6:3 (CJB – The Complete Jewish Bible) reads:
Don’t you know that those of us who have been immersed into the Messiah Yeshua have been immersed into his death? Through immersion into his death we were buried with him; so that just as, through the glory of the Father, the Messiah was raised from the dead, likewise we too might live a new life.
Romans 6:3 (HNV – Hebrew Names Version) reads:
Or don’t you know that all we who were immersed into Messiah Yeshua were immersed into his death? We were buried therefore with him through immersion to death, that just like Messiah was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.
Romans 6:3–4 (NA28) reads:
3 ἢ ἀγνοεῖτε ὅτι, ὅσοι ἐβαπτίσθημεν εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν, εἰς τὸν θάνατον αὐτοῦ ἐβαπτίσθημεν; 4 συνετάφημεν οὖν αὐτῷ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος εἰς τὸν θάνατον, ἵνα ὥσπερ ἠγέρθη Χριστὸς ἐκ νεκρῶν διὰ τῆς δόξης τοῦ πατρός, οὕτως καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐν καινότητι ζωῆς περιπατήσωμεν.
Discussion of Observations
Romans 6:1-11
The literary matrix in which Romans 6:3-4 resides is vv. 1-11. The full text of Romans 6:1-11 is in APPENDIX A. Verses 1-11 present the salvation process comprising death to sin leading to life to God in Christ (v. 11).
Death to sin takes place when a believer becomes united with Christ in the likeness of His death (v. 5). This means that our old self was crucified with Christ so that our body of sin might be done away with resulting in no longer being a slave to sin, i.e., freed from the power of sin (vv. 5-7). Death of Christ leads to life with Christ (v. 8) since God raised Jesus Christ from the dead never to die again whereby He died to sin once for all believers (vv. 9-10). A believer has also died, i.e., dead to sin, and is alive to God in Christ Jesus. It is apparent that the entire theme of vv. 1-2, 5-11 is spiritual.
Keeping in a spiritual context, by verses 3-4, Paul employed baptism, which carried with it the concept of immersion or position, in a figurative way to picture a believer’s union with Christ upon conversion. Upon conversion, a believer experienced spiritual death to sin and spiritual resurrection to walk in newness of life.
Let’s look at vv. 3-4.
Romans 6:3-4
Verse 3 begins with the conjunction ἢ, which the NASB95 translates as “or.” It functions as a disjunctive conjunction which expresses an alternative. See Lukaszewski, A. L. (2007). The Lexham Syntactic Greek New Testament Glossary. Lexham Press. Paul’s reference to continual sin and still living in sin in vv. 1-2 is the substantive content to which vv. 3-4 comprise the alternative. We will better appreciate the alternative as we unpack vv. 3-4.
However, please notice that one attribute of the alternative of vv. 3-4 is to have “died to sin” per Romans 6:2b (NASB95), which reads, “2b How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” The NASB95 translates the Greek verb ἀπεθάνομεν as “we … died,” and according to Louw et al. (Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 678). United Bible Societies), it means:
to be unable to respond or react to any impulse or desire—‘to be dead to, to not respond to, to have no part in.
Grammatically speaking, ἀπεθάνομεν is a finite verb in the aorist active indicative first person plural. The NASB95 translates the Greek adverb-verb ἔτι ζήσομεν as “still live” and the Logos 9 sense of “still live” is to lead a certain kind of life without change, interruption or cessation. The finite verb ζήσομεν is in future active indicative first person plural. Boa (Boa, K., & Kruidenier, W. (2000). Romans (Vol. 6, p. 186). Broadman & Holman Publishers) comments on the significance of the grammar of the verbs:
The tenses of the two verbs in his answer explain Paul’s answer clearly: We died to sin (aorist tense; past action, viewed as a single, completed act), therefore how can we live in it any longer? (future tense; ongoing, repeated action in the future).
Wuest (Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest’s word studies from the Greek New Testament: for the English reader (Vol. 2, pp. 93–94). Eerdmans) characterizes death to sin as a divinely orchestrated cleavage between the believer and their sin nature:
Death means separation. Physical death is the separation of a person from his body, spiritual death, the separation of the person from God. There is a preposition prefixed to the verb (apo (ἀπο)) which means “off, away from,” and is used with the ablative case whose root meaning is separation. This teaches us that there was a cleavage consummated between the individual and his evil nature. God used His surgical knife to cut the believing sinner loose from his evil nature. This occurred potentially in the mind and purpose of God when that believing sinner, elected to salvation before the universe was created, was identified with the Lord Jesus in His death on the Cross (vv. 3–7), and actually, the moment he placed his faith in Him as Saviour.
Wuest further explains that a believer’s sin nature remains in them:
Now, while God separated the believing sinner from the evil nature, yet He did not take it out of him, but left it in his inner being. John in his first letter (1:8) is most careful to tell us that this evil nature remains in the Christian throughout his earthly life and is not eradicated until that Christian dies or is glorified. This is what he says in his Greek; “If we say that sin we are not constantly having, ourselves we are deceiving (nobody else), and the truth is not in us.” Sin here is the nature, not the act, and for two reasons; the word is without the article, and such a construction in Greek emphasizes nature, quality, and because the word is singular.
Paul continued with the question by using the Greek verb ἀγνοεῖτε, which the NASB95 translates as “do you not know.” According to Louw et al., supra, at Vol. 1, p. 380, ἀγνοεῖτε means:
to not understand, with the implication of a lack of capacity or ability—‘not to understand, to fail to understand.’
This verb is in the present active indicative second person plural. The grammar indicates that the lack of understanding by Paul’s audience was a continual action on their part. It appears that Paul was incredulous about his audience’s continuous failure to understand their position in Christ (i.e., being dead to sin and walking in newness of life) attained through His death and resurrection. In verses 3-4, Paul employed the concept of immersion ( the well-known physical rite of baptism in a figurative sense) to picture the spiritual reality of what happens to a believer at their conversion.
In reference to the rite of water baptism, one should keep in mind that in the 1st Century, baptism immediately followed conversion. Boa et al. (Boa, K., & Kruidenier, W. (2000). Romans (Vol. 6, p. 188). Broadman & Holman Publishers) writes [emphasis added]:
Not only is baptism not optional, the New Testament, especially the Book of Acts (see, e.g., Acts 9:18 and “Deeper Discoveries”), gives ample evidence that baptism occurred in the immediate context of faith-conversion. This is almost unheard of in contemporary Christendom. Often weeks, months, even years will pass between the time a person becomes a believer in Christ and his or her baptism.
What follows in verse 3 is the clause ὅτι, ὅσοι ἐβαπτίσθημεν εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν, which the NASB95 translates as, “all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus.” This clause joins Paul together with his audience in the same spiritual condition through their common experience of exercising biblical saving faith in Christ.
The verb ἐβαπτίσθημεν (NASB95 translates as “have been baptized”) is in the aorist passive indicative first person plural. Their baptism was a snap shot past event done to himself and his audience. According to Louw et al, supra at Vol. 1, p. 536, ἐβαπτίσθημεν means water baptism:
to employ water in a religious ceremony designed to symbolize purification and initiation on the basis of repentance—‘to baptize, baptism
However, the spiritually-oriented thrust of vv. 1-11 dictates that Paul used the concept of immersion (or water baptism in a figurative way) to picture a spiritual transaction. One cannot avoid Paul’s strong emphasis on salvation by grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ in earlier passages from Romans like the following [emphasis added]:
Romans 1:16–17 (NASB95) – 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”
Romans 3:21–31 (NASB95) – 21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 27 Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one. 31 Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.
Per the preceotaustin.org website, Dr. John MacArthur writes [emphasis in the original]:
John MacArthur writes that “Many people interpret Paul’s argument in Romans 6:3-10 as referring to water baptism. However, Paul is simply using the physical analogy of water baptism to teach the spiritual reality of the believer’s union with Christ. Water baptism is the outward identification of an inward reality-faith in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. Paul was not advocating salvation by water baptism; that would have contradicted everything he had just said about salvation by grace and not works in Romans 3–5, which has no mention of water baptism.” (MacArthur, J: Romans 1-8. Chicago: Moody Press)
The preceptaustin.org website (link: https://www.preceptaustin.org/romans_61-3#6:3 ) explains figurative baptism:
Figuratively, baptizo pictures the introduction or placing of a person or thing into a new environment or into union with something else so as to alter its condition or its relationship to its previous environment or condition. In this sense baptizo means to be identified with.
**
James Montgomery Boice helps understand this figurative meaning of baptizo writing that “The clearest example that shows the meaning of baptizo is a text from the Greek poet and physician Nicander, who lived about 200 B.C. It is a recipe for making pickles and is helpful because it uses both words. Nicander says that in order to make a pickle, the vegetable should first be ‘dipped‘ (bapto) into boiling water and then ‘baptised‘ (baptizo ) in the vinegar solution. Both verbs concern the immersing of vegetables in a solution. But the first is temporary. The second, the act of baptizing the vegetable, produces a permanent change. When used in the New Testament, this word more often refers to our union and identification with Christ than to our water baptism… mere intellectual assent is not enough. There must be a union with Him, a real change, like the vegetable to the pickle!” (Bolding added)
The real permanent change that happens at conversion is a believer transforms from death, i.e., at war with God, to eternal life, i.e., at peace with God.
The NASB95 translates the Greek preposition εἰς as “into,” and it functions as a preposition of location which shows the physical relationship of one entity to another. See Lukaszewski, Id.
Dr. Robert Gagnon (The Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization) explains the expression “baptized into Christ Jesus” as follow [emphasis added]:
Although some argue otherwise, “baptized into Christ” is not simply shorthand for “baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.” “Baptized (i.e., immersed, plunged) into Christ” (Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:27; 1 Cor. 12:13) is something that God does by means of the Spirit of Christ for those who believe in Christ; namely, incorporate believers into union with Christ.
This phrase ἐβαπτίσθημεν εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν is a general truth that Paul later defined with more specificity per the next phrase εἰς τὸν θάνατον αὐτοῦ ἐβαπτίσθημεν, which the NASB95 translates as “have been baptized into His death?” The NASB95 translates εἰς as “into” and it functions as a preposition of location with the sense of in union with Christ’s death. The NASB95 translates the Greek verb ἐβαπτίσθημεν as “have been baptized.” It is aorist passive indicative first person plural. This phrase adds more specifically defines the snap shot event that was done by the Holy Spirit to the believer in the past.
Morris (Morris, L. (1988). The Epistle to the Romans (p. 247). W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press) discusses baptized into Christ’s death [emphasis added]:
Paul goes on to characterize baptism as into Christ Jesus (“into union with Christ Jesus”, GNB, NEB), an unusual way of describing this sacrament (though cf. Gal. 3:27; and for “into the name”, Acts 8:16; 19:5). Baptism, so to speak, incorporates the baptized into Christ; they are baptized “into one body” (1 Cor. 12:13), made part of that body which is the body of Christ (cf. SH, “ ‘were baptized into union with’ [not merely ‘obedience to’] ‘Christ’. The act of baptism was an act of incorporation into Christ”). This can be made a little more precise. Those so baptized were baptized into his death, where into his death receives some emphasis from its position. It is the death of Christ that makes anyone a Christian, and apart from that death baptism is meaningless.
In his book Prepositions and Theology, Murray Harris writes on page 230:
Ro. 6:3b To be baptized “into the death” (εἰς τὸν θάνατον) of Christ Jesus is to participate in all the benefits of his “death in relation to sin” (τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἀπέθανεν) Ro. 6:10.
By being baptized into His death, a believer is in the condition of being dead to sin. Romans 6:10 (NASB95) reads:
10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
As discussed in connection with Romans 6:2b, death to sin can be characterized as a divinely orchestrated cleavage between a believer and their sin nature. However, due to human frailty, a believer’s sin nature still can influence their life.
Verse 4 provides more details about a believer’s union with Christ in His death. Verse 4 begins with the Greek verb συνετάφημεν, which the NASB95 translates as “we have been buried with.” According to Louw et al., supra at Vol. 1, p. 530, it means:
to bury someone along with someone else—‘to bury together with.’ συνετάφημεν οὖν αὐτῷ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος εἰς τὸν θάνατον ‘by our baptism, then, we were buried with him and shared in his death’ Ro 6:4. In Ro 6:4 συνθάπτω is used figuratively, since it evidently had not yet acquired a conventional figurative meaning.
The verb συνετάφημεν is in the aorist passive indicative first person plural. The burial with Christ was a snap shot event done to Paul (and his audience of saved people) in the past.
This verb (συνταφέντες: “having been buried with”) is used one other time in the NT in Colossians 2:12 (NASB95), which reads [emphasis added]:
12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
In Colossians 2:12 it is an aorist passive participle plural nominative masculine. The context of Colossians 2:12 echoes that of Romans 6:3-4 in the sense of the burial with Christ and the resulting resurrection with Christ. Note the expression “through faith” shows that faith alone in Christ is the operative mechanism for salvation per Colossians 2:12.
In verse 4, Paul next used the expression οὖν αὐτῷ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος εἰς τὸν θάνατον, which the NASB95 translates as, “Therefore [we have been buried with] Him through baptism into death.”
The NASB95 translates the Greek conjunction οὖν as “therefore,” and it functions as a coordinating conjunction that conveys a deduction, conclusion, summary, or inference to the preceding discussion. See Heiser, M. S., & Setterholm, V. M. (2013; 2013). Glossary of Morpho-Syntactic Database Terminology. Lexham Press.
The NASB95 translates the Greek pronoun αὐτῷ as “Him.” The reference is to Christ.
The NASB95 translates the Greek preposition διὰ as “through” and it functions as a preposition of instrumentality which is used to portray something as the instrument by which an action is affected. It is to be noted that this usage is distinguished from the preposition of means in the LSGNT. The former expresses the tool or instrument by which a process is affected; the latter expresses the process or path taken to affect a result. See Lukaszewski, Id.
The NASB95 translates the Greek noun βαπτίσματος as “baptism.” Consistent with my earlier discussion, Paul employed the concept of immersion (or possibly baptism in a figurative sense) to picture a believer’s burial into Christ’s death so as to be dead to sin.
The NASB95 translates the preposition εἰς as “into.” It is a preposition of location. The NASB95 translates the Greek article and noun τὸν θάνατον as “death.” The use of the definite article causes this phrase to refer to the death of Christ. The UBS translation handbook (Newman, B. M., & Nida, E. A. (1973). A handbook on Paul’s letter to the Romans (p. 113). United Bible Societies) reads:
By his use of the definite article “the” before death, Paul indicates that the reference is to Christ’s death (see Moffatt “in his death”; JB “joined him in death”)
Robert Mounce (Mounce, R. H. (1995). Romans (Vol. 27, p. 149). Broadman & Holman Publishers) comments on Romans 6:4 [emphasis added]:
The believer has been “buried with [Christ] through baptism into death.” Burial certifies the reality of death. Baptism is the ritual act that portrays this burial.11 That Paul did not speak of faith at this point is immaterial. He was using the ritual act of baptism as a symbol of the complete redemptive event that finds its effectual cause in the death of Christ and its completion in the faith of those who believe. But death and burial are not the end of the story. In God’s redemptive plan burial is followed by resurrection.
Morris (Morris, L. (1988). The Epistle to the Romans (pp. 247–248). W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press) writes:
The logical consequence continues (therefore). Not only are we dead, but we are buried with him. Being “with Christ” is an important category for Paul. It is interesting that we are never said to have been born with Christ or to have been baptized with him, as Lagrange points out. But we are crucified with him (v. 6; Gal. 2:20), we died with him (2 Tim. 2:11), were buried with him (here; Col. 2:12), were made alive with him (Eph. 2:5; Col. 2:13), were raised with him and made to sit with him in the heavenlies (Eph. 2:6), we are co-heirs with him (8:17), sharers of his glory (8:17), and we will reign with him (2 Tim. 2:12).
It is interesting to appreciate that Paul appears to intensify the baptism with the following sequence: (1) have been baptized into Christ Jesus, (2) have been baptized into His death, and (3) have been buried with Him through baptism into death. As discussed earlier, possibly, a better word is immerse as set forth in The Complete Jewish Bible translation and the Hebrew Names Version translation. For example, the sequence reads in the Hebrew Names Version: (1) we who were immersed into Messiah Yeshua, (2) we were immersed into his death, and (3) we were buried therefore with him through immersion to death.
The Brill Dictionary of Ancient Greek (pp. 374-375) contains the following exemplary definitions for ἐβαπτίσθημεν and βαπτίσματος and related words: one who immerses; to immerse, dip, submerge; cause to sink; to be swallowed, drown; and dipped, dyed, tinted. It seems reasonable to translate ἐβαπτίσθημεν and βαπτίσματος as immersed and immersion consistent with The Complete Jewish Bible and the Hebrew Names Version. In the alternative, ἐβαπτίσθημεν and βαπτίσματος could be translated as placed per Wuest. Words like immersed, immerse, and placed appear accurate and do not possess the theological gloss of baptized and baptism that can result in an erroneous interpretation.
The next phrase is ἵνα ὥσπερ ἠγέρθη Χριστὸς ἐκ νεκρῶν διὰ τῆς δόξης τοῦ πατρός, which the NASB95 translates as “so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father.”
The NASB95 translates the Greek conjunction ἵνα as “so that,” and it functions as an adverbial purpose conjunction that indicates the goal or aim of the action denoted by the word, phrase, or clause to which it is joined. See Heiser, Id. The NASB95 translates the Greek conjunction ὥσπερ as “as,” and it functions as a subordinating conjunction that denotes a relative comparison. See Heiser et al., Id.
The NASB95 translates the Greek verb ἠγέρθη as “was raised,” and according to Louw et al,, supra, at Vol. 1, p. 262 it means;
to cause someone to live again after having once died—‘to raise to life, to make live again
This verb is in aorist passive indicative third person singular.
The NASB95 translates the Greek noun Χριστὸς as “Christ.” The NASB95 translates ἐκ νεκρῶν as “from the dead.” The NASB95 translates the Greek proposition of instrumentality διὰ as “through.” The NASB95 translates the Greek article and noun τῆς δόξης as “the glory.” According to Louw et al., supra at Vol. 1, p. 681, δόξης means:
manifestation of power characterized by glory—‘glorious power, amazing might.’
The NASB95 translates the Greek article and noun τοῦ πατρός as “of the Father.”
Christ’s physical bodily resurrection was a one-time past event. It was through God’s power that Jesus Christ rose from the dead (i.e., physical bodily resurrection) into a new resurrected life. As Paul will point out, because of Jesus’ physical bodily resurrection, a believer will have eternal life.
The final phrase is οὕτως καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐν καινότητι ζωῆς περιπατήσωμεν, which the NASB95 translates that “so we too might walk in newness of life.”
The NASB95 translates the Greek adverb οὕτως as “so,” and it functions as an adverb of manner that shows the manner in which a verbal action occurs. See Lukaszewski, Id. The NASB95 translates the Greek adverb καὶ as “too,” and it functions to show some form of stress—usually either by intensifying the force of a word or by expressing inclusion. Lukaszewski, Id.
The NASB95 translates the Greek pronoun ἡμεῖς as “we.” The NASB95 translates the Greek proposition + noun + noun ἐν καινότητι ζωῆς as “in newness of life.” According to Louw et al, supra, at Vol. 1, p. 593, καινότητι means:
the state of being new and different, with the implication of superiority
The NASB95 translates the Greek verb περιπατήσωμεν as “might walk,” and the verb περιπατήσωμεν is in aorist active subjunctive first person plural. Per Louw et al., supra, at Vol. 1, p. 504, it means:
to live or behave in a customary manner, with possible focus upon continuity of action—‘to live, to behave, to go about doing
Wuest (Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest’s word studies from the Greek New Testament: for the English reader (Vol. 2, p. 97). Eerdmans) discuses “newness of life” [emphasis added]:
The newness of life here does not refer to a new quality of experience or conduct but to a new quality of life imparted to the individual. Romans 6 does not deal with the Christian’s experience or behavior. Paul treats that in chapters 12–16. In this chapter the key word is machinery, the mechanics of the Spirit-filled life being Paul’s subject. The newness of life therefore refers, not to a new kind of life the believer is to live, but to a new source of ethical and spiritual energy imparted to him by God by which he is enabled to live the life to which Paul exhorts in Romans 12–16.
Per the preceptaustin website, in the context of Romans 6:3-4, Wayne Barber writes:
In light of this truth Wayne Barber applies this truth asking the question “Can a Christian go back and live like he used to live?” Well, how can you if you are dead and you have been raised to walk in newness of His life? A life that is brand new, qualitatively different? “How different?” In the sense that sin no longer controls you. In the sense that you have Someone who lives in you now that gives you power to do what you couldn’t do before; Someone to convict you of sin; Someone to give you knowledge that you didn’t have before. I can’t go back! I’m walking in newness of His life.” (Bolding added) (Barber, W: The New Life in Jesus)
Finally, the preceptaustin.org website (https://www.preceptaustin.org/romans_64-7#6:4 ) reads:
Moule writes that “All possible emphasis lies upon those words, “newness of life.” They bring out what has been indicated already (Ro 5:17, 18-note), the truth that the Lord has won us not only remission of a death penalty, not only even an extension of existence under happier circumstances, and in a more grateful and hopeful spirit — but a new and wonderful life power. The sinner has fled to the Crucified, that he may not die. He is now not only amnestied but accepted. He is not only accepted but incorporated into his Lord, as one with Him in interest. He is not only incorporated as to interest, but, because his Lord, being Crucified, is also Risen, he is incorporated into Him as Life. The Last Adam, like the First, transmits not only legal but vital effects to His member. In Christ the man has, in a sense as perfectly practical as it is inscrutable (not readily investigated, interpreted, or understood), new life, new power, as the Holy Ghost applies to his inmost being the presence and virtues of his Head.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the relevant takeaways from my observation are:
(1) When Paul wrote Romans 6:3-4, he described the spiritual condition that was the alternative to the description of living in continual sin, i.e., “continue in sin” and “still line in” sin, in Romans 6:1-2. Broadly speaking, the alternative spiritual condition was walking in newness of life and being dead to sin.
(2) When he wrote Romans 6:3-4, Paul employed the concept of immersion (or possibly baptism in a figurative sense) to picture the spiritual reality of a believer’s union with Christ, which was a one-time permanent change that took place at conversion through the action of the Holy Spirit.
(3) When Paul wrote Romans 6:3-4, he employed the concept of immersion (or possibly baptism in a figurative sense) into the death of Christ to picture the believer being dead to sin, which was the divinely orchestrated cleavage between a believer and their sin nature.
(4) When Paul wrote Romans 6:3-4, he used the expression of a believer being buried by immersion (or possibly baptism in a figurative sense) to establish the predicate for, and picture of, the spiritual resurrection of a believer to walk in newness of life, which means a believer cannot revert to a lifestyle of continual sin.
Post 30 discusses the doctrine of analogy of faith. Post 30 presents the interpretation of Romans 6:3-4. Finally, Post 30 applies Romans 6:3-4 to the doctrine of baptismal regeneration.
VERY IMPORTANT IF YOU BELIEVE IN BAPTISMAL REGENERATION
Finally, let me quote gotquestions.org (link: https://www.gotquestions.org/baptism-Mark-16-16.html ):
If you believe in baptismal regeneration, you would do well to prayerfully consider whom or what you are really putting your trust in. Is your faith in a physical act (being baptized) or in the finished work of Christ on the cross? Whom or what are you trusting for salvation? Is it the shadow (baptism) or the substance (Jesus Christ)? Our faith must rest in Christ alone. “We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).
Please read and take to heart what I write in the section entitled “IF YOU ARE NOT A CHRISTIAN.”
IF YOU ARE UNSURE ABOUT YOUR SALVATION
If you are unsure about your salvation, you need to check out my book The Salvation Meter: Biblical Self-Diagnostic Tests to Examine Your Salvation and Spiritual Growth (book link at Xulon Press: https://www.xulonpress.com/bookstore/bookdetail.php?PB_ISBN=9781662828638 ). At Amazon the book link is https://www.amazon.com/Salavation-Meter-Biblical-Self-Diagnostic-Spiritual/dp/1662828632 . I also have a website in which I am updating the content in the book. The link to my website for the book is https://thesalvationmeter.com .
IF YOU ARE NOT A CHRISTIAN
… please (1) read through “God’s Plan of Salvation” so you can understand what God did for you through His only unique Son, Jesus Christ, and (2), from the bottom of your heart, pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” meaning every word. If you do, you will be reconciled to God – saved – through Jesus Christ.
God’s Plan of Salvation
In the beginning, God, who is holy, created the entire universe. As a part of His creative actions, He made humans in His image to know Him. For a while, everything was right between God and our ancestors, Adam and Eve. But Adam sinned, and his sin was passed down to all of humankind whereby we became separated from God. Nothing we could do on our own could bridge that separation so that without God’s intervention, hell would be our eternal destination.
Fortunately for us, in His great love and mercy God provided humankind with the only means of salvation, which is through Jesus Christ who is God’s only unique Son. While retaining His deity, God the Son became a man in Jesus, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross, thus fulfilling the law Himself and taking on Himself the punishment for the sins of all those who would ever repent and trust in Him for their salvation. Jesus rose from the dead, showing that God the Father accepted Christ’s sacrifice and that God’s wrath against us has been exhausted. He now calls us to repent of our sins and trust alone in what Christ did to save us.
If we repent of our sins and completely trust in Christ alone that He died for our sins and rose to life from the dead, we are born again into a new life, an eternal life with God.
Scripture References: Genesis 1:1, 27, 31; Habakkuk 1:13; Genesis 2:7, 18, 21-25; Genesis 3:1-7, 23-24; Isaiah 59:2; Romans 3:19-20, 23; 5:17-19; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 6:23; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 John 4:10; John 3:16-18; Mark 1:15; Romans 1:4; 4:25; John 3:5-8; 1 Peter 1:3.
“Sinner’s Prayer”
Lord, Jesus Christ, the only unique Son of God, thank You for Your free gift of eternal life. I know I’m a sinner who cannot save myself no matter what I do, and I deserve to spend eternity in hell. But, I know that because You loved me so much, You voluntarily died on the cross for me taking my sins upon Yourself, and You physically bodily rose from the grave showing that Your sacrificial death was sufficient payment to give me eternal life in Heaven. I now repent of my sins and trust alone in what You did for my eternal salvation. Please take control of my life as I now receive You as my Lord and Savior. Thank You so much for saving me. I am now Yours forever! (Scripture references: John 1:1-4, 11-14; John 3:16; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:21-26; Isaiah 53:4-6; Mark 1:15; Acts 16:31; Acts 4:12; Romans 10:9-10, 13; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; John 10:27-29).
Upon your salvation, you must find a spiritually solid Bible-believing church that (1) teaches that the sixty-six books of the Bible are the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God, (2) believes in the doctrine of the Trinity, which means that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons — the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and each Person is fully God, and (3) teaches that salvation is by grace through faith and not by works (e.g., water baptism by immersion).
ONE CAUTIONARY POINT. Please do not make the mistake of thinking that once you become a Christian, your life will become easy. Most likely, it will become more difficult. God’s blessing of salvation and life’s difficulties are not mutually exclusive. Jesus told His disciples, “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.” John 15:18 (NLT). Always keep in mind that you have an eternal home in heaven waiting for you per John 14:2–4 (NLT):
2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”
APPENDIX A
Romans 6:1–11 (NASB95) – 1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
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