Buried With Christ
Dr. Frederick K.C. Price
Romans 6:1-4 says: "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."
When they took Jesus down from the cross, you were not there. When Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus came and took the body of Jesus, wrapped it in a linen cloth and put it in Joseph's brand-new tomb, you were not there, were you? No, not physically.
Look at what the Bible says, however, "Therefore are we buried with him..." We were not there, but God saw us there. God saw us buried with Christ. God saw us go into the garden tomb. We were buried with Christ.
Notice how Romans 6:4 says we are identified with the death of Christ. "Therefore are we buried with him by baptism into death..."
Water baptism is symbolic of our burial with Christ. However, it is also something that has been very controversial in the Body of Christ. Many people are hung up on the idea that water baptism saves you. Some of those people will be frank enough to tell you that if you are not baptized in water, you are not saved.
Other people will tell you that if you have not been baptized in Jesus' name, you are not saved. Still more will say that if you have not been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, you are not saved. Some say that if you are not sprinkled, you are not saved. Others say that if you have not been poured, you are not saved, and still others will say that if you have not been immersed, you are not saved. The list is a lengthy one.
Again, water baptism is a symbol of our identification with Jesus. It is a symbol of the fact that, when Jesus was buried, we were buried with Him.
Colossians 2:12 says, "buried with him in baptism..."
Romans 6:4 and Colossians 2:12 very clearly tell us how God sees us. "Buried with him [Christ]..." How? "In [or by] baptism..."
What I am about to say may irritate some people, but I have researched it, and I have taken the time to find out about it. If you do not agree with me, that is fine. Let us not have a falling out over it, but what I have to say connects directly with, "Buried with him in baptism..."
Let me start by asking you a question. When a person dies physically, and the funeral, eulogy, or memorial service is over, what do they do with the body? They usually cremate or bury the body.
What constitutes a burial? When you say you buried something, you submerge it or cover it up. You can put the deceased's coffin in a mausoleum, a crypt, or in the ground, but in any case, the coffin is covered over and protected from the outside atmosphere.
Think about what we read in Romans and Colossians about baptism as a symbol of our being buried with Christ. Again, I am not trying to get on anyone's denominational case, but if you bury a dead body, do you sprinkle some dirt on the body and walk away? No. Do you pour a little bit of dirt on the dead person's head and walk away? No.
The only method that can adequately show and be the end result of the purpose of burial is immersion because baptism is really a type of burial. The words baptism and baptize come from the Greek word baptizo, which means to dip into, submerge, or immerse. This is its literal meaning, and that is why the Lord uses it-because it is an apt illustration of burial.
Now, when someone receives Christ as his personal Savior and Lord, he has died to the old man and has received the nature of God. According to II Corinthians 5:17, he becomes a new creature in Christ Jesus. As an outward sign to the world that the person has died to the old man, we immerse him in the baptismal pool or river. Putting him under the water represents the fact that the person has died, and that we are now burying him.
When we bring him up out of the water that represents resurrection into newness of life. This newness of life is what Jesus paid for with His precious blood and life on the cross.
This devotional was excerpted from Dr. Price's book, "Identified With Christ." Please call us at (800) 927-3436 for a complete list of his products.
Dr. Frederick K.C. Price is the founder and pastor of Crenshaw Christian Center West in Los Angeles and CCC East in Manhattan. To obtain more information about his ministry, please call (800) 927-3436 or visit www.faithdome.org.
