Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life. 5 For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him, so that our sinful body might be done away with, that we might no longer be in slavery to sin. 7 For a dead person has been absolved from sin. 8 If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him. 10 As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God. 11 Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as [being] dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.
In this passage, Paul explains what Baptism means. Baptism is not merely a sign of belonging or a public declaration. It joins the believer to Jesus Christ himself. “We who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death” (v. 3).
Paul means that Baptism brings the believer into real participation in the saving work of Christ. That is why he speaks of burial and rising. “We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death” (v. 4). In the ancient action of immersion, the person went down into the water as into a grave and came up again as into a new life. But Paul’s point goes beyond the outward action. In Baptism, the old life under sin is brought to an end, and a new life begins.
That is why Paul says Christ was raised from the dead “so that... we too might live in newness of life” (v. 4). This newness is not only a better attitude or a fresh start after failure. It is life shaped by union with the risen Christ. The baptized person has entered a new condition of life, no longer under the rule of sin but under the grace of God.
Paul continues, “if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection” (v. 5). His point is that union with Christ is both present and future. Even now, those who have been baptized begin to share in His life, but its full completion still lies ahead in the resurrection of the body.
Verse 6 explains what has happened to the person we once were: “our old self was crucified with him” (v. 6). The “old self” means the person living under the dominion of sin. When Paul says that “our sinful body” is done away with (v. 6), he does not mean that the body is evil. He means the human person as ruled by sin. Through union with Christ’s death, that old condition is broken, “that we might no longer be in slavery to sin” (v. 6).
Then Paul adds, “a dead person has been absolved from sin” (v. 7). His point is that death ends sin’s claim over the old life. The baptized Christian is not simply being asked to think differently. A real change has taken place. Sin still tempts, and the struggle remains, but sin no longer has the same mastery. The Christian now belongs to Christ.
Paul then turns to Christ himself. “Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him” (v. 9). When Paul says, “he died to sin once and for all” (v. 10), he means that through his death and Resurrection, Christ broke the power of sin and death forever. His victory is complete and final. “As to his life, he lives for God” (v. 10).
That is why Paul ends with an exhortation: “you too must think of yourselves as [being] dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus” (v. 11). This is not pretend language. It is the truth of Baptism. The Christian must learn to see himself in the light of what God has done. Baptism is the beginning of a new life in Christ, grounded in his death, sustained by his risen power, and directed toward the resurrection still to come.
Lord Jesus Christ, through your death and Resurrection you have broken the power of sin and opened the way to new life. Help us to live the grace of our Baptism with faithfulness, to turn away from sin, and to walk each day in the life you have given us. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011. Rom. 6:3-11 and notes.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch, eds. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010, 264-65.
- Casciaro, José María, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008, 578-79.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990, 847-48, para. 62-66.
- Aguilar Chiu, José Enrique, et al., eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018, 1255-56.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid OP, and Donald Senior CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition. With a Foreword by Pope Francis. New York: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2020, 1555-56.
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