The Law of God and Baptism.
THE Apostle, in Rom. vi, anticipates the objection of those who would make void the law through faith—make Christ the minister of sin—and sin that grace may abound—professing to commend God's righteousness through Christ by their own unrighteousness, or sin. He says we shall not continue transgressing the law that grace may abound; for if we are in Christ, we are dead to sin; if dead to it, we cannot live in it, as death and life are opposites. Here we must proceed in our examination with great caution, as many have misconstrued or perverted the language of the Apostle in Chaps. vi and vii. First, we must ascertain what is meant by being dead to sin. It is clearly shown in Chaps. ii and iii, that all the world, both Jew and Gentile, are under the law because all have sinned, or transgressed the law. Thus also Christ was made under the law, because he was made sin for us. He took our condition, was made sin for us, that he might occupy our position, be under the law, that he might redeem them that were under the law, that they might be made the righteousness of God in him. 2 Cor. v, 21; Gal. iv, 4, 5. Perhaps no scripture can be found more strongly expressive of the perpetuity and justice of the law, than that which shows that after the Saviour died to meet the demands of the law for us, we must reckon ourselves dead with Christ, and are held under the law, as being condemned by it, until we die with him. But if on the other hand, our opponents have the truth, viz., that the law is dead, then we have presented to us the singular anomaly of a living man being held under the dominion of a dead law! If Christ had abolished the law at his death, or if we could make it void through faith in Christ, then we should certainly be freed from it, without dying to it. All are under sin, and the wages of sin is death; [Rom. vi. 23;] and for this reason, that the law demands the life of the transgressor, the law hath dominion over a man, or he is under the law, so long as he liveth. Chap. vii, 1. The endeavor has been made to use the illustration presented in this chapter to teach an opposite doctrine. The woman is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is free from the law of her husband, and may be married to another. Then as we are married to Christ, as is taught in verse 4, some argue that we are represented by the woman, the law being represented by the husband that is dead. But this is a very unjust conclusion. The illustration plainly teaches that death is necessary to change the woman's relation to the law, while no change in the condition of the law is intimated. But the Apostle draws his own conclusion; he says: "Ye are become dead to the law by the body of Christ;" and in verse 1, before he brings in the illustration, he says, "the law hath dominion over a man so long as he liveth." The whole tenor of his argument in both these chapters proves it; and in the margin of verse 6 it reads, "being dead to that wherein we were held;" [Whiting's translation;] "being dead to that by which we were held." [Macknight, verse 4.] "Ye have been put to death by the law;" [verse 6;] "having died in that by which we were tied;" [Campbell and Doddridge;] "having died with Christ, we are released from the law." If we are dead to the law, we are no longer under the law: we are free from its curse; and to us there is no condemnation. Our sins are borne away by Christ, who died for them; we die with him to have them removed from us; in this manner being free from, or dead to them; and if dead to sin, we cannot live in it; [Chap. vi, 2;] and that we are dead to sin we have manifested by being baptized into the death of Christ. Verse 3. As we have died with him, so we have been buried with him by baptism into death; [verse 4;] and as he was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we emerge from the watery grave to live another, or a new life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. Verse 5. If implies, or introduces a condition. In order to the enjoyment of the promised blessings, we must comply with the condition on which it is based. In order to be in the likeness of his resurrection, for which Paul labored, as well as the ancient worthies; [Phil. iii, 10; Heb. xi, 35;] we must be planted or buried by baptism in the likeness of his death. There is a resurrection not unto life; [John v, 29; Rev. xx, 6;] therefore we must labor to secure, not merely a resurrection, but a "better resurrection," even the "likeness" of Christ's resurrection. So the condition is not merely "being buried," but "being buried with him by baptism into death"—"planted in the likeness of his death;" and the order as given in the scripture is this: [1 Cor. xv, 3, 4;] Christ first died for our sins, next was buried, and then rose again. In like manner, or in this likeness, we must first die to the law, then be buried by baptism, and then rise to walk in newness of life. How can this be done by those who deny the obligation to keep the law under this dispensation; who say the law is dead, and that they do not die to it? If the law is dead they cannot be held by it; and if they are not held by it, they do not die to it. But if they do not die to it, they cannot be buried by baptism into death, but must, if baptized, be buried alive, or without dying. Hence, they cannot walk in newness of life, or in a new life, but must be living the same old life they formerly lived—under sin. But he that is dead is free from sin. Verse 7. As Christ died for sin once, but now lives to God, so we must be dead to sin, but alive to God through Christ. If we have been freed from the service of85sin, or transgression, we should not let it reign in our mortal bodies, or triumph over us, to cause us to serve it in lust. Verse 13. Neither suffer our members to be used as instruments in the service of sin, but yield ourselves to God, and our members as instruments in the cause of righteousness, or right doing. Then we shall be free from sin, it having no more dominion over us, because we have died to it, Christ having redeemed us from the curse of the law, and placed us under grace.