Romans 6: What You Declare in the Waters of Baptism

Introduction

That evening at Kensington Temple in London, men and women are about to go down into the waters of baptism. Before they step into the pool, the reading of Romans 6 sets the scene for Charles Abraham's sermon: "We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life."

The pastor remembers his own baptism about thirty-five years ago, on this same platform, in this same church, "most likely in the same pool." He had attended the preparation classes, but when the day came, he was gripped by fear, restless, unable to stand still. The woman who was baptizing saw it and said to him, "You'd better go first." Today he understands that demonic forces probably still had some influence over him. He knew that on that day, it would be over. He came up out of the water relieved, light, happy, with a word from God for his life.

"Expect God to speak to you today." Drawing on Romans 6, Charles Abraham explains what baptism is, what it is not, what you declare when you go down into the water, and what God does when you come back up.

Outline of the Message

1. Baptism, an Act of Obedience

Choosing to be baptized means deciding to obey God, because baptism is a commandment. Jesus said: "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19).
Jesus was not making a suggestion. He was giving an order. Stepping forward to say "I want to be baptized" is a mark of obedience.
The pastor has come to a conviction: "God has only one love language, and that language is obedience." You don't tell God you love him with words alone, you tell him by obeying him.
Jesus said it himself: "If you love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15). Those who are baptized that evening are making a bold declaration: "I love Jesus."

2. What It Means to Be Baptized

The word comes from the Greek and means to immerse, to plunge. Being sprinkled with water is not baptism: you must go all the way under the water and then be raised up. That is the picture in Romans 6: being buried with Christ and walking in newness of life.
Baptism has Jewish roots in the mikvah: pools used for ritual washings before entering the temple or performing a spiritual act. The pastor mentions it in passing, "it's not the important point for you today."
Jesus set the example (Luke 3:21-22), a passage Charles Abraham loves because it is one of the first messages he ever preached. John the Baptist did not want to baptize him, but Jesus answered: "Allow it now, for this is the fitting way for us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:15).
While Jesus was praying, heaven opened, the Holy Spirit came down on him like a dove, and a voice said: "You are my beloved Son. In you I am well pleased."
The pastor pauses on that word: "You are not going to do anything that makes God love you more. God already loves you." Everything you do afterward is a response to that love, not a way of earning points with him: "Lord, I serve you because I love you."
Baptism was foreshadowed in the Old Testament: the eight people saved through water in the days of Noah (1 Peter 3:20), and Israel crossing the Red Sea, baptized "into Moses" (1 Corinthians 10:1-2).

3. Baptism Does Not Save You, It Declares That You Are Saved

"Baptism does not save you." You are saved by believing that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, lived a sinless life, died as a sacrifice on the cross and rose again, and by confessing him with your mouth (Romans 10:9).
"Baptism is not what a person does to be saved. It is what a saved person does to declare that they are saved."
Jesus left the Church two ordinances. The Lord's Supper, which can be taken "as often as" you wish (1 Corinthians 11:26), and baptism, which is experienced once. The pastor smiles as he recalls that at the Jordan in Israel, people asked him to baptize them again: "We know it's not the real thing, but okay."
Why be baptized? As a step of obedience and faith, to declare that you are a disciple of Christ and to follow the Master's example.
The conditions: believing in Jesus who came in the flesh, died, rose, ascended and is coming back; accepting the finished work of the cross, with no other way of salvation; showing fruits of repentance, a transformed life.
"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me" (John 14:6). Jesus did not say "a way," but "the way." "You can't be on the wrong road and expect to arrive at the right place."

4. A Light, Then an Invoice

To illustrate the fruits of repentance, Charles Abraham tells how he was converted in Nigeria, at a cell group meeting. He went for the wrong reasons: he was chasing the woman he now calls Pastor Abby, and coming to the meeting was the condition for seeing her.
He wasn't listening to the teaching. Then, as he looked at the people in the room, he saw a light on their faces, something he knew he did not have. When the speaker asked whether he wanted to give his life to Jesus, he asked: "That light, is it Jesus? If it's Jesus, I want it."
During the prayer, he felt something pulling inside him, then he saw a ball of light come down from heaven at great speed. Just before it reached him, "that dark thing left me," and the light came in. He walked out telling everyone, "I'm born again," without knowing what it meant.
The next morning, a manager at an advertising agency, "not a very holy profession," he was supposed to sign an inflated invoice to squeeze money out of clients. His hand began to shake and he burst into tears. When his boss came over to see what was going on, he could only answer: "I'm born again." The boss took the papers back and he left. "This is sin. I can't do it anymore." Nobody had told him. He just knew.
"When you are born again, your love for sin disappears." Before, the first five minutes after waking up were spent "plotting evil." After his conversion, those thoughts never came back. "Thank God for the blood of Jesus."

5. Four Public Declarations

Before God and all of heaven, you declare that you belong to Jesus. "The angels record that moment."
Before the devil and his demons, you declare that you no longer belong to them. God has delivered us out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of his beloved Son (Colossians 1:13). Jesus gave us authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). "You become the one who chases the devil, instead of the devil chasing you everywhere."
Before the world, you declare that you belong to Jesus, with many witnesses present that evening.
Before the Church, you declare that you are part of the body of Christ, of "those people called Christians": children of God, the bride of Christ, a holy nation.
You also declare that your old life is crucified, dead and buried, that you have been raised to a new life, ready to become a disciple, unashamed to be identified with Jesus Christ.
A revelation he received years ago while preparing people for baptism: when you go under the water, you are saying something prophetic. Water is a symbol of the Word. You are declaring that you will live under the influence and control of the Word of God.

6. Seven Benefits of Baptism

The name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is placed on your life. You carry it for the rest of your days.
Your old self is buried. The pastor observes that many people still walk around with a dead body on their back, with everything that comes with a decaying corpse. Under the water is the only place where it belongs: "It doesn't come up with you."
The enemies of your old life are cut off. The Egyptians pursued Israel into the Red Sea, and the waters swallowed them up: "For the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never again see them" (Exodus 14:13). What was chasing you, even what comes down through your family lines, stops following you today.
You come up in newness of life, free to follow God's plan. Until his baptism, the pastor was still hesitating to answer God's call. Afterward, "the argument disappeared." Jesus told him: "I hold your destiny, and I know what I created you for."
Heaven opened over Jesus, and it will open over your life: prayers, words, God speaking to some at the moment they come up out of the water.
The Holy Spirit came down on Jesus at his baptism. The pastor has seen many people receive the Holy Spirit as they came out of the water and begin to speak in tongues. He prays for a renewed baptism of the Holy Spirit.
God spoke to Jesus: "You are my beloved Son." He will give you a personal word. On the day of his baptism, the pastor received this one: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6). The woman who baptized him had seen his hunger.

Key Takeaways

Baptism is a command of Jesus. Obeying it means speaking to him in the only love language he recognizes: obedience.
Baptism does not save. It declares that you are saved through faith in Jesus, the only way to the Father.
You do nothing to make God love you more. Everything you do for him is a response to his love.
As you go under the water, you declare before God, the devil, the world and the Church that you belong to Jesus, and that you will live under the authority of his Word.
The old self stays in the water. What was chasing you has lost its hold, and you come up free for God's plan.

Personal Application

Have you been baptized? If not, what is holding you back from obeying this command of Jesus?
In what area are you still trying to earn God's love, instead of serving him in response to his love?
Is there a "dead body" you are still dragging along: a habit, a thought, a way of living that Christ has already crucified?
Which "Egyptians" are still pursuing you, and what would it mean for you to believe they stayed under the waters?
Do you really live under the influence and control of the Word of God, as you declared, or as you would like to declare, in the waters of baptism?

Verses Quoted

Frequently Asked Questions

Does baptism save you?

No. According to Charles Abraham, you are saved by believing that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, lived without sin, died on the cross and rose again, and by confessing him with your mouth. Baptism is not what you do to be saved: it is what a saved person does to declare that they are saved.

Why be baptized by being fully immersed in water?

The word baptism comes from a Greek word meaning to immerse, to plunge. Charles Abraham explains that you must go all the way under the water and then be raised up: that is the picture in Romans 6, being buried with Christ in his death and walking in newness of life as he was raised.

What is the link between the Red Sea and baptism?

The Bible says Israel was baptized into Moses in the sea. When the Egyptians tried to follow the people, the waters swallowed them up. For Charles Abraham, baptism cuts off the enemies of your old life in the same way: what was chasing you, even what comes down through your family lines, stays buried under the waters.