It is amazing how determined so many folks are to deny the clear Bible teaching that “baptism now saves us” (1 Pet. 3:21), to the point that they argue nonsensically against passages that plainly teach the essentiality of baptism for salvation. One of their favorite passages is Romans 6.
Advocates for the false doctrine of “baptism is NOT essential for salvation” like to suggest (adamantly) that Romans 6 teaches that Bible is merely an “outward sign of an inward grace.” They think that because one is united in the “likeness” of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection when he obeys that “form of doctrine,” that baptism is somehow relegated to an outward expression of already being saved. As is usually the case when someone misuses a passage of Scripture, the text of Romans 6 teaches just the opposite of what they want it to teach, and it teaches quite strongly that sin is only removed when a penitent believer is baptized.
The word “sin” is found 60 times in the book of Romans, and 17 (28%) of those are in Romans 6. This chapter has a lot to say about sin, and interestingly enough, this is the chapter that discusses baptism. The word “death” is found 24 times in the book, and 8 (33%) of those are in this chapter, including the reality that “the wages of sin is death” (6:23). Therefore, this is a key chapter to understand how to escape the eternal consequences of sin, and it inseparably ties baptism to that process.
Baptism is the only way “into Christ” (6:3). It is only “in Christ” where one finds “redemption,” “forgiveness of sins,” “salvation” and “eternal life” (Eph. 1:7; 2 Tim. 2:10; 1 John 5:11). Baptism is essential for salvation!
Baptism is the only way “into His death” (6:3). It was in His death where He shed His blood (John 19:34), which provides the “remission of sins” (Matt. 26:28; Eph. 1:7). If one does not get “into His death,” he cannot be saved. Baptism is essential for salvation!
Baptism is the only way to be “raised” to “walk in newness of life” (6:4). One cannot be a “new creature” “in Christ” (2 Cor. 5:17) until that “old man” is “done away with” in baptism (6:6). Baptism is essential for salvation!
Baptism is the only way for “the body of SIN” to “be done away with,” to “no longer be” a slave “of SIN,” to be “freed from SIN,” to remove SIN’s “dominion over you,” and to be “set free from SIN” (6:6, 7, 14, 17, 18, 22). If one is not baptized so that at that very moment he might be freed from SIN and its eternal consequences, then baptism has no purpose!
Paul was reminding these Christians about the eternal and remedial blessing found in their baptism—they were freed from their sins! Is that why you were baptized?