The word translated "is freed" is dedekaiotai, the perfect tense of the verb dikaioo =

"to justify". It is most important that this word noted in the margin should be re-instated:

"Justified from sin." Rom. 3: 20-30 is the classic passage on "Justification", and there

diakaioo is used five times.  Rom. 5: 9 sums up the matter by saying: "Being now

justified by His blood." In 6: 2 the apostle declares that the believer "died to sin". In

6: 7 he reveals the glorious result of that death--he is "justified".

Anticipating a little the result of our studies, we would say that the phrase found in

6: 19, "righteousness unto holiness", aptly epitomizes the intention of these chapters.

We are already justified: Shall we continue in sin because grace is free? No, for the very

process of our justification involved us in crucifixion, death and burial, so utter and

complete that apart from an entirely "new life" we are for ever powerless. This division

of our theme is extremely important. Death is related to our justification, and life to our

sanctification, and we shall do well not to confuse the issues.

We have passed from verse 2 to verse 7 in our attempt to fix the meaning of "death to

sin". We must now retrace our steps and learn how this was accomplished. In verses 3-5

the apostle speaks of death and burial, and turns to the symbol of baptism to enforce his

teaching, just as he uses circumcision in Colossians. The baptism of Rom. 6: must

include baptism in water, for that was practiced during the Acts period and by the apostle

himself (I Cor. 1: 16), although it did not occupy the same place in his ministry as it did in

the ministry of the Twelve. The use of both circumcision and baptism in Col. 2: shows

that there they are used spiritually, the appeal to the external rite being no longer valid:--

The R.V. corrects the A.V. and gives the true title of the Lord. The expression,

"baptized into Christ Jesus", is similar to that found in I Cor. 10::--

Israel were "baptized into Moses", and therefore into the law and all that the law stood

for. The believer was baptized into Christ and all that Christ and grace stood for. The

apostle insists that the union with Christ typified and set forth by baptism, set forth the

identification of the believer with the Lord in His death: "You were baptized into His

death." The two statements must be read together:--

The one involves the other. They are inseparable. The apostle in Gal. 3: 27 uses

this expression in a different context, but it is worth noting:--