"we were baptized into His death". We must leave the question as to what is intended by

"baptism" here until we have completed the chain of argument that we are examining.

The apostle continues with his reference to baptism, saying that "we were buried with

Him by baptism into death".  This union with Christ he still further illustrated by

speaking of the believer being "planted together in the likeness of His death", and both

the terms "planted together" and "likeness" demand attention. Just as baptism into His

death is followed by "like as Christ was raised up from the dead, even so we . . . . .", so

being planted together in the likeness of His death is followed by the assurance that we

shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection. For the moment, the apostle looks back

to the cross that preceded the death of Christ, and says that our old man was crucified

with Him, thereby rendering the body of sin inoperative, and making slavery to sin no

longer necessary. He then returns to the use of the word "dead" saying "he that is dead,

is freed (dedikaiotai `justified') from sin". This freedom and justifying operates in new

life, and the apostle reaffirms his argument by saying "now if we be dead with Christ, we

believe that we shall also live with Him", and the reason for this assurance is that Christ

being raised from the dead dieth no more, neither can death have any more dominion

over Him. He died to sin once, He now lives to God.

We now come to the word that contains within itself the explanation of the terms

"made sinners" and "made righteous", "baptized" and "likeness", namely, the word

"reckon". Earlier in this epistle the "reckoning" has been by God alone, the sinner

having nothing to do or to say. For the first time this word is used as of the believer's

own volition, based as it is on all that has preceded in Rom. 6: 1-10.

"Likewise reckon ye also yourselves on the one hand (men) to be dead to sin, but on

the other hand (de) to be alive to God in Christ Jesus." The change of title "Jesus Christ

our Lord" found in the A.V. is justified by the Revised Text. The translation "through"

Jesus Christ our Lord, is not a true rendering of en "in" and as Alford remarks "in this

chapter it is not Christ's Mediatorship, but His Headship which is prominent". This

stand now being taken by the believer, certain consequences must follow. He is still in

the mortal body, only by "reckoning" can he view himself as "alive from the dead", but

this is a very real standing. He can at last yield himself unto God as those that are alive

from the dead, and just as death has no more dominion over the Saviour, so sin shall not

have dominion over the believer.

We have made no reference yet to Col. 2: 20, where once again we meet the words

"if ye be dead with Christ", but this passage is linked with Rom. 6: by the fact that here

also Paul speaks of the believer as having been "buried with Him by baptism" and

consequently, as we must devote another article to these passages in Rom. 6:, we must

defer consideration of Col. 2: until this further study of Rom. 6: has been attempted.