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| In Baptism, Which is the Similitude of the Death and Resurrection of Christ, All, Both Infants and Adults, Die to Sin that They May Walk in Newness of Life.
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Chapter
52.—In Baptism, Which is the Similitude of the Death and
Resurrection of Christ, All, Both Infants and Adults, Die to Sin
that They May Walk in Newness of Life.
And after he has said as much about
the condemnation through one man, and the free gift through one
man, as he deemed sufficient for that part of his epistle, the
apostle goes on to speak of the great mystery of holy baptism in
the cross of Christ, and to clearly explain to us that baptism in
Christ is nothing else than a similitude of the death of Christ,
and that the death of Christ on the cross is nothing but a
similitude of the pardon of sin: so that just as real as is His
death, so real is the remission of our sins; and just as real as is
His resurrection, so real is our justification. He says: “What
shall we say, then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may
abound?”1176
For he had
said previously, “But where sin, abounded, grace did much more
abound.”1177
And
therefore he proposes to himself the question, whether it would be
right to continue in sin for the sake of the consequent abounding
grace. But he answers, “God forbid;” and adds, “How shall we,
that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” Then, to show
that we are dead to sin, “Know ye not,” he says, “that so
many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into
His death?” If, then, the fact that we were baptized into the
death of Christ proves that we are dead to sin, it follows that
even infants who are baptized into Christ die to sin, being
baptized into His death. For there is no exception made: “So many
of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into His
death.” And this is said to prove that we are dead to sin. Now,
to what sin do infants die in their regeneration but that sin which
they bring with them at birth? And therefore to these also applies
what follows: “Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into
death; that, like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the
glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of
life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His
death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection:
knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body
of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with
Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him: knowing that
Christ, being raised from the dead, dieth no more; death hath no
more dominion over Him. For in that He died, He died unto sin once;
but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also
yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through
Jesus Christ our Lord.” Now he had commenced with proving that we
must not continue in sin that grace may abound, and had said:
“How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein?”
And to show that we are dead to sin, he added: “Know ye not, that
so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized
into His death?” And so he concludes this whole passage just as
he began it. For he has brought in the death of Christ in such a
way as to imply that Christ Himself also died to sin. To what sin
did He die if not to the flesh, in which there was not sin, but the
likeness of sin, and which was therefore called by the name of sin?
To those who are baptized into the death of Christ, then,—and
this class includes not adults only, but infants as well,—he
says: “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto
sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”1178
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