Romans 6:1–11

¹What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?

²By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

³Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

⁴We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

⁵For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

⁶We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

⁷For one who has died has been set free from sin.

⁸Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

⁹We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.

¹⁰For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.

¹¹So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Give the gift of life. That is what the American Red Cross says in its campaign to motivate us to donate blood. It is a worthy cause. The gift of life is a good gift; a valuable gift; a noble sacrifice on the part of the donor.

Strange that we never hear anyone talking about giving the gift of death though. Or maybe it's not so strange. We don't think of death as much of a gift; at least not a gift most of us would want.

But, on the basis of the readings for today, perhaps we should take another look at the gift of death. It may just turn out to be more of a gift than we think. In fact it is exactly the gift that Jesus gives us, the gift of death; his death! Christ gives us the gift of his own death. His sacrificial death is a gift to all of us and to all mankind.

In fact, that is what is signified by his baptism. Baptism is a symbol for drowning. In his baptism, Jesus gives us a preview of his death. In his baptism, Jesus was washing himself with our sins and taking upon himself the sin and guilt of all of us. On the banks of the Jordan river he began his journey to the cross. Here he commenced his ministry to save us from our sins. There, coming up out of the waters of the Jordan, Jesus began his warfare with sin and darkness. On that day on his suffering began; he began dying for us. The very next time we see Jesus in Scripture after his baptism he is in the wilderness being tempted by Satan. Starting with his baptism, Jesus was laying down his life for us.

It is important to note that Jesus laid down his life voluntarily for us. "I lay down my life for the sheep," says Jesus. "Greater love has no man than this that he lay down his life for his friends." No one took Jesus' life. Not even Pilate had the power to take Jesus' life. He gave his life for us. His death was a gift to humanity.

And that is the important point; it was a gift. It was not a reward for something we did. It was not a payment as if we had earned it. It was not a giant "thank you" for something we did for him. It was a gift to us. His reason for giving his life for us was his own selflessness. It was his obedience to his Father who loved us so much that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in him shall have everlasting life. His sacrifice was not due to any merit on our part. We did not and do not deserve it. His death was a gift; the gift that gives life.

The gift of his death is a gift of great value. No gift in all the world has greater value. There is nothing as valuable in all the world. What is the great value of his death? By his death he removes our guilt. By becoming accursed in our place he takes away our curse. He taking upon himself our sin and guilt he removes it from us. "For he who knew no sin became sin for us in order that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." Jesus died on the cross because he took the curse of our sins, for the Scripture says, "Cursed is anyone who dies on a tree."

Moreover, by taking away our guilt he takes away the eternal punishment that we deserve. The sin and guilt of each one of us deserves imminent eternal punishment. So, when Jesus removed our guilt by his death, he removed eternal punishment. He freed us from the Day of Judgment and gives us life instead of the death we deserve.

Then Jesus gave us another gift; the gift of his life. He not only gives us the gift of his death, he also gives us the gift of his resurrection. The gifts of his resurrection he also gives to all humanity.

His resurrection routs all of our archenemies; sin, death and Satan. Because of his resurrection sin is no longer master over humanity. Unlike Adam who brought sin and death into the world, this Second Adam lived and died without sin. By his death and resurrection, sin is won over, this enemy is defeated and must release us from its grip. This Lamb of God has taken away the sin of the world. We are set free from its power and dominion.

Just as sin has been routed, death has been defeated and defanged. The grave of Jesus today stands wide open. "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." If the sting of death is sin and sin is vanquished by Jesus' death, then death is overcome and has lost its power on us.

By defeating death his resurrection overthrows Satan and his dominion. The strong man, Satan, has been bound by the Stronger Man, Christ Jesus. Death has been pillaged, and Satan's captives set free; we are set free from the power of sin, from the fear of death, from worry, from addictions. Satan's great weapon is death and death is done away because sin is removed. Satan's reign has come to an end, and though he rumbles and growls and prowls like a roaring lion seeking whom to devour, he is powerless and his captives are set free.

The resurrection of Jesus promises us eternal life. Because he rose from the dead, his reign is endless. He is not bound in any way, not even by the grave. There is no power over him, no enemy undefeated. Nothing can touch him or oppose him. His resurrection proves that he is able to fulfill all his promises to us. It shows that there is no enemy that can prevent him from doing whatever he promises. He has no enemy, for his enemies are defeated and he has won the victory.

He has destroyed death and the grave so that his disciples can live eternally under him as his subjects. For his disciples there is no fear of death because death has been conquered. He reigns over death.

Therefore, Christ gives us two great gifts: his death and his resurrection. But where do we get these gifts? The gift of Christ's death and resurrection are given to us through baptism. This is what the Apostle Paul was telling us in the Epistle reading today: "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?...[and] if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his."

When we are baptized we die with Christ. In baptism our old, sinful nature is drowned; we die to sin. Our sin is nailed to the cross in the person of Jesus Christ. Our old, sinful nature is washed away. This heavenly baptismal washing cleanses us from all transgression. In baptism, the blood of Christ releases us from death and agony. A new life awaits us.

In baptism as we are joined to Christ's death all the benefits of his gift of death are bestowed upon us. In his baptism, Jesus took our sins upon himself and assumed our guilt. In our baptism, he places his holiness on us and clothes us with his perfect righteousness. The great exchange takes place: he exchanges our sin for his holiness.

In his baptism, the Father spoke and said: "this man is my Son, in whom my heart has pleasure." In our baptism we are joined to Jesus and God says: "you are my beloved children in whom my heart has pleasure." God takes pleasure, not in what we have done, but he takes pleasure in what Jesus did on our behalf. In baptism God declares us forgiven and without sin. Not because we don't sin, but because we are joined to Christ who does not sin.

Therefore, in baptism, God makes us his children who are pleasing to him. God's love does not go out looking for people who please him, rather it creates what pleases him. In baptism our old, sinful man is put to death with Christ and the Holy Spirit creates a new man pleasing to God; a spiritual man restored to the image of Christ, that image which was lost to us by Adam but is restored to us by Christ.

In baptism we die to sin and are made alive to God in Christ. Sin's control over us is broken. We are forgiven and freed from the power of sin and the curse of death. We are redeemed from the total depravity of sin and a new, sinless nature is created in us. In baptism we are sealed with the Holy Spirit for the day of redemption. We receive the mark and seal of Christ as the ransomed ones. We become children and heirs of the Father with whom he is well pleased. And on the last day we will be perfectly renewed and raised incorruptible to live with Christ forever.

Until that day, the Lord tells his disciples to go out to every nation and bring to them the living word and his invitation to everyone to abandon sin and come in true contrition to be baptized and win full pardon and heavenly bliss. "Go. Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

This is exactly what Springs of Life Lutheran Church in Kibera, Kenya area is about. Through church, school, and clinic, Pastor Dennis Meeker brings the gospel through word and sacrament to the people of Kenya. Just a couple of weeks ago the church was burned down in the political unrest following the elections there. "Our faith stands firm," says pastor Meeker, "and we rejoice in the fact that faith does not burn and the church is never destroyed." As a result of the unrest in Kenya, thousands of displaced persons are piling up in refugee camps. But Pastor Meeker and other Lutheran pastors continue to make disciples there by baptizing them in the name of Christ. In the midst of refugee camps the promise of eternal life given in baptism still stands as a beacon of hope.

Baptism is about gifts, gifts from the Lord to us. Gifts of his death and resurrection. Thanks be to God that the gifts of Christ's death and resurrection are real, certain, and everlasting. Without any merit or worthiness in us Christ has suffered death on our behalf. Victorious over all our enemies, Christ bestows his gifts on us through the sacrament of Baptism. For you, the baptized, have been united with your Savior in both his death and resurrection so that you may share in life everlasting. That is your inheritance that has made you the Father's children with whom he is well pleased.

Amen.