罗马书6:3

作者：谢德华 (©By Edward Short)

Romans 6:3

©By Edward Short

耶稣基督生于中东，以色列。耶稣在以色列传扬福音，在耶路撒冷受难复活。基督教最早的发展也在耶路撒冷，犹大，撒马利亚一代。不久以后，教会已经发展到小亚细亚，希腊，意大利等地。用中国历史计算时间，这都是属于汉朝。

耶稣基督的一位使徒，名叫保罗，写了几封书信给早期的基督徒，其中的一封书信写给住在罗马的基督徒。在信函中保罗提醒读者，当他成为基督徒时，他受了洗；保罗说明洗礼是怎么一回事。保罗说：“岂不知我们这受洗归入基督耶稣的人，是受洗归入他的死吗？”（这是罗马书六章三节。）

下面，请让我们按照保罗所写的这句话，了解洗礼的意义和重要，好吗？

“...岂不知我们”：“我们”是当时的基督徒，包括保罗在内。保罗说“我们”做了什么呢？“岂不知我们这受洗归入基督耶稣的人…” 意思是，当张三受洗的时候，他就归入在耶稣里面，他归入耶稣名下。“归入”的意思就在下一句话讲的更清楚，“岂不知我们这受洗归入基督耶稣的人，是受洗归入他的死吗？”保罗告诉读者，洗礼使得他们归入耶稣的死。洗礼让张三，在灵性上，与耶稣的死亡联结。透过洗礼，人们接触到耶稣的死亡，并且让耶稣的宝血在自己个人的身上发生作用。

《圣经新约》再三地告诉我们，神用他的爱，他的恩典以及耶稣的宝血拯救世人。耶稣为我们被钉在十字架上，流他的宝血，为要洗去我们的罪。当然《圣经》教导我们要悔改我们的过失和罪孽，神才赦免我们，但是在罗马书六章这里，保罗强调另外一点，那就是洗礼。保罗说，当受洗的时候，耶稣的宝血在我们身上发出他的力量来；洗礼使得我们“归入”耶稣基督

难怪，基督徒那样重视洗礼。难怪，基督徒把他受洗的日子当作他“重生”的日子，他成为基督徒的日子。在《圣经》看来，“归入基督”就是成为基督徒的意思，又是进入基督教之门的意思。“归入基督”就是被神加入他属灵的家，就是他的教会的意思。

朋友，不知道，你是不是有一些基督徒朋友，或者您自己，因为拜读了《圣经》就想要成为基督徒。我请您，多多地阅读《圣经》，明白洗礼的意义。之后，请一位基督徒为您施洗，让您“归入耶稣基督”，成为基督徒，就如保罗在罗马书六章三节所说的：“…岂不知我们这受洗归入基督耶稣的人，是受洗归入他的死…”。

Jesus Christ was born in the Middle East, in Israel.  Jesus preached the gospel in Israel and was crucified and resurrected in Jerusalem.  The earliest growth of Christianity was in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria.  Before long, however, the church was already in Asia Minor, Greece, Italy and other places.  Calculated according to Chinese history, this took place during the Han Dynasty.

One of Jesus’ apostles was a man named Paul.  Paul wrote letters to early Christians, and one such letter went to the Christians in Rome.  In his letter, Paul reminded the Roman Christians that they’d been baptized when they became Christians, and Paul explained clearly what baptism was.  Paul said, “...don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” [Romans 6:3, NIV]. 

Let’s take a moment and see exactly what about baptism Paul teaches in this Scripture.  

“...don’t you know that all of us”:  “Us” refers to the Christians to whom Paul was writing, including Paul himself.  What did Paul say that “all of us” did?  Paul said, “…don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ…”  This means that when someone was baptized he identified himself with Jesus and entered “into” Jesus Christ.  “Into” is further explained in the entire phrase, “...don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?”  Paul says that baptism enabled a person to enter “into” the death of Jesus.  In baptism, a person is united spiritually with the death of Jesus; in baptism, a person contacts the death of Jesus and thus enables the blood of Jesus to be applied to that individual person.

Over and over the Bible tells us that all people are saved by God’s love and grace and by the blood of Jesus.  Jesus was nailed to the cross and shed his blood for us so that our sins might be washed away.  The Bible teaches that God cannot forgive us, unless we repent of our sins, but in Romans chapter six, Paul emphasizes something else, and that is baptism.  Paul says that the blood of Jesus takes effect on us personally when we’re baptized; it’s in baptism that we enter “into” Jesus Christ.

No wonder, then, that Christians so emphasize baptism.  No wonder that Christians see their baptism as the day they are “reborn,” as the day they become a Christian.  According to the Bible, entering “into Christ Jesus” means becoming a Christian and stepping through the door into Christianity.  Entering “into Christ Jesus” means being added by God to his spiritual family, the church.

Perhaps you have some Christian friends, who, because of Bible study, have decided to become Christians; maybe you yourself have made this decision.  I encourage you to keep studying until you understand the meaning of baptism.  Then ask a Christian minister or friend to baptize you “into Christ Jesus” so you will become a Christian, just as Paul says in Romans 6:3, “...all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death…”

May 24, 2005; rev. Sept. 26, 2005