Sixth Sunday after Trinity (1893)

Romans 6:3-11

The Christian life is a continual repentance. It is the daily business of a true Christian
that he daily dies to sin and daily is renewed in the spirit of his mind. And he takes the
strength for this from his baptism. Today's Epistle describes

the salutary effect of Baptism, specifically a two-fold effect:

1. We are dead to sin in Baptism.
a. We are baptized into Jesus Christ. This means first of all: in Jesus Christ, the
Crucified. There the name of Jesus Christ was invoked over us in our baptism, we have
come into the fellowship of the crucified Savior, into the fellowship of the death of Christ.
We have thus become partakers of the salutary fruit and work of the death of Jesus Christ.
b. Christ died to sin once for all. He has set aside sin once for all through His death.
He has redeemed us through His death, as from guilt and punishment, also from the power
and force, spell and coercion of sin.
c. Precisely this blessing of Christ has been appropriated to us through baptism into
the name of Jesus Christ. We have died, are dead, to sin in baptism. Our old man there has
been crucified, the Old Adam has been drowned, the sinful body has been set aside. The
power of sin is there broken. We now no longer need to serve sin because we are baptized.

2. We are transferred through baptism into a new, divine life.
a. We are baptized into Jesus Christ. This also means: in Jesus Christ, the
Resurrected. There we were baptized into the name of Jesus Christ, we have also entered
into the most intimate fellowship with the risen Savior. We have become partakers of the
blessing of the resurrection of Christ through baptism.
b. Christ was raised again from the dead by the glory of the Father after He was
dead and buried for our sins. The life He now lives, He lives to God. With His resurrection
He has entered into new, divine, heavenly life, in the life of transfiguration. And He has
thus also brought life and immortality to light for us.
c. This life is implanted precisely in our hearts through baptism into the name of
Jesus Christ. We are in a new, spiritual, divine life from baptism. The seed of God is in us.
We live in God in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
d. For that very reason we should also walk in newness of life and no doubt should
use the powers of regeneration that are in us, should present our members to God as
weapons and tools of righteousness.
Georg Stckhardt