You Were There! (Romans 6:3-5)

In this powerful episode of Wisdom for the Heart, Stephen Davey unpacks Romans 6:3-5, addressing the profound spiritual reality that believers are united with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. He begins by confronting a common theological objection: if salvation is by grace through faith and not by works, why not continue in sin to magnify God's grace? Davey refutes several misinterpretations of 'dying to sin,' including the idea that sin's allure has vanished, that believers must 'die daily' to sin, or that the sin nature is eradicated. Instead, he argues that believers have died to sin's dominion—its ruling power—through union with Christ. He then explores the meaning of baptism, emphasizing that the Greek word 'baptizomai' literally means immersion, not sprinkling or pouring, and that water baptism is a powerful, literal analogy of being buried with Christ and raised to new life. Drawing from Jewish and pagan initiation rites, he shows how the enemy distorted the concept of baptism, but clarifies that true baptism is not a means of salvation but a public declaration of an inward transformation. Using the imagery of Lazarus, Davey illustrates that believers are not merely 'turning over a new leaf' but have been resurrected to a new life, with a new identity, purpose, and master. The episode concludes with a call to live in the reality of this new life, rooted in Christ's finished work.