1. “Baptized into Christ Jesus” (Rom. 6:3).
In John 3:16 the word into follows the word believes in the original language. Thus, just as we believe into Christ, so also we are baptized into Christ; both cause us to enter into Christ and to be joined to Him. Just as we are joined to Christ through believing to partake of Him, so we are joined to Him through baptism to partake of Him. Believing and being baptized cause us to enter into Christ and become persons in Christ.
1. “Baptized into His death...buried therefore with Him through baptism into His death”; “Buried together with Him in baptism, in which also you were raised together with Him” (Rom. 6:3-4; Col. 2:12).
Since we are baptized into Christ, we are also baptized into His death. Baptism causes us to be joined to Christ and to participate in His death, burial, and resurrection. Since baptism puts us into Christ, it also puts us into His death to be buried and raised together with Him. Therefore, we, who are baptized into Christ, enter into His death, are buried with Him, and are raised with Him, being completely joined to Him. In His death the old life of the self dies completely, and we die forever to sin and the world; in His burial the self and all our past are completely terminated; in His resurrection we receive His life and have a new beginning of life. Therefore, when we go into the water to be baptized, by faith we enter into Christ’s death and allow the self, everything of the self, and everything related to the self to be buried in Christ’s burial, in the tomb of the baptismal waters. By faith we then come out of the water and allow Christ to live in us in His resurrection.
Therefore, baptism causes us to be joined to the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. His death and burial terminate the self and everything related to the self, freeing us from sin and the world. Only death and burial can cause a person to be terminated. No matter how lively or active a person is, once he is dead and buried, everything is finished. Only death and burial can free a person from sin and release a person from the world. Only the dead can be freed from sin, totally cutting off their relationship with sin. Only the dead can be freed from the world and say “good-bye” to the world. Moreover, only a person who is buried can completely leave the world; the world leaves no shadow or trace on a buried one. The functions of death and burial are the negative aspects of the meaning of baptism. In its negative aspect, baptism puts us into Christ’s death and burial, freeing us from the self, sin, the world, the things of the old creation, the things of Satan, and everything apart from God. In its positive aspect, baptism joins us to Christ’s resurrection. This resurrection causes us to become a new creation, to participate in the divine life in Christ with all its riches, and to enter into the new realm of resurrection where old things have passed away and everything is made new. This is the reality of baptism and the positive aspect of baptism.
1. “Baptism, not a putting away of the filth of the flesh but the appeal of a good conscience unto God” (1 Pet. 3:21).
Because baptism puts us into Christ, causing us to be joined to His death, burial, and resurrection, it gives us a good conscience, and from this good conscience, it produces a testimony of the Lord’s salvation. In the past we were in our corrupt and sinful selves; consequently, our conscience was not good. Since baptism put us into Christ through the redemption accomplished by His death and the justification caused by His resurrection, our conscience becomes good, and through baptism there is a testimony that we who died, were buried, and are resurrected together with Christ are partakers of Christ. Our sins are forgiven in Him because of His redemption, and we are justified in Him because of His resurrection. Thus, baptism gives us a good conscience through our entering into Christ and our entering into His death, burial, and resurrection. Our good conscience thus testifies before God, before worldly people, before angels, before Satan, and before all created things that we are joined to Christ, that we have died and resurrected with Him, and that in Him we have received God’s forgiveness of our sins, are justified by God, and have returned to God to eternally belong to Him.
Baptism is not a ceremony or ritual for becoming a church member; rather, it is a practical procedure, a definite step in faith. By such a step we enter into Christ and are joined to Him, obtain full salvation in Him, and have a silent testimony to His salvation from our good conscience.