By baptism, we have been put into the Triune God, but this putting in also includes the termination. We need to read Romans 6 again. “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death” (Rom. 6:3-4). We were baptized into His death, and we have seen that His death means termination. So to be baptized into Christ means to be baptized into termination.
When we were baptized into Christ, we were terminated in Him and buried in Him. We are happy to hear that we were baptized into the Triune God, into Christ, and into the one Body, but we must realize what baptism means. Baptism means termination and burial. To be baptized into Christ is to be terminated in Christ. We are even buried in Christ. So many people think that to be put into Christ means to be put into the heavens, but it really means to be put into a tomb. This is why Galatians 2:20 says, “No more I.” The “I” is terminated and buried. As many of us as were baptized into Christ were baptized into His death. This is not so pleasant. We like to stay in Christ, but we do not like to stay in the tomb. But if we take Christ, surely we must also take His death. And His death means termination and burial.
Nearly all Christians know that Matthew is a book concerning the kingdom. But this book also shows us that to enter into the kingdom is really simple. We only have to be buried into Christ, and then we are in the kingdom. If we would be buried in Christ, we are in the kingdom. To go and disciple all nations, baptizing them into the Triune God means to put people into the kingdom. And to put people into the kingdom means to terminate them and bury them.
Today, the real meaning of baptism has been completely lost. People only know the form as a kind of ritual. They simply cannot understand that baptism means to be put into the Triune God, into Christ, and into the one Body. And it means to be terminated and buried in Christ. All my history, my natural life, my self, my nature, and my whole being is now terminated in Christ and is buried. By this I am in the Triune God, I am in Christ, I am in the one Body, and I am in the kingdom. There is no other way but to be buried into Christ. It is not simply to be buried in the water. That means little. We have to be buried into Christ.
We must learn to put these four verses together. Matthew 28:19 says that we have been baptized into the Triune God. Romans 6:3 and Galatians 3:27 say that we have been baptized into Christ. And 1 Corinthians 12:13 says that we have been baptized into the one Body. The Triune God is the very Christ, and the very Christ is the one Body. When we are buried into these three things, which are really one, we are really terminated. Then we are in the proper church life, the kingdom, and the Body.
If God did not become the life-giving Spirit, it would be really difficult for Him to put people into Himself. In the first place, we would still have sin. Sin would not be dealt with. Besides this, we are mere human beings. How could human beings be put into God? But, praise the Lord that He became flesh to accomplish redemption and take away the sin of man. After this, He became the life-giving Spirit, making it possible for His chosen ones to be baptized into Him. So when we are baptizing others, we should not do it by ourselves. We must do it with Him, by being one with Him. We put them into the water, but He is putting them into Himself. On the one hand, He is the Baptizer, and on the other hand, He is the available Spirit, making it possible for Him to put people into Himself.
If we would know the indwelling of Christ, we must see the proper meaning of the baptism. We have been baptized into the Triune God, into Christ, and into the one Body. And this baptism means our termination and our burial. We have been fully ended. All the Americans are fully ended, and all the Chinese are terminated. All the natural human beings have been terminated and buried. Hallelujah! Now it is no more I, but Christ. “I” have been terminated and buried into the Triune God, into Christ, and into the one Body. This is the meaning of baptism.
Now we are clear concerning the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew tells us that Christ was a little child, born of a virgin. And this little child was Emmanuel, God with us. After living on this earth He was processed through death and resurrection to become the wonderful life-giving Spirit, who is the full realization, reality, and embodiment of the Triune God. He is the Baptizer, and He is also the very One into whom people are baptized. This is the baptism that forms the one Body, and this Body today is just Christ, and Christ is the Triune God. Praise the Lord!