Baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ
Dearly beloved of God, God resurrected Jesus from the dead, and he dies no more! God marked out Jesus Christ our Lord as the Son of God with power by the resurrection of the dead.
What bearing does Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead have on us?
Romans 6: 3
Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
In the Christian religion today there are a number of different schools of thought concerning baptism. What does the Word of God reveal on the subject. God does not want us to be ignorant.
There are those who teach when someone is immersed in water the person is symbolically identified with Christ.
When the person goes down in the water it represents that he/she is identified with Christ in his death and burial. When the person rises out of the water it symbolizes that he is raised to life with Christ. Is that what the Word of God teaches?
Listen to what Jesus Christ said before his ascension.
Acts 1:4 and 5
4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost [pneuma hagion: holy spirit] not many days hence.
In the first place, Jesus Christ told his disciples that John had baptized with water, but now they would be baptized with holy spirit not many days from then. The water was symbolic until the reality of the holy spirit was given.
Acts 2:38
Then Peter said unto them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost [pneuma hagion: holy spirit].
They were to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, not water.
When John baptized Jesus he said that Jesus would baptize with the holy spirit. Baptism would no longer be symbolic, it would be a reality.
The name of Jesus Christ was associated with his accomplishments.
Jesus Christ was the Passover Lamb, and he died for our sins. We are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.
Jesus Christ sent the promise of the Father, which is the gift of holy spirit. We are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ to receive the gift of holy spirit.
After Jesus Christ accomplished all that was spoken of him we can now receive the reality for which he died to make available. The reality has now come!
Romans 6:3-11
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We were baptized into Jesus Christ, meaning in what he accomplished in his death, burial, and resurrection from the dead. It is no longer symbolic, it is a present reality! But wait, there is even more.
Ephesians 2: 5 and 6
5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
Now we are completely identified with Christ Jesus in what he accomplished in his death and burial, his resurrection from the dead, his ascension, and seating in the heavenly realm. All that he accomplished is dependent on his resurrection from the dead.
As members of the Church, which is the body of Christ, we share with him in his accomplishments. It is all in all of us. We are complete in Christ Jesus; completely filled. It is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Now we are justified from the sin of Adam, and from the guilt and condemnation of sin. There is no more condemnation to those in Christ Jesus. We received the remission of sins.
We are delivered from the loss of spirit life that resulted from Adam’s sin; we received new spirit life in the new birth. We were made alive with Christ when we received the gift of holy spirit.
Now we are citizens of heaven, and Christ Jesus himself represents us there as members of his body until he returns to gather us together on the day of redemption. The holy spirit is the earnest of our inheritance.
We were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ; we are identified with him in his accomplishments. It is a reality! Furthermore, we will acquire the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ when he returns to gather us up to meet him in the air! Rejoice forevermore!