Christian Foundations (13): Our Baptism into Christ

There are 3 foundational BAPTISMS that should take place at the start of our Christian life: (1) BAPTISM into CHRIST, (2) BAPTISM in WATER, and (3) BAPTISM in the HOLY SPIRIT. The word ‘BAPTISM’ means to DIP or IMMERSE into a medium – effecting a union, resulting in a permanent change. The 3 Baptisms are distinguished by WHO does it and the MEDIUM into which the person is baptised. *1. BAPTISM into CHRIST by the HOLY SPIRIT. This happens at the moment of salvation. *2. BAPTISM into WATER should follow soon after salvation, in which we act out and testify publicly to what God did in our spirit when we were baptised into Christ. *3. BAPTISM into the HOLY SPIRIT by the Lord Jesus (Matthew 3:11), empowering us for ministry. Adam, as the head of the human race, sinned and rebelled against God, and as a result he received sin, curse and death into himself, and all who are born IN ADAM are born into that same position of condemnation before God. Many things were true about us simply because we were born IN ADAM – we were spiritually dead, sinners under the power of the sin-nature, in the kingdom of darkness, guilty before God and under His wrath, destined for eternal destruction in Hell. This was our positional truth in Adam. Jesus became the 2nd Adam, offering Himself to us to be our new Representative before God. As we inherited from Adam the result of his sin, so when we receive Christ as our new Head, we inherit the result of His righteousness (forgiveness, grace and eternal life). On the Cross, He paid the price to cancel out our inheritance from Adam and reverse its curse. As He was perfectly righteous and obedient to God, as our Representative Man, He was fully accepted by God, and in His resurrection He received every blessing from God on our behalf. Through the Gospel, His forgiveness and His abundant and eternal life is offered to us as a free-gift. When we received Christ as our Lord and Saviour we were taken out of Adam and put (baptised) us into Christ, so that now every blessing is ours automatically, because of our new position in Christ. Just as death came to all through our union with Adam, so now abundant grace comes to all who are in Christ, through our union with Christ (Romans 5:12-21). The key issue is: Are you ‘in Adam’ or ‘in Christ’? As in Adam we were automatically under the curse of death because of Adam’s sin, even before we sinned, even so in Christ we are under the blessing of life (grace) because of Christ’s righteousness, simply because of our position in Christ (independent of our works): “As IN ADAM all DIE, even so IN CHRIST all shall be made ALIVE.” (1Cor 15:22). When we were baptised into Christ, we receive the NEW BIRTH of our spirit as Christ comes into us through His indwelling Spirit, and every blessing is ours, for sons of God are joint heirs with Christ (John 3:3-7). We were born IN ADAM, but now we are born again IN CHRIST. You still have a body and a sin-nature in your flesh from Adam, but the real you (your inner man) is now positionally in Christ. You are a new reborn spirit, a new creation in Christ, and qualify for every blessing in Christ (2Cor 5:17, Ephesians 1:3). Jesus, our Representative, lived a perfect righteous life and was fully ACCEPTED by God on our behalf, and is totally LOVED by God. So if we are IN CHRIST, we too are fully righteous and ACCEPTED by God, and are totally LOVED by God IN CHRIST (Eph 1:6). A key verse on the BAPTISM into CHRIST is 1Corinthians 12:13: “BY one SPIRIT we were all BAPTISED into one body (the body of CHRIST, the Head), whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and have all been made to drink into (receive) one Spirit.” Other key verses are Romans 6:3-6, Galatians 3:27, Ephesians 4:4-6 (where the 'one baptism' that all true believers have experienced is the baptism into Christ), Colossians 2:11-13. All the IN CHRIST verses tell us who we are and what we have simply because we are now IN CHRIST, having been put into union with Christ, through our baptism into Christ (1Corinthians 6:17, 2Corinthians 2:14, 5:21, Ephesians 2:10, Galatians 3:13-14, Colossians 1:13-14, Romans 8:37). In order to experience our freedom in Christ, it is important to know who we are in Christ, through God's Word (John 8:31-32). According to Ephesians 2:4-6, the moment we were put into Christ, (1) His LIFE was imparted to our spirit, changing it from death to life. So, our spirit is now alive to God (v5, Romans 6:11), (2) His VICTORY was imparted to our spirit, RAISING it above the power of the sin-nature and satan, making us victors, and setting us free from sin, and (3) His DOMINION was imparted to our spirit, empowering us to reign in life.