Romans 6:3

‘Or are you ignorant that all we who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death?'

For the truth is that when as believing Christians we are baptised, we are baptised into Christ's death. Baptism is intended to be not only a symbol of dying with Christ, but also a deliberate commitment to participation in Christ's death in union with Him (just as the partaking of the bread at Communion (the Eucharist, the Lord's Supper) is seen as making us participants in Christ's own heavenly body - 1 Corinthians 10:16; 1 Corinthians 12:12). Here, of course, he has the baptism of adult men and women who were baptised as soon as they became believers in mind, those who have ‘believed and immediately been baptised' (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38). It thus in our terms indicates the moment of commitment to Christ as our Saviour. By being baptised they were openly indicating, through their responsive faith, their desire to participate in the death of Christ by being ‘crucified with Him' (Galatians 2:20). And this was because they were becoming united with Him in His death by being united with Him in His glorified body (1 Corinthians 12:10 onwards). They were thereby passing their verdict on sin as something to which they were dying. They were indicating the end of their old lives (see Romans 6:6), and the commencement of a new (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:22). They were indicating their union with Christ in His spiritual body (1 Corinthians 12:10), to live as He lived and lives.

(We must beware of seeing ‘the body of Christ' as signifying the church on earth. That is a misrepresentation of Scriptural teaching. It is doubtful if in the New testament it ever has that meaning. In Scripture ‘the body of Christ' is the glorified body of Christ into which all true believers both on earth and in Heaven are incorporated as they are united with Him, in spirit, in His glorified body. Thus in 1 Corinthians 12:10 onwards the ‘body' includes the head, parts of which represent believers. Where mention is made elsewhere of Christ as ‘the Head' it is not as in contrast with the body, but as Lord over His people. As 1 Corinthians 12:12 makes clear ‘the body (including the head) IS Christ').

Some, however, see baptizo here as signifying ‘drenching, inundation, full involvement' and as not involving baptism. They see ‘baptised into Christ Jesus' as indicating involvement in a genuine union with Him through the Spirit's working (the ‘baptism in the Spirit' - 1 Corinthians 12:13; Matthew 3:11). Thus they see it as saying that by their commitment of themselves to Christ as their Saviour they were ‘fully involved in (inundated into) Him and in (into) His death' through the work of the Spirit. Compare here 1 Corinthians 12:13 where a similar reference is primarily to ‘baptism in Spirit' into the glorified body of Christ, resulting in drinking of one Spirit. Certainly whether water baptism is seen as in mind or not, this ‘drenching in Spirit' must be seen as an essential part of what is being described. Indeed no one who was baptised in water in the early days would have seen it as any other than confirmation of such a work of the Spirit taking place, or having taken place, within them. Baptism was closely associated with the Spirit coming in power and uniting believers with Christ.