One Baptism

By Tammy Lacock

“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?” (Roman’s 6:3)

This week, Warren Litzman focuses on Romans chapter 6 as the foundational chapter for the Apostle Paul’s gospel of grace.

In verse 3, when Paul says “know ye not,” he’s asking believers if we know exactly what happened to us at the Cross, by Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection? Here he’s telling us something happened to us and asking, ‘don’t you know about it?’ As believers, when Christ died on the cross, we were baptized, fully immersed, into His death. By His death, we died too, to our old lives, cursed by the sin of Adam by Satan. By sacrificing His life, we as believers, have now been made free of the law and sin and blameless and holy before God (Ephesians 1:4). The Holy Spirit baptized each and every believer into Christ, and we are now one body in Him. There’s nothing left of our old selves, our old lives. Christ in us is our new life. The outworking of this is in our different expressions. But the incoming is singular, we are all baptized into one Spirit, that is Christ. One faith, one final baptism. Not by water but by the Holy Spirit.

“For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:13)

We see a glimpse of our baptism into Christ’s death in the Garden of Gethsemane. After three years of coming to Jerusalem on that Passover night, Christ fulfills God’s plan and drinks of the cup of all of our transgressions, pouring into Him our old lives. And as a result, we are fully immersed in Him unto His death. Yet Paul tells us, we share also in His resurrection, arising to a brand-new life in Him (Romans 6:5; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

Warren then takes us into Matthew 26:31, “Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.”

Here Jesus explains that it is going to be hurtful and very hard for His disciples to understand His death. In fact, many will deny Him on the eve of His death because they will not understand. Making the transition from being with them in the flesh to being in spirit will take time and understanding, which only the Holy Spirit can provide.

By the Holy Spirit, Paul’s epistles help us understand our new life in Christ. By God’s Grace through His Son’s death on the cross, no longer are we held bondage to the law and our own sins. This is God’s Grace now being poured out unto us.

May we not be offended by His death but greatly rejoice knowing there is now only one baptism. We have all been baptized into Christ by His death, making us one body, one in Him. He is now our Peace, our Strength, our Joy, the very Life within us. Only the cross makes this possible.

There is no greater gift.