Jesus was baptized in solidarity with His people. The flip side of that truth: you and I, indeed all the baptized, are in solidarity with Jesus Christ. He is one of us by His baptism — but by our baptisms, we are one with Him.
Jesus Christ died. We hang an instrument of death in the front of our worship spaces to remind ourselves of the fact that we are here to worship a crucified Jew. Jesus is in solidarity with us — but we are in solidarity with Him. He died, and when baptized, we die.
We die symbolically, in that we pass through the water of judgment that drowned Pharaoh's hosts. Our old, corrupt self dies spiritually, in order that we might be reborn to new life. We also die mystically, in union with our head, the Lord Jesus Christ. So today, we will dive into the apostle's teaching regarding baptism and the death of Christ. Baptism is a sign and seal of solidarity with Christ's death. His sufferings are, in some sense, yours if and when you are baptized. How could you live in sin? Baptism, rightly received in its full spiritual implications, has united you to Jesus Christ. His death conquered sin. Baptism signifies and seals that union with Christ in which His death to sin becomes your death to sin.
