Comfort in Our Baptism into Christ

Paul explains in Romans 8 the union of Christ and His people in suffering, death, and glory: "since we suffer with Christ, we will also be glorified together with Christ."

Because we have been united with Christ as God's sons, we share with Christ in His humanity, as does Christ with us. We are all brethren with Christ in the royal family of God!

All who trust in Jesus have been baptized into Christ by the Holy Ghost, and therefore baptized into His death and into His resurrection. Therefore, they have been baptized into Christ's suffering and glory!

This union with Christ is firstly, vicarious and by imputation. We died with Christ at the cross. This was not our physical death, but rather spiritually and legally, a death to sin and the law's punishment. We then rose with Christ spiritually unto new life in and with Him!

We were baptized into Christ by the Spirit of Adoption, and therefore we are Christ's, and we have "put on Christ."

We are joined with Christ in His dying, and in His resurrection, and in His inheritance. This all has profound implications upon our lives in this world.

Since we are thereby dead to sin in Christ, we ought not to continue in sin any longer, even though there is no longer any judgment left for our sin. Christ has taken away our judgment by dying for our sins in our place. The penalty for the broken law lies fully executed against us, but only in Christ, Who took our place in that judgment.

Even as we died with Christ, we are also raised spiritually with Christ unto new life in Christ.

Thus, because we have been joined together with Christ by the Holy Ghost, we suffer with Christ, and we are glorified with Christ.