“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ”
Verse 27 shows how our sonship [adult privilege] came about.
For
The word “for” explains how we received the same identity that Jesus has before God forever.
as many of you
The words “as many” are equivalent to the “all” of the previous verse. God baptizes every Christian without exception into Christ and puts “Christ” on him.
as were baptized into Christ
This phrase does not refer to water baptism but spiritual baptism at the instant we place our faith in Christ. We enter a living union with Christ at salvation. The word “baptized” means to identify. God identifies us with Christ at salvation.
“Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so, we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4).
“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13).
have put on Christ
At the moment of salvation, we enter into an eternal and actual relationship with Christ. The words “put on” allude to the act of putting on the toga of manhood, the toga virilis. Christians wear the garment of adulthood. We have freedom and privilege with God forever from the moment of salvation.
The words “put on” signify enter into or get into, as into clothes. The indwelling Holy Spirit envelops the believer at salvation. God clothes every Christian with Christ without exception. This is more than being clothed with the ethics of Christianity. This is being clothed with Christ Himself.
Principle:
God gives us the status that Christ has in God’s eyes by identifying us with Christ at salvation.
Application:
This verse does not mean God saves us by water baptism. It means God views us as having the same status Jesus has. All of our resources before God are because we are in Christ. Our status with God lasts forever because we carry the same status Jesus Christ has with the Father.
what do yo make of John 3:3-5?
Victor, "Water" refers to physical birth and "spirit" refers to spiritual birth. There are a number of interpretations of 3:5 but none of them are definitive. When this is case then it is not advisable to use this verse as a primary source for a doctrine. The principle of hermeneutics is clear passages must take priority over the unclear.
Hi in your article on salvation you have Spurgeon listed as a false teacher because he believed in baptism was necessary for salvation? I did research and could not find if that was true or not but it seems as though he was a calvanist and maybe a Lordship Salvationist. So are you saying Spurgeon was nit saved because he believed baptism was necessary for salvation? Thanks
Scott, you misread my point in that article (https://versebyversecommentary.com/articles/doctrine/the-single-condition-for-salvation/). I was saying the opposite of what you claim. The point was that if a person is saved by baptism then that would rule out such men as Spurgeon.
Ok. Sorry about the mis-understanding!
Jesus is very plain about the need of baptism Mark 16:15-16 baptism and belief are needed for salvation.
In all the examples of those being saved in the book of Acts, baptism was done right away because it removed their sins Acts 2:37-38, Acts 8:35-40 , Acts 16:25-33, Acts 22 :16
Jerry, note this study: https://versebyversecommentary.com/articles/doctrine/the-single-condition-for-salvation/ and my studies on Acts 2:38. Also, most scholars claim that Mark 16:15-16 are not in the oldest manuscripts.