What’s the Meaning of Baptism?
Baptism = Immersion in Christ
The English word “baptize” comes from the Greek word “baptizein,” which means “to immerse.”
While water baptism is just a symbol, it represents a spiritual immersion into Christ.
Baptism into Jesus Unites me to Him
When my spirit becomes “immersed” into Christ, that means that I become SUBMERGED into Christ—completely surrounded by Christ and hidden within Him.
I can imagine myself being immersed into Christ in the same way that I might be immersed into the ocean. If I were to become immersed into the ocean, it could be said that I had “become part of” the ocean. (Whenever people refer to “the ocean,” they’re talking about the body of water PLUS whatever plankton, fish, and particles happen to find their existence within that ocean.) So in a way, if I were to submerge myself in the ocean, I would be “uniting” myself with the ocean.
Maybe this is what happens to us when scripture describes us as being “in” Christ. Any time Christ is affected, we also become affected, because our spirit exists “within” Him.
Jesus is life, so when I become united to Jesus through baptism, I become united to life.
Related
What Does “Baptized into Moses” Mean? (1 Cor 10:2)
What is Baptism in the Spirit?