Baptism

 •  30 min. read  •  grade level: 10
 
Baptism never refers to Jordan, but to the Red Sea. It brings us where we have the manna and the spiritual drink in the wilderness, but into the wilderness where these are. In Canaan they were not-the manna ceased, and they eat the old corn of the land. That is, it is wholly short of heaven, and passing Jordan as bringing us there. It brings us to no part of what God gives, save supplies by the way, deliverance from Satan's world not bringing into God's place of habitation.
But this must be more inquired into; the blood met the judgment of God against them where they were in fact-sinners in Egypt, though God's people. They go through exercises up to the Red Sea-there they are delivered from their previous standing; redemption is complete, even to final deliverance, in figure, for the Egyptians are destroyed. But though redemption be complete, so that they are brought to God (Ex. 15), it is all, even to judgment, this world, and as a present thing this world as a wilderness with manna, water, and grapes and guidance; none of this is heaven, and this is the real difference. Hence typically it is Israel, or, as an analogy, the Church on earth though for heaven.
We have then Mara, manna, quails, water and Amalek—the whole scene so far, and Jethro's feast to Aaron and Moses, and Zipporah brought back. But all this is a little scene by itself, and wilderness life characterizes the actual effect of the passage of the Red Sea. The celebration of the song of Moses is that we are brought to God—that enemies will be as still as a stone—that we shall come to the place which God's hands have established as a dwelling place. They were baptized to Moses, but Moses himself never entered into Canaan. The wilderness is a place where responsibility is tested as to arriving in Canaan, even in figure, see 1 Cor. 10. We are not baptized to Moses in Jordan.
Though redemption was complete, the persons brought out are subject to a responsibility which supposes the possibility of not arriving; other things may make them safe—if they are really the Lord's, they will surely be kept—but their place there is with an " if," as in Col. 1 and Hebrews, and so in 1 Cor. 9 and 10. It is the external thing founded on Christ's death, based on a full deliverance, but testing as to the individual. There is testing even in Colossians—none in Ephesians, nor is baptism referred to, save as to professed faith and Lordship; conflict and government, the armor of God to be able to stand in the evil day, but not on a journey, uncertain whether I arrive, or sure to fail in myself, and if he is, sure to be kept by another, but only therefore sure, and hence tested.
Baptism takes this ground-redemption by Christ's death, not merely secured from judgment by the blood on the doorposts; I go further, I am brought to have part (am baptized into it) in His death professedly in baptism, and hence am called upon to walk in newness of life. I reckon (if it be real in me) myself dead—that I shall be in the likeness of His resurrection. I am called on to reckon myself dead to sin, and alive to God through Him. I am started in my responsible course in this world on the blessed ground of redemption, to reckon myself dead to sin,1 alive to God, and to yield myself to God as alive from the dead, and a blessed privilege it is to pass through this world-free, by redemption, to live to God, and to serve in such a world as this. The Spirit of God is given to me, and if it is real it will certainly end well.
Rom. 6 goes further; it takes Christ's death as death to sin, and the state man was in (He, the sinless One), and draws conclusions from it for us inasmuch as He was risen. But we were baptized to His death, i.e., to have a part in it—we are alive to God through Him risen (and consequently to Him risen-not to law), sin was not therefore to reign; but there is no resurrection with Him. The man in flesh was alive, and he has passed into death through Christ-there is no resurrection with Him.
Ephesians looks at it (and therefore never touches on baptism, save as the sign of outward profession in contrast with the unity of the body, chap. 4) in a quite different light. We are not to die, nor have died as alive in sin, but dead in sin and quickened together with Him, raised up together, etc. Hence, too, we have no justification in Ephesians, but a new Creation—we are what God makes us in Christ, His workmanship; we were dead, Christ in grace comes down there for us, accomplishing the work of redemption, and putting away sin, and we and He are all raised up into a new place.
Colossians is somewhat between both; a hope was laid up in heaven. We are quickened together with Him, but not simply a new creation, but forgiven all trespasses, and called to have our affections above, where Christ sits-not we in Him, our life being hid there; Christ is our life—He is in us—we are complete in Him, but not in Him so as to be sitting in heavenly places. We are dead, risen with Him but on earth, not merely delivered from but looking to, because we have the life that belongs to heaven, and He is sitting there. It is not union in the body by the Holy Ghost, but life. It is the character of life as Christ in heaven, but not union—being there and sitting in Him there through the Holy Ghost.
Now in the Red Sea we have deliverance—the salvation of God connected with judgment of evil, dealing with men, in either case, as belonging to this world; but Jordan is a passing out of the whole condition of responsible man in the world, godly or ungodly. We had, to have done with it, and we have, to do with death. The memorial stones were in Jordan, but death as away from God, in the place of death itself. It was not merely pronounced judgment, but being away, forsaken of God. The ark goes down there; it takes us out of death, through it, and introduces into heaven where Christ is gone, who has glorified God. Moses, figure of legal responsibility, as alive in the world, himself dies, has nothing to do with the land save reaching the vision of it, like a dying man seeing out of this world; he is no new creation. Christ is not here seen as shedding His blood, nor as a Deliverer in the place of judgment, but we in Him, as He for us having through death the place of man here, find entering, and we having done with the Wilderness—life down here—entering in Him into heavenly places. With this, baptism, as a sign, has nothing to do. It goes, in Colossians, as far as rising through faith of the operation of God in raising Christ, but places on earth with our affections and hope called to be in heaven, and then we appear to earth; our union place by the Holy Ghost is left out.
Romans is a conclusion—to live obediently and rightly here; Colossians, to live in spirit in heaven, but it is a hortative consequence. In Ephesians, we are sitting in heavenly places; what is sought is the presence and power of the Christ, who is there, operative in us on the earth still to make us vessels of God here.
In a word, Jordan is death as ceasing to belong to this world at all, and entering into heavenly places, as belonging to them, with an ascended Christ. The Red Sea is death as redemption and deliverance, leading us to live to God in this world, and "if" remains. The Red Sea is deliverance into a responsible life in this world, though, if life be there, we shall reach the goal; Jordan is dying to it, and entering into Canaan as united to Christ.
Baptism is at the Red Sea-not Jordan, though we may add resurrection to it as leaving sins behind, "Having forgiven you all trespasses"; we walked in them when we lived in them—now I have put off the old man and put on the new. It is individual, and reception into profession, "One Lord, one faith." There is no conflict with spiritual wickedness, no taking possession till Canaan. In Egypt they were slaves, not combatants—in Canaan, the Lord's hosts; in the desert with God, for their good—in Canaan with Satan, for God. Hence baptism goes further in Colossians than in Romans, but never puts us above nor in the body or unity. It saves—we wash away our sins in it, we go into death in it, and in Col. 2 it is added we "are risen"; hence also it is individually. The Church has never to die. It is first born in the new Creation, and when we are risen in baptism, it is by faith of the operation of God, so by the resurrection of Jesus Christ; but it is never entering into heavenly places. There was no ark in the Red Sea, nor memorial stones set up in it, or taken out of it. Hence Paul, though of course it could not be abrogated, was not sent to baptize, and carefully tells us so, but had a revelation about the Lord's supper, which is the sign of the unity of the Body to the partakers.
I have added here and there notes to explain, on reading this over; but it is important as to baptism and the nature of these epistles. It is clear that baptism, though it may go on to resurrection, in a certain aspect giving Christ for our life, never takes out of this world, but puts us in the position of responsibility in it, according to newness of life surely, but it is, " So we also should walk in newness of life." In Colossians it is, " If ye continue in the faith, grounded and settled. Hence the force of the warning in 1 Cor. 10. They were baptized, etc., " But with many of them God was not well pleased "; we are called to walk in this world as dead and risen again, as in the Wilderness-this is the utmost. Hence it is the expression of the outward visible Church, " One Lord, one faith, one baptism." We have a good conscience of the resurrection, we " Wash away our sins calling on the name of the Lord," are received into the responsible place of God's people in this world-that which is analogous to the Vine. The Wilderness and the world is a' testing place of result. Though with sure promises for faith, we are made companions of Christ " if," in this aspect of things-and so always looked at as in this world, in the wilderness; this, with the fullest comfort of promise and God's faithfulness for faith, is the character of Colossians, Hebrews and Peter.
Romans stands somewhat by itself, because it takes the ground on which the individual stands, the root of it, the nature of the place, and does not (save in occasional exhortations) deal with professed position, but the nature of the things he speaks of—their real value. As to this point, we have baptism in Romans, death, i.e. baptized into Christ's death, that is its real character as respects sin; I am to reckon myself to have done with it as a dead man-I leave what I was by baptism. It assumes Christ to be dead and risen, which is already our justification, chapters 3 and 4. This obviates the flesh's reasoning against the doctrine, by showing that that, by which we have a professed share in this work of Christ, is a profession to go into death to have a part in that as to sin, i.e., not to live in it. But we have no Church place, body, nor house, nor profession (save in exhortation), but individual place and baptism is referred to this.
In 1 Corinthians we have "All that call on the name of the Lord" assumed sincere, and being in the place of saints, but still the question raised; and here the ground of a public position, and a question as to its reality is directly raised, as noticed in chapter 10. We have the body in chapter 12, and the responsible profession, the egioi kletoi (called saints), but all that call on the name of the Lord in every place-a wise master-builder, but the possibility of wood, hay and stubble (besides corruptors); and hence the result in question, though both together there and hope it was all right, but warning. So the difference is made in Peter and Hebrews, of persevering and drawing back in individuals (there no question of Church); hence the Corinthians is the fullest unfolding of the Church on earth, though God's view of it is fully contemplated there. It was there as what He had made it, but placed under responsibility, and man's work down here, not the statement of the result prophetically-that is in Thessalonians, Timothy, and elsewhere (the tree of promise, because it is not the place of Church doctrine in Rom. 1). But in 1 Corinthians the wood, and hay, and stubble is in God's building, but God's actual “building” (on earth) "ye are"—"He has set in the assembly."
In Colossians we have more than in Rom., i.e., justification of the individual, and guarding that doctrine as to the individual. In Colossians, we have, " Wherein also we are risen by faith of the operation of God, who raised him "-it touches Romans by " dying," and Ephesians by " quickened " together with Him; but if quickened, forgiven, not going on to union, and sitting in heavenly places, only this looked at as truth, but the saint is seen as in fact dead and risen with Christ, and looking up where He is, his life being hid with Him there. It is not the Holy Ghost, but it is by the Holy Ghost we have the Body and union. It is life which, being Christ, is in heaven; hence also Christ's coming is " appearing " and our appearing with Him; union with and so meeting Him and being with Him forever is not here. The fact of the body and the Head is recognized, but the Christian's place in the teaching of the Apostle is “Ye are dead and risen"... “seek what is above, where Christ is." It supposes our being with Him before He appears, or we could not appear with Him, but does not teach it as its subject. Hence, I say, it goes further than Romans on this point. It is not "baptized, you a living sinner, to His death and now to reckon yourself dead and so walk in this world in the newness of life," but " buried with him unto death" "risen with him, being forgiven"—"therefore look up where Christ, who is your life, sits." “Buried" here is having totally done with the old condition of sinner, and here he looks for reality—he is risen together by faith of the operation of God, who raised Christ from the dead. It is not merely what it means as in Romans, and responsibility, but an explanation to true Christians, as such, of what their real place was, not by profession but by faith in contrast with forms and ordinances (quad nota); it is not " baptized to," but "quickened together with"—all your trespasses forgiven-they were pistol en Christo Jesou (faithful in Jesus Christ).
In Romans, it is the meaning of the thing as to previous life and present individual responsibility. In Corinthians the professed place as a public body in the world, professing Christ to be Lord. In Colossians the faithful in Christ Jesus shown what their place in Christ was, and even in contrast with ordinances though expressed by baptism. They had circumcision, but in its true and more than figurative power, as baptism showed they were gone, dead, and buried, and through faith in God's power in raising Christ, raised with Him, as their coming out of that burial of course expressed, but in the world and not to have their affections on what was on the earth, but on what was in heaven where Christ their life was.2 But this was the extreme limit of baptism; nor is there question of being sun (together with) Him, without introducing "by faith"—the en o, and there is no co-session.
Now in Ephesians, though it touches Colossians on one side, we get out of this. There is not what a living sinner dies to, but a dead sinner is created again—God's workmanship. Hence we have nothing to do with dying to sin, nor with baptism, save as connected with one faith-a professed one, and Lordship; body, Spirit and hope go together, for "by one Spirit we are baptized into one body," and abound in hope through its power—that is our one common profession here. In Colossians we have not justification, but we are complete in Him, and are to look up. In Ephesians besides not speaking of justification, we are sitting in Christ in heavenly places, and are to grow up to Him in all things, " the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ," and are to manifest God's character of light and love according to the model given in Christ. Of course, as we do not die to anything, baptism is not introduced as that, in any way, which passes on us.
Now the Red Sea, in one sense, knew no effect but Canaan; so redemption for us-heaven in type, for Israel in earthly reality. So in Ex. 3 and 6 there is no wilderness spoken of—Canaan is purpose, the wilderness only a way. Thus, in this sense, the Red Sea and Jordan coalesce, and as to earth even judgment is complete at the Red Sea. But when we come to the ways and dealings of God with and in us, the difference is very great. There is no ark in the Red Sea, no touching the waters of Jordan with the priest's foot, no experiment of death in any sense, even if its power is gone. At the Red Sea God delivers by power—His rod smites the sea, and there is deliverance of the people. It is redemption—they are borne on eagles' wings and brought to God, led forth by His strength as a redeemed people to His holy habitation—they leave the place of bondage; by Jordan they enter into the place of promise. The ark goes before them—Christ enters into death, though with divine power He dries it up, and we pass over; but we do so—it is a path we have not passed with our feet hitherto, nor could nature do so, " Ye cannot follow me now, but ye shall follow me afterward." We have done with the wilderness as with Egypt, with manna, the cloud to guide, and all wilderness provision; hence Jordan brings us into an Ephesian place. It is not union, but heavenly places which we have by union, and so by the baptism of the Holy Ghost; hence the comparison is made in chapter 6: 12.
The Colossians, as I have said, contemplates this position as true; hence "complete in him," and we have circumcision in Him, as Romans says "Those who are in Christ," but it puts us experimentally in the wilderness. Hence, though privileges are presented as a subject of desire, i.e., realizing Christ in our hearts by faith, and we have to take the armor to withstand, there is no " if " as to our place-we are not raised in baptism, but raised up together and made to sit together, as He raised Christ, according to "His great love wherewith he loved us." It is not "if," but the Spirit has sealed us for the day of redemption.
Baptism finally introduces on the ground of the faith, redemption by death and resurrection, into a responsible place; so 1 Cor. 10, one may preach the truth, and have the sacraments and be cast away, and fall in the desert.
The gift of eternal life, and the sealing of the Spirit, lead one into the consciousness of being in Christ, united to Himself now as sitting in heavenly places, and soon to be with Him bearing His image. Here there is full present assurance of faith, and assurance of being "in Christ"—an eternal thing in which we are, and have eternal life, eternal redemption, heirs of God, joint-heirs with Christ. De facto we are down here, with a given faith and hope, to pursue our journey towards the thing hoped for—in the wilderness, on the footing of redemption—in the wilderness, on the footing of responsibility to " by any means attain," but having to persevere with promises that faith confides in, power that keeps through faith for the inheritance kept for us, but having to get across, having to attain, to persevere, to walk by faith and not draw back to perdition, though the believer will surely be kept, and He who has begun the good work will finish it unto the day of Jesus Christ; for we know that we have been apprehended by Jesus Christ that we may apprehend the result in glory (take hold of, possession, of). But we have not yet, and are most usefully passed through the desert. Philippians is the model practical walk of this; hence, as we have seen, all is earth, judgment too at the Red Sea-not at Jordan (Canaan), that is followed by power and conflict and government in it. It is Jericho, Gilgal, the Passover and the old corn.
Jordan is, in one sense, a supplementary repetition of the Red Sea. It is death in both cases, as in Rom. 3:20; chap 5:11; and chap. 5: 12, to end of chap. 8—dead and risen with Christ, so as to enter into the place of power in union with Him ascended.
This makes the Corinthians extremely important, because we have the profession and the true Church brought together. The assembly of God, " with all that call on the name of the Lord"—one Lord, one faith, and then the assembly treated as the body. Yet the outward sacramental thing before that, where they might fall; and so God's building might be built with wood, hay and stubble. It is the Church on earth, but the Church assumed to be such in its privileges withal, yet on the way—"confirm you to the end." They were in fact carnal, though assumed not to be natural; in this character they were to take care, as in chapter 10, " Ye are God's building," but there might be wood or hay; nay, one might defile God's temple, but they were it. Their bodies are members of Christ, temples of the Holy Ghost, but he might deliver to Satan even such; so he says "the weak brother perish"... "destroy not with thy meat." Yet the Lord will surely keep His own, and so He has told us in chapter assuming these, the Christians at Corinth, to be such, only in this world to be proved. " So run " again, " that ye may obtain," and then comes the reprobate preacher, and perishing after the sacraments, and the watchfulness against evil, and self-subjection, life and its working as well as preaching and sacramental privileges (compare the olive tree). Yet in that very chapter they are all treated as one body, " We are not to be condemned with the world, but chastened "... " If one suffers, all suffer." Union seems to me to be dealt with after chapter to: 15, but even here men may have gifts of power and be nothing; chapter 15 is a question by itself. All this is very important as instruction as to the Church, but must, though the principle be clear, be further looked into.
Eph. 4:4 takes the ground of 1 Cor. 12, only it is more simply the thing in itself; Eph. 4:5 takes the ground of 1 Cor. 1:2. In a certain aspect the Colossians is nearer Romans than it is to Ephesians, because in Colossians we die from a state of life, "ye walked when ye lived in them"; we are buried unto death. In Eph. 2, following the end of chapter 1, we are dead and Christ comes into that place, and then comes union or being in Him, not hope. And this is much more Jordan, but that Canaan and Joshua are in themselves union; but Christ comes into the place of death, destroys its power, and what follows is association with Christ where He is, not hope when our life is hid there-we sit in heavenly places in Him.
In Colossians we are risen with Him, but there it stops; hence, what is in Him apart is more brought out, as in chapters 1 and 2, " He is the first begotten from among the dead." And if we are raised, it is not union and position, but faith of the operation of God who raised Him. It is life, not, as heretofore observed, the Holy Ghost. And further, not only have we no co-session in Him, but we are not sunzoopoiesomenoi to Christo (quickened together with Christ).
The contrast of the address in 1 Corinthians and Ephesians is, I apprehend, marked in purpose. In Ephesians we have " the holy and faithful brethren," and then " Head over all things to the Church," and, after showing how in the new Creation they were in Him, to be so the unity of the House also is brought out, substituted for Judaism, but substituted by God, and viewed in its ultimate condition and present forming by God. In chapter 4 we have incidentally the three unities of the Spirit and body, Lord and profession, God and Father over all and in us. In 1 Corinthians it is with the external local Church at Corinth, possibly a mixed thing, "all that call upon the name of the Lord"—the outward profession. Incidentally we find (chap. 12) in connection with gifts and their exercise, and the one Spirit down here, the Assembly viewed as the body of Christ, but down here—the local Church standing in the place as its representative.
Query if the " Church of God... called saints " is not to be distinguished from " all that call." No doubt it might be a mixed thing, but it stands as representative of the Church of God as such; the " all that call " is profession as such. This makes chapter 12 more substantive teaching; he begins to allude to this in chapter to: 15 but chapter 12 is the teaching on it. I find chapter Io very peculiar in this respect: we have the sacraments as external ordinances having the supposition and possibility that those who partake of them be lost after all; such we have seen is the character of the Epistle,3 the Church on earth in its profession, and so as responsible, but then the responsibility involves reality and meaning, or rather we are responsible for and in what is meant, verses 16, 17, the communion of the body of Christ, and we one body as partaking of the one Head. How true this is we know, but it is very instructive as to our position, i.e., the real position of the Church in this world. External sacramental standing and enjoyment of privileges (compare Rom. 1:17, though that be not the Church, but it comes in principle to the same thing)—chapter 2:5, and then, verses 16, 17, the apprehension of wise men.
There is, I think, progress as to baptism, but it stands on very peculiar ground, obscure as a Christian institution. John the baptist preached the baptism of repentance—he prepared the way, saying they should believe on One that came after. But his business was to take the nation up on the ground on which it stood, and call to repentance, and in fact form a remnant to receive Christ; the remission of sins was in view for those baptized. But he preached repentance, and they were baptized to that, and so ready to receive Messiah—the Son of Man, even on earth, had power to forgive sins. When Peter preaches, he preaches Jesus rejected and exalted, made Lord and Christ, not repentance; when they were pricked in heart, he says to them " Repent," but the baptism was to the remission of sins because the work was done which gave it fully. They were baptized to the remission of sins. Repentance in man was always called for. But John called for that as his business, the remission was to come after.
The baptism was the baptism of repentance; now for the remission of sins to those that presented, Paul has a new commission. He is not dealing in the midst of a known people who have promises, calling souls out of it to repentance, and they should receive remission, separated from the untoward generation. He takes up man as man (owning the Jews) and brings him into God's presence in light. He was delivered from men wholly, from the people and from the Gentiles to whom he was sent, but belonged to neither but to a glorified Christ, to open men's eyes, and to turn men from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive remission of their sins, and an inheritance among them that are " sanctified by faith that is in me." He is not sent to baptize at all, and though he called men everywhere to repent and turn to God, for this is the essence of his work everywhere, yet it is not presented in his mission under the form of repentance—self-judgment in respect of a place we are already in, and inconsistencies with it, and advantages offered as the Law and Christ presented to Israel—but a change and deliverance from human blindness and Satan's power, to light and God for the remission of their sins and an inheritance by faith in Christ. This made him, first in Damascus, then in Judas, then to the Gentiles, call men to repent and turn to God. But for the Gentiles it was, even in testimony, a wholly new state, and baptism forms no part of it, no more than the mission in John; and he tells us himself, he was not sent to baptize. It went on; but practice, not commandment, is what we have in Scripture.
We have a commandment connected with baptism and apostolic mission, and to the Gentiles exclusively, but then there is nothing of repentance or remission. It is simply discipling all (the Gentiles), baptizing and then teaching them. The direction in Luke is repentance and remission of sins. In Mark, salvation belonged to him who believed and was baptized, for if he was not, he refused to be a Christian believing it to be true. No doubt those that received the Word were baptized, and so the Gentiles. This is historically clear, but the thing baptized to necessarily changed, and it dropped out of the mission to the Gentiles—it never was formally in any to the Jews, but introduced by Jewish habit, and by the authority of the Holy Ghost in the practice of John the baptist and the Apostles, and then of all. First it was to repentance to remission, then to remission to receive the Holy Ghost, then it widens out—as many as were baptized to Christ (all, I suppose, but so expressed, taking up the fact as it stood) were baptized to His death, planted in the likeness of His death—further, had put on Christ; no question of Jew or Gentile or anything else. It continued, only taking the form of truth into which men were brought, with the distinct declaration that it did not form part of the mission, though used always in it—Mark giving the strong ground of practice not obedience surely, but the openly becoming a Christian, putting on Christ. I do not think Paul ever commanded them to be baptized, but they were, and he did it himself.
Salvation is essentially in resurrection—of course through Christ's death; no doubt, as regards the counsels of God, the raised are put in heavenly places, but resurrection is the new estate. He " hath quickened us together with him, by grace ye are saved "; then comes the fruit and accomplishment of counsels. So in Romans we have justifying and presenting in righteousness to God. And the Lord could say, “I go to my Father and your Father, my God and your God."
The counsels of God set us individually in heavenly places, and besides that, as members of the body of Christ, and Jew and Gentile are raised up together so as de facto to involve the unity of the body. But when we are viewed as quickened together with Christ, we are looked at as dead in sin, and being quickened it is a new creation, a complete new place and salvation. Romans goes further back, there in Christ we have died to sin. Colossians, in practice, develops this, but Romans develops the life and nature, so there we die and are alive through Christ, and set free in practical power; but being in Christ and the Body, though recognized as common Christian knowledge, forms no part of the teaching of the Epistle—there a sinner is justified by the blood-shedding and resurrection of Christ. In Colossians and Ephesians it is a new Creation, and this involves counsels; justification, righteousness. Hence Christ's resurrection issues in justification of life in Romans, our quickening with Christ in Colossians and Ephesians; and resurrection with Him in Colossians involves, as part of that same plan and work, our being blessed in heavenly places, and the body of Christ.
But resurrection, after the effectual death of Christ, clears us and puts us in a new place in a new life. It saves us. We have died to sin, and are alive to God. The essence of it is in ezoopoiese, the form in resurrection egeire—anastases ek ton nekron. The sunezoopoiese (quickened together with) involves our being in the same glory further on. The sunegerthete (you are risen with) is found only in Col. 2, in connection with baptism.
Note as to baptism—baptizing in the name of Jesus is en or epi, but as to the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, it is eis, which makes all the difference, save in Acts 8:16, where it is also eis to onoma.
 
1. This, however, is an argument used with Christians on the ground of the spiritual intelligence they possessed. The baptism merely brought them professedly associated with Christ's death; hence they were to reckon themselves dead to sin. But crucified with Christ is not spoken of as "I am crucified," only it involved it when faith was real.
2. It will be seen I have applied en o, Col. 2:12, to baptism. No doubt there is en auto... en o, as the main subject of the sentence, but the two sun seems a stronger connection, and sun... en o, seems a forced construction, and en to baptismati seems to run together.
3. See previous remarks, but it requires further research.