Galatians 3:27
27 For [gar] as many of you as [hosos] have been baptized [baptizo]
into [eis] Christ [Christos] have put on [enduo] Christ [Christos]. KJV-Interlinear
27 For all of you who were
baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. NASB
Baptism here is not a water baptism, for washing
any or all of the body with water does not affect salvation, for it is a part
of the works process described by the Levitical Law.
We remember that anything that any person can do as
a form of human effort, is works, and human works is not a part of salvation.
But here, this baptism is noted as a category of
humanity, and not a sub-category of Christians.
This is not saying that some Christians are baptized and some are not.
What Paul has already said in the prior verses, is
that ‘all’ who have believed, for that is what faith is, are children of God,
all who have faith, which is the thought process of believing, are the sons of
God. And the word for ‘all’ means just
that. All have obtained salvation by means of faith, and there is not some
other add-on to faith.
This is not faith plus baptism, not faith plus
raising ones hands, not faith plus witnessing, not faith plus anything else.
To add anything to faith is adding works, and works
is a dead thing. Faith is life and so
why would anyone add a dead thing to life?
All are ‘in Christ’ and so now we have the explanation
of just what baptism really is, and at the same time, what it is not.
Baptism occurs simultaneously with faith. At the moment when you believed in Christ,
you were immediately baptized, in Christ.
In other passages that we have studied, we know that it is the Holy
Spirit who affects this spiritual baptism.
Water or other worldly means of baptism are teaching
aids, just as the Law and its ritual sacrifices were teaching aids to teach the
spiritual principles of truth including Christs work for our salvation (death,
burial, and resurrection).
Thus the guardian function of instruction in order
to bring people to Christ, by faith.
Likewise, when you first believed, you not only
were baptized, but you ‘put on’ Christ.
And to put on something is like putting on a new set of clothes, but in
this case, your clothes are the salvation clothes of eternal life.
Your corruptible clothing of this world is removed
and your incorruptible clothing, of the soul, replaces it, permanently.
And as we will see, all believers are now saved,
all believers are first born sons, all believers have the same new
clothing. This eliminates all worldly differences
amongst us such as race, color, culture, gender and so forth, and retains within
each of us, our individual personality and individuality.
