There are two instances in which Paul relates
εις Χριστον to baptism (Rom. 6:3, Gal. 3:27). Significantly, he
connects βαπτιζειν with εις Χριστον and not with εν Χριστω. While in Rom. 6:3 “to be baptized into Christ” is “to
be baptized into Christ’s death,” in Gal. 3:27 it is identified as “putting on
Christ.” Similar expressions occur elsewhere in Paul’s letters. In 1 Cor. 10:2
the phrase is “to be baptized into Moses” and in 1 Cor. 12:13, “to be baptized
into one body.” The expression of “putting on the Lord Jesus Christ” in Rom.
13;14 is apparently equivalent to “putting on the new man” in Eph. 4;22, 24 and
Col. 3:9-10 where the “new man” Jesus Christ is contrasted with the “old man”
Adam. These two instances, therefore, have special significance for Paul’s
understanding of the relationship between Christ and believers. (Sang-Won (Aaron) Son, Corporate Elements
in Pauline Anthropology: A Study of Selected Terms, Idioms, and Concepts in the
Light of Paul’s Usage and Background [Rome: Pontificio Instituto Biblico,
2001], 22-23)
1 Cor. 12:13 provides the basis for
the idea expressed in verse 12. Paul states, “For in one spirit we were all
baptized into one body (εις
εν σωμα
εβαπτισθημεν), Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, and all
were made to drink one Spirit.” A similar expression occurs in Rom. 6:3 and in
Gal. 3:27-29, but there Paul says that believers are baptized into Christ (εις Χριστον), which he further
defines as “baptism into his death” (Rom. 6:3) and as “putting on Christ” (Gal.
3:27). In view of these verses, “baptism into one body” must mean basically the
same as “baptism into Christ” or “putting on Christ.” If so, “one body” in
verse 13 signifies nothing other than Christ himself. Furthermore, verse 13
says that “in one Spirit (εν
ενι πνευματι) we were
all baptized into one body . . . and all were made to drink one Spirit (εν πνευμα).” The statement
probably signifies that believers are incorporated into the body of Christ by
baptism in the Spirit rather than by water baptism. (Ibid., 85-86)
