Baptism

Let us Hear Paul
Rom. 6:3-10
"Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism
into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the
glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with
him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his
resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the
body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to
sin—because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died
with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since
Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has
mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he
lives, he lives to God."
The Greek terms "like" or "likeness" (homoioma—"an abstract resemblance")
epitomizes baptism as our "symbolic example" Baptism is not magic through
which we actually die with Christ. Evidently it is only symbolic. There has to
be something beyond the act which is internal - but not magical tantra, yantra
and mantra - that saves us. That is Gnostic/New Age teaching.
The Greek word here translated "into" would be translated better "in" or
"unto." Thus Robertson (Word Pictures Volume IV, pp. 361-362) writes
regarding Romans 6:3: "Better, "were baptized unto Christ or in Christ. The
translation "into" makes Paul say that the union with Christ was brought to
pass by means of baptism, which is not his idea, for Paul was not a
Sacramentarian.... Baptism is the public proclamation of one's inward spiritual
relation to Christ attained before the baptism. See Galatians 3:27 where it is
like putting on an outward garment or uniform. "Into his death"... So here
"unto his death," "in relation to his death," which relation Paul proceeds to
explain by the symbolism of the ordinance. In the first half of the chapter Paul
is speaking in figures and symbols that he speaks of our old man was
crucified with Christ. Though there are many who crucify themselves for
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