How is one united with Christ?
“For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”
If you are in Christ, you have died with Him and been raised with Him:
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Water baptism is a type. It doesn’t place us in Christ - the Spirit does that! In Christ we have forgiveness and new life.
Water baptism has value, but not in justifying us or giving us life. The function of water baptism is clear in scripture - to save us out of the world. That is value enough. One need not pretend it unites us with Christ in direct contradiction to scripture, nor does one need to pretend it causes forgiveness of sin.
**How is one united with Christ?**
Sounds similar to this question:
Acts 2:37 “Men and brethern, what shall we do?”
Obey Acts 2:38,. It’s that simple. And it agrees (corresponds) with Heb.6:1,2:
“..the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God. Of the doctrine of baptisms, and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgement.”
**How is one united with Christ?**
By being born of the water and the Spirit.
Did Philip not paint a big enough picture when he baptized the Samaritans? The same Philip that baptized the eunuch in water. Does Paul not paint a big enough picture with his conversion?...
Ananias to Paul: “And why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” Acts 22:16
Another point to address: Do you believe that there is a sound that makes the presence of the Holy Ghost known to the hearer, and that you don’t know where it comes from? Jesus Christ said that that is the case for EVERY ONE that is born of the Spirit.
My Calvinist upbringing taught me that there was no sound in Spirit birth. It was automatically there when I confessed faith in Christ. Only thing is, that’s not scriptural.