To be baptized means to be
immersed. To be baptized into Christ's death means to be immersed into
the death of Christ. And so the Apostle puts it: "Know ye not, that so
many of us as are baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his
death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like
as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even
so we also should walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:3,4) Baptism in
water is merely a symbol of the real baptism. It would do no one any
good to be baptized in water unless he had first undergone the real
baptism by being immersed into Christ.
[339]All of those who are thus inducted into the body of Christ receive
the anointing through the head of the Christ, Jesus the beloved One.
This is illustrated or pictured by God's dealings with Israel. In the
type Aaron the high priest was anointed. "He [Moses] poured of the
anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him."
(Leviticus 8:12) This anointing oil was poured upon Aaron's head and ran
down upon his garment. (Psalm 133:2) Aaron the high priest was a type of
the entire Christ, head and body. As the oil was poured upon his head
and ran down to the skirt of his garments, so in antitype, Jesus the
head, at the time of his baptism in the Jordan, received the anointing
of the holy spirit without measure (Matthew 3:16,17); and at Pentecost
his disciples received the anointing of the holy spirit.
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