If Anyone Is In Christ | Baptism & The New Creation

There are few images in the Christian life more powerful or more misunderstood than baptism. For many, baptism is a quaint tradition. For others, it’s a spiritual milestone or even a means of salvation. But when we look at Scripture, we find something far more rich and far more weighty: baptism is a visible declaration of spiritual transformation. It is a Gospel-proclaiming act, commanded by Christ, pointing not to what we have done—but to what God has done in us through union with His Son.

Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 5:17 are among the clearest and most concise summaries of the Christian life in all of Scripture:

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

This verse forms the foundation of biblical baptism. In it we see identity, transformation, and the redemptive work of Christ applied personally. And so we begin this series, “Baptism & The New Creation,” by unpacking the first phrase: “If anyone is in Christ…”


I. Union with Christ: The Ground of Our Identity
To be “in Christ” is to be united to Him by faith. This is not a metaphor. It is the very heart of salvation. It is the difference between dead religion and living faith.

Theologian John Murray once said, “Union with Christ is the central truth of the whole doctrine of salvation.” The Apostle Paul uses the phrase “in Christ” or “in Him” more than 160 times in his letters. It is the most common way he describes the believer. Why? Because it captures the totality of our salvation—not only what Christ has done for us, but who we are now because of it.

“Being in Christ means you belong to Him, you are identified with Him, and His righteousness has been credited to your account. You are a completely new person—not reformed, not improved, but transformed.”¹

John MacArthur’s words here echo the theology of the Reformation. Justification is not just the removal of guilt—it is the imputation of righteousness. Sanctification is not just turning from sin—it is walking in Christ. Adoption is not just receiving a new name—it is receiving a new nature.


II. Baptism: The Symbol of This Union
Baptism, then, is the God-ordained sign of this spiritual reality. It is not the source of our union with Christ—but it is the seal. In the language of the Reformers, it is a “visible word.”

William Perkins wrote:

“Baptism is a seal of our ingrafting into Christ, of the remission of sins, and of our new birth. It is a visible word—a sacrament that confirms the promise of God to all who believe.”²

This is covenantal language. Baptism does not create the new creation—it confirms it. It is a sign and seal of the inward work already wrought by the Spirit of God.

We see this clearly in Acts 2. After Peter’s Pentecost sermon, the people were “cut to the heart” and asked, “What shall we do?” Peter responded:

“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins...” (Acts 2:38)

The order matters: repentance and faith come first. Baptism follows. It is the first step of public obedience for the believer.

Matthew Henry affirms:

“Baptism is the Christian’s badge, the outward sign of inward grace, and those who have this hope must purify themselves, even as He is pure.”³

In other words, baptism is not merely a moment—it is a mark. A public claim that one now belongs to Christ.


III. Biblical Baptism: What It Is and What It Is Not
To be faithful stewards of this ordinance, we must be clear about what baptism is and what it is not.

1. Baptism Is Not Salvific
   • Nowhere in Scripture is baptism presented as a means of regeneration. Jesus alone saves. Baptism is not a magic act. It does not wash away sins—it proclaims that sins have been washed away by the blood of Jesus.
   • As Martyn Lloyd-Jones reminds us: “There is no sacrament, no rite, no act, no performance that can bring you to Christ or make you a Christian. It is by grace through faith. Baptism is a sign—not the substance.”⁴
   • This was a key doctrine reclaimed during the Reformation. Rome had taught that baptism, particularly infant baptism, was salvific. But the Reformers, returning to Scripture, declared that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
2. Baptism Is for Believers
   • Throughout the book of Acts, we see baptism always following belief. Those who “received his word were baptized” (Acts 2:41). The Ethiopian eunuch believed and was baptized (Acts 8:36–38).
   • Paul believed and was baptized (Acts 9:18). Believer’s baptism—by immersion—is the consistent pattern of the early church and the New Testament. It visibly proclaims death to the old life and resurrection to new life.
3. Baptism Is By Immersion
   • The Greek word for baptism, baptizō, means “to immerse,” “to plunge,” or “to dip.” It was used in everyday Greek for sinking a vessel or dipping cloth in dye. The imagery of Romans 6 makes no sense apart from immersion:
   • “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death…” (Romans 6:4)
   • Only immersion visually depicts burial and resurrection. It is not merely about water—it is about the Gospel being seen.

IV. The Meaning of "If Anyone"
Let’s not miss the beauty of the invitation. Paul writes, “If anyone…”

This is the open door of the Gospel. No pedigree is required. No past disqualifies. No sin is too deep. If anyone—any sinner, any wanderer, any weary soul—turns to Christ in repentance and faith, he is brought into union with Him.

As a pastor, I love watching this truth unfold. The water of baptism is not restricted to the clean and polished. It welcomes the repentant prostitute, the broken father, the wayward teenager, the hardened skeptic. “If anyone…”

Jesus Himself said:

“Whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” (John 6:37)

And again in Revelation:

“Let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.” (Rev. 22:17)

V. A New Identity, A New Allegiance
To be “in Christ” is to be given a new identity. Your old labels no longer define you. Your failures do not name you. Your sins no longer rule you. You belong to Him.

Paul says in Galatians 3:27:

“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

This is the language of clothing. You are now robed in His righteousness. Your life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).

Baptism is the first declaration of this new allegiance. It is your testimony, your confession, your public joining to Christ and His body. It says to the world, “I no longer belong to the kingdom of darkness—I belong to the Kingdom of Light.”


VI. A Final Word: Don’t Wait
If you are in Christ and have not been baptized—why not?

Baptism is not a graduation. It is not reserved for the spiritually mature. It is for new believers, early believers, struggling believers. It is the first step of obedience, not the last. As I’ve told our church often: delayed obedience is disobedience.

William Perkins exhorted:

“He who neglects baptism in willful ignorance despises the seal of God and makes light of His promise.”⁵

Dear friend, if you are in Christ—then the old has passed away, and the new has come. Now go into the waters and testify. Proclaim with your life what God has done in your soul.



Footnotes

1. John MacArthur, The Believer’s Life in Christ, Grace to You.
2. William Perkins, The Works of William Perkins, Vol. 2 (Reformation Heritage Books, 2014), p. 93.
   
3. Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, 2 Corinthians 5.
4. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, God the Holy Spirit (Crossway, 1997), p. 82.
   
5. William Perkins, Exposition of the Creed, in Works, Vol. 2, p. 415.