HOW DOES A PERSON GET INTO THE CHRIST?

HOW DOES A PERSON GET INTO THE CHRIST?

According to the Bible, all have sinned and stand in need of the Lord’s salvation. However, God’s wonderful message is that sinners can be freely justified by His grace "through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:24). Where is redemption found? In the Christ. This truth is also stated in Ephesians 1:7, where it is written, "In whom [Jesus, rdc] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." By the grace of God, the forgiveness of sins is available somewhere. Where? In the Son of God.
In Ephesians 1:3 it is further stated that God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in the Christ. It is obvious that "in the Christ" is truly the place to be if we want to be saved and enjoy the spiritual blessings that come from Jehovah. But how does a person get into the Christ?
It is necessary to believe in Jesus as the Son of God (John 3:16-18), but never in the Bible do we read that one can "believe into the Christ." How does one become a believer in the Christ? By hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17; John 20:30,31). Yet, never does the Bible state that one can "hear into the Christ."
What about repentance? God commands it (Acts 17:30). It is necessary in order to obtain the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). But again, never does the Bible say that a person can "repent into the Christ." What about confessing faith in Jesus as the Son of God, like the eunuch from Ethiopia did (Acts 8:36,37)? Yes, confession is also part of the process of being saved (Romans 10:9,10). Yet, just as it is in the case of hearing, believing, and repenting, never in the Bible do we read that one can "confess into the Christ." Make no mistake about it, in order to receive the forgiveness of sins for the first time in life, a sinner must hear the gospel preached, believe in Jesus as the Son of God, repent of sins, and confess his/her faith in the Christ. Having done all of those, however, one is not yet "in the Christ." What is lacking?
"Surely you are not going to tell me that you think being baptized is the way to get into the Christ." You are correct, I am not going to tell you what I think about it, because what I might personally think about the matter has absolutely no bearing on what is right or required by the Lord. But, if we will read what the Bible says, we will find the Lord’s teaching about how to get into the Christ, and we cannot go wrong with His answers, right?
Two New Testament passages plainly tell us how lost people get into the Christ. They are not a secret. Romans 6:3 says, "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death." Read those four words again: "baptized into Jesus Christ." It is also written, "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27). How did those people get into God’s Son? The Bible says that they were "baptized into Christ."
We have no desire to deny what the above verses say about being baptized into the Christ. We have no desire to remove them or try to explain them away. There they stand, crystal clear. Friend, if you have been teaching falsely about what one must do in order to get into the Christ, for your soul’s sake, please immediately denounce what you have been saying in the past. Then, why not humble yourself and be baptized into the Lord Jesus for the remission of your sins?
-- Roger D. Campbell

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