In Christ, Like Christ

Paul tells us in Romans 6 that when we are baptized into Christ, we are baptized into his death so that, just as Christ was raised, we too might walk in newness of life. That word so matters. It signals a direct connection: baptized in Christ, living like Christ. Too often we talk about baptism only in terms of heaven someday, without giving equal weight to the life we are called to live here and now. But Paul doesn’t let us do that. He points us toward a changed life, a new way of walking, shaped by Christ himself.

That’s why baptism is such a powerful picture. We go all the way under the water—buried with Christ—and then we rise, not by our own strength, but by the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. Baptism is not only about getting into heaven; it is about heaven getting into us, right here and now. It is about God’s kingdom taking shape in our lives.

When Jesus was baptized by John, he wasn’t repenting of sin. He was stepping fully into his calling. He was baptized into the prophetic vision of righteousness and justice—the servant described in Isaiah who would not break a bruised reed or snuff out a dimly burning wick. From that moment on, Jesus lived out his baptism, moving toward the hurting, the overlooked, and the broken, even when it led him to the cross.

So what does that mean for us? It means our baptism calls us toward Christlikeness. Toward the bruised reeds and the faint flames. Toward the neighbor in need, the forgotten, the wounded. This way is not easy, and none of us has enough strength on our own. That’s why being like Christ always begins with being in Christ—dying to ourselves and rising to walk, day by day, in the power of his new life.