There are two creations: the old creation, and the new creation. Dissected.
The old creation is God’s first creation, which is now dominated by satan, because of the disobedience of the first man, Adam.
To redeem man, God through the substitutionary sacrifice of his dear son Jesus Christ created a new creation, a new kingdom, and a new world.
The old creation cannot partake of the new kingdom; The old creation must be recreated into a new creation before it can partake of the new kingdom. (John 3:5)
What is the new kingdom?
- It is the kingdom of God. John 3:5
- It is the kingdom of the son of God (Jesus Christ). Colossians 1:12,13
The cross is the means through which God brought to an end the old creation, and resurrection is the means through which he recreated us (imparting in us His life) to be fit for the new kingdom (the kingdom of his dear Son, Jesus Christ).
What happens at resurrection is the recreation of the human spirit. When our old man was crucified with Jesus Christ, we died, buried, and resurrected with Him to with a new life. The new life is the Zoe life (i.e., the life of God). So, at resurrection, the life of God is imparted into us to make us fit for the kingdom of God.
Baptism is our confirmation in view of what Christ has done for us to secure our salvation after we have believed, and it is twofold:
- Confirmation of our death with Christ
- Confirmation of our resurrection with Christ
Who should be buried? It’s only a dead man that can be buried. Hence, burial is an attestation that someone is truly dead.
During baptism, when we go down into the water, it signifies burial, which is an attestation that have died with Christ. When we come up, it’s an attestation that we have resurrected with Christ unto a whole new life.
You go down into the water and your world, in figure, goes down with you. you come up in Christ, but your world is drowned.
In sum, the cross is where the old life ended, and where the new life began. It is where separation and divide of the old from the new occurred.