What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

OK, stop and think about what happened on the Day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts chapter 2.

There were originally over 500 believers who saw Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:6). 120 of these believers (what's that, about one fourth?) were waiting in Jerusalem for an empowering of the Spirit that Jesus referred to as a baptism in the Spirit. As these 120 were gathered together (probably in the Temple) about 9 a.m. the Holy Spirit fell upon them and they began to speak with tongues. This was not their salvation experience. They were already followers of Jesus and had previously ministered in His name/authority. This was an added clothing/enduement of power to do His work.

A crowd gathered and some heard these Spirit filled disciples speaking in tongues and some actually understood what was being said.

Peter stood up and explained that this was a fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy of Joel that God was now pouring out His Spirit upon all. He continued and preached the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. He concluded with what is recorded in Acts 2:38-40. He told those hearing him:
1. Repent, turn from sin to God, call on Him for mercy, (in other words, get saved)
2. Then follow up that salvation/deliverance experience with baptism/mikveh
3. Then, you also can receive this same enduement or empowering of the Holy Spirit, this promise of the Father, that you have seen demonstrated earlier today.

About 3000 joined themselves to them by believing in Jesus and being baptized.

How many of these 3000 also received the Holy Ghost Baptism? We don't know. It's not recorded. We assume some of them did at that time or later but we don't know that for sure. But, however many of the 3000 who did not receive the Holy Ghost baptism were just as saved as the 380 of the original 500 believers who did not receive the Holy Ghost Baptism.

The agonizing tarrying that we've imposed on people is based on a couple of premises. One is that because 120 people waited/tarried for 10 days to receive the Holy Ghost Baptism that was some kind of a pattern for us today. In the program of God, He had planned to pour out His Spirit universally on Pentecost AD 30. That's when He did it. They could not have received the experience in 3 or 4 or 9 days because God planned it for Pentecost. We've also equated that experience of Pentecost with salvation while it was separate from and subsequent to the salvation of those 120 people. The Holy Ghost wasn't poured out on 120 sinners to save them but was poured out on 120 believers to empower them. After Pentecost if/when people were filled with or baptized in the Spirit, it ordinarily happened by just an outpouring or by hands laid upon them -not after protracted begging, pleading, worshiping, and praising.

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

and you guys say us traditional OPs twist things up....


LOL, Love ya Sam but that isnt exactly how i see it.


1. Peter preached the gospel.
2. 3000 at least heard about the death buriel and resurecting of Jesus
3. they got pricked in their hearts
4. they asked what they must do.
5. Peter told them (acts 2:38)

at least that is what i find in the 17 or so versions I have read.

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

:thumbsup

I am still trying to figure out who is more dangerous to Christianity - Sam or an atheist. :toofunny

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

There are seven things that should prove instructive.

First, read Joel 2:28-32 and compare with Acts 2:1-22.
Second, read Psalms 16 and compare with Acts 2:23-33
Third, read Psalms 110 and compare with Acts 2:34-37

So, the question the multitudes asked in Acts 2:37, "... what shall we do?" was not, "... what shall we do [to be saved]?", as so many like to add to the verse. Rather, it was more in line with, "... what shall we do [now]?" From scripture they already knew what to do to be 'saved'. From living by faith (Habakkuk 2:4) to the circumcision of the heart (Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6).

The feast of Shavuot (Pentecost) is the anniversary day (6th of Sivan) when God addressed the entire nation of Israel and gave them the 'Law'. It was also this same day that God choose to shed abroad His Holy Spirit with the advent period of Christ.

However, the disciples had their names written in the book of life (written in heaven) prior to the death of Jesus (Luke 10:20), and a number of the disciples also received the holy Spirit prior to the day of Pentecost (John 20:19-24), which, from the evidence of Pentecost, those disciple being in attendance received the 'authority' of the Spirit directly from Jesus, but not yet the ability to exercise the 'power' of the Spirit on their own. Compare the universal authority demonstrated in (Acts 3:6) and the 'conditional' authority demonstrated in Luke 9:1-6 and Luke 10:1-17)

Another common doctrine that gets hit, is that on the day of Pentecost the disciple spoke in 'unknown' tongues. Taken by many to include speaking in a prayer language or in some heavenly language. Not so. All recorded languages in Acts 2 were of known languages. While the speakers may not have 'known' (understood) the languages they spoke, others did. The terms 'unknown tongues' and 'unknown language' do not exist in the original biblical texts. Actually, the Greek word for 'unknown' is not even used in the New Testament texts.

When religious traditions takes presence over scripture, we are free to make of scripture whatever we desire. Well, we are free to do what we desire until we have to face God and explain, by what authority we rewrote His word and set our own doctrines above His. And, to think that we often judge harshly the traditions of the Pharisees and Scribes. /sigh/
:grampa

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

A follow up note:

Acts 2:38 is common restatement of the historical Jewish cultural and religious practices, with the addition of the receiving of the Holy Ghost, as promised in scripture.

One of the obvious doctrines what we so often over look is this one: The Apostles' doctrine is nothing more nor anything less than the sum total doctrines that Jesus Christ taught. Therefore, if one does not know, understand and practice the doctrines (including the commandments) of Christ, that person is not a follower of the Apostles' doctrines, much less a true disciple of Christ. That too is Bible (Matthew 28:20, in context)

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

:thumbsup

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

There is a lot that we can quibble and argue about here, as evidenced by the quibbling and arguments that have preceded this.

The thing that stands out to me, however, is that the "speaking in tongues" phenomena that is being described in Acts 2, involved the disciples speaking in earthly languages that were immediately recognizable to native speakers of that language.

A lot of "Acts 2:38 Three Steppers" will insist that they too "received the Holy Ghost and spoke in tongues" - just like on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4). What they don't and won't acknowledge is that they did NOT receive the same experience in "speaking in other tongues" as the disciples in Acts 2. I have heard a comparatively small number of people claim this experience or to have claimed to have witnessed such an experience, but no one ever really has any proof. All I've ever heard, experienced or witnessed in my life is the phenomena known as "unknown tongues" and quite often, we're being really generous to call it a "tongue" or language.

Now, I don't want to cause anyone to doubt their salvation over this; but this should give us pause before we go around telling everyone that they HAVE TO SPEAK IN TONGUES just like the disciples in Acts 2, when we ourselves don't even have that experience.

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

Wisdom!

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

I will tell you what happened on Pentecost..RESURRECTION occured...but you will not hear that taught in most pulpits..

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

ohh... a preterist

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

No..a Bible student :)

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

Right... everyone's a bible student. Are you a fulfilled eschatologist?

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

Now were talking..:P

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

I will take that as a "yes".

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

You mean to say you think only preterists believe a resurrection occurred on the day of Pentecost?


Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

You got preterism mixed up a bit, since full preterists think resurrection occurred in AD70 (not partial preterists, btw), but EVERYONE SHOULD believe resurrection on the day of Pentecost! Saying a resurrection occurred on the day of Pentecost is not what distinguishes preterism from anything.

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

And the thoughts swirl. :whistle

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

Explain. I am not setting you up for a attack, but I have no idea what your talking about.

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

Ok, maybe someone can clear my understanding, but what is meant by resurrection occurred on Pentecost?

I thought Jesus resurrected at least 40 days before Pentecost occurred in Acts 2

Acts 1:3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

Come on, doc. This is elementary...

Romans 6:3-6 (King James Version)

3Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

4Therefore 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.

5For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:


Colossians 2:12-13 (King James Version)

12Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

13And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

Romans 6, as the former poster showed, teaches we were baptized into the death of Jesus thereby making His death become OUR DEATHS. That means our union to Christ allows us to say WE DIED WITH HIM. This in turn means we were BURIED WITH HIM. And then it follows that we were RESURRECTED WITH HIM, and this all occurred spiritually, which has nothing to do with the fact that there is a second resurrection that shall occur later, as 1 Cor 15 put a resurrection in Paul's future long after Paul was already spiritually resurrected through salvation.

The resurrection mentioned in Romans 6 is not the resurrection of 1 Cor 15. In Romans 6, Paul said Christ died ONCE to sin and is now alive (resurrected) unto God forevermore. Then he proceeded to say that we must likewise reckon ourselves DEAD INDEED unto sin and ALIVE (resurrected) unto God THROUGH JESUS. In other words, because Jesus experienced these things, and we came into union with Him by salvation, then we are to realize we experienced these things spiritually as well. And Paul continued to teach that this is the basis for us to come into a lifestyle that has victory in everyday life situations. But we have to consciously understand these facts as being true for us and stand on them in order to have the confidence we can really have victory in every day life.

Romans 6:6-11 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. (7) For he that is dead is freed from sin. (8) Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: (9) Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. (10) For
in that he died, he died unto sin once:
but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
(11) Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin,
but alive unto God
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Then Paul finally tells us to present ourselves to God KNOWING we are alive from the dead (resurrected) in Romans 6:13, in order for God to be able to empower us with His Spiritual strength, since it requires our faith in that experience of being spiritually resurrected in order for God to be able to bless us and enjoy such a risen life.

Colossians 2 mirrors that teaching and says we are buried with Him in baptism and risen with Him as well (resurrected) through faith in the operation of God.

Again, that is not a preterist thing. It is intended to be understood by every believer. But it just ain't preached much any more!

Since people were SAVED at Pentecost, that means they died, were buried and resurrected with Jesus. Salvation is death, burial and resurrecton with Jesus. This is supposed to be elementary, as the former poster showed.

TGBGT, your question shows the same issue Paul had to deal with in the Romans. They were saved but never knew these facts about their salvation. Too many do not know these thoughts.

Romans 6:3 Know ye not...?

Romans 6:6 Knowing this...

Romans 6:9 Knowing...

Romans 6:16 Know ye not...?

So many never heard it preached that we died WITH Jesus so that we could say we were RESURRECTED WITH HIM. This needs to be preached more!

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

I'm not exactly a preterist/fulfilled eschatologist... and I believe this. But, I do not know any "futurist" who believes this. It is probably on their slippery slope. Believe that... then you will be a preterist in no time! :bliss

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

lol

I know many futurists who believe this, since it is not a futurist/preterist issue, really.

Author Watchman Nee taught on it extensively, and he was a die-hard dispensationalist. Andrew Murray taught it as well as FB Meyer and Gene Edwards, etc., though I would not say Gene Edwards is a futurist.

It is a VITAL truth that flatly is not preached much anywhere. I got turned onto it before I ever became a preterist, and to this day preach it more than anything else. To me, it's the preaching of the cross.

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

But this has nothing to do with Jesus resurrecting on pentecost which occured in Acts 2? The OP says what happened in Acts2? (And someone says resurrection) I'm pretty sure Jesus resurrected before the day of pentecost in Acts 2...

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

The 3,000 saved were resurrected when they were saved. Jesus resurrected the third day after His death. But those saved on the day of Pentecost resurrected with him. When we got saved, bro., we were resurrected with Jesus spiritually.

Romans 6:11 occurred for everyone who got saved in Acts 2.

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

When people resurrected with Jesus in Acts 2, that is to say they united to His death, burial and resurrection that He experienced weeks before. Any time anyone gets saved, you could say that person, then and there, died, was buried, and resurrected with Jesus. That is why OP said resurrection occurred on the day of Pentecost. It's just that God sees it that way when we get saved, and we are intended to begin to see it that way as well. The reason this is so vital is that we will not live in victory without this concept.

That is why Paul associated the fact that sin is not supposed to rule over us when he taught about our resurrection with Christ. Once you realize you are DEAD TO SIN, as much as Jesus DIED TO SIN ONCE, then you are meant to realize that you are therefore RESURRECTED WITH JESUS so that sin has no more power over you. The point is that we have power over sin after we are saved that we do not realize. Paul "walks us through" the concept in order to give us confidence that we do not have to be kicked around by sin like so many are being kicked around.

It's sad this is rarely taught.

When someone tells a person that they do not have to sin every now and then, they instinctively become VERY DOUBTFUL of that. Why? They look at their weak human power to resist sin. For that reason, they need to know THEY AROSE WITH JESUS. When they realize they died, were buried, and resurrected with Jesus, and also realize Jesus arose so that sin has no more power over Him, they can start to associate HIS POWER OVER SIN with THEIR LIVES, because everything He experienced in his death, burial and resurrection IS SHARED WITH US when we get saved.

This means that we SHARE HIS POWER OVER SIN. That is the reason Eph 2:6 says we were seated with Him on his throne, as well! WE SHARE HIS POWER.

So they are not "on their own" with their own power to face sin. THEY SHARE CHRIST'S POWER OVER SIN! This removes the doubt that they can overcome sin, and gives them confidence to overcome sin in their daily lives.

Notice that Romans 6:10 says Christ died to sin and is alive in resurrection life unto God.

Then we read "LIKEWISE" in verse 11. That means we must associate our states of being with what happened to Jesus. So, Paul said LIKEWISE -- in the same manner -- look at yourself as being dead to sin as much as Jesus was ("INDEED"), and resurrected unto God!

And as much as Jesus died to sin so that death and sin have no more power over him, Rom 6:12 says we should therefore not let sin rule in our lives!

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

My mind was on the track that believers were resurrected. Apparently Blume was on that track as well.

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

Opening line of the thread is:

OK, stop and think about what happened on the Day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts chapter 2.

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

Right! SALVATION, which occurred on the day of Pentecost for 3,000 people, is actually RESURRECTION WITH JESUS. It did not occur the day Jesus resurrected, but it is speaking spiritually. When we are saved, it is because WE UNITED TO HIS DEATH, BURIAL AND RESURRECTION. So, since people got saved on the day of Pentecost, they resurrected on that day. Salvation is death, burial and resurrection with Jesus.

What happened historically with Jesus in His death, burial and resurrection, HAPPENS TO US THE MOMENT WE GET SAVED.

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

I agree with the resurrection of believers with Christ which you guys have said. I guess I was just confused as to how what you guys were saying relates to the OP. I thought OP was referring to speaking in tongues and such like...oh well (it's sometimes hard to communicate effectively on forums...lol)

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

TGBGT,

Did you ever look at your baptism as BAPTISM INTO CHRIST'S DEATH (Rom 6:3)? What did that mean to you?

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

Many OP's believe repentance is DEATH WITH JESUS, baptism is BURIAL WITH JESUS and Spirit infilling is RESURRECTION WITH JESUS.

I disagree, personally. Baptism involves all the death, burial and resurrection! That is why Paul said in Romans 6 that baptism puts us into His death, and Col 2:11-12 says baptism sees us buried and risen with Christ. We are not "repented" into His death, but "baptized" into His death.

Colossians 2:11-12 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: (12) Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

...although Paul might have meant "risen with Him" is not experienced through baptism, but through a subsequent faith in God's operation.

Anyway, the point is that salvation is death, burial and resurrection with Jesus which occurred on the day of Pentecost for 3,000.

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

I see baptism as being identified with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Rom 6:3Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

This clearly shows I was baptized into his death, which is another reason I believe emphatically that baptism should performed in the Name of The Lord Jesus Christ (not just FSH). Baptism identifies us with what Christ did for us

Rom 6:4 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.

Rom 6:5For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

This clearly shows again that water baptism is what is being talked about.

Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

...And I have been crucified with Him (Amen)

Gal 2:20
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

Amen. And notice verse 5. It says we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection if we have been in the likeness of his death. This is where resurrection comes into play. This is not the resurrection in our future, though. It is the resurrection that started our conversation. The reason I know this is a spiritual resurrection is because Romans 6:10-11 continues to teach that we are as much alive and risen from the dead as Jesus is. And that is the same resurrection noted in 6:13 where it says we need to present ourselves to God with the conscious awareness that we are "alive from the dead."

The resurrection of 1 Cor 15 is not the resurrection of Romans 6 because Paul said we ARE ALREADY alive from the dead and risen with Jesus when we got saved, but he had yet to experience the resurrection of 1 Cor 15 since he put that in the future tense.

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

I don't agree with this view either. For instance, consider the story of Cornelius.
That would mean Cornelius resurrected and then he was buried?? How can we bury someone who has already resurrected?

Nah..I think not

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

exactly!

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

I received the Holy Ghost a few minutes before I was water baptized. :grampa

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

There are differences of opinion as to when the death, burial, and resurrection of a Christian happens. Many OP's believe that we die to sin when we repent. Then, when we are baptized we are buried with him and placed into His death. The Holy Ghost Baptism is considered the spiritual resurrection when we rise to walk in newness of life. A couple problems with this are that:
1. Some people repent but are never immersed or never receive the Holy Ghost Baptism.
2. If water baptism puts us into Christ's death, our salvation is dependent upon someone else who physically baptizes us.
3. Many people receive the Holy Ghost Baptism (resurrection) but are never baptized by immersion, or, if baptized by immersion are not baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. So, they have died (repented) and have been resurrected (Holy Ghost Baptism) but never buried properly.

Bro Blume believes (if I understand what he has written) that the death, burial, and resurrection experience happens all at once at water baptism. That does away with the question of people who have been resurrected but never buried but still makes our death, burial, and resurrection dependent on a person who baptizes us (unless we use the older form of baptism/mikveh which is self-immersion).

Others believe that the death, burial, and resurrection happen when the person is justified by faith. Some think that the baptism spoken of in Romans chapter 6 is not water baptism. Some believe Romans 6 speaks of an operation of the Holy Spirit that happens at justification/salvation/regeneration. At the moment a person accepts Jesus as Savior, he is placed/baptized by the Spirit into Christ or into the Body of Christ. So, he is united with Christ in death, burial, and resurrection.

When you read Romans 6, just replace the word "baptized" with "placed" and realize it is not speaking of literal water baptism but of an operation of the Spirit.This is what is taught by John MacArthur in his study Bible.

notes from the MacArthur Bible:
6:3 baptized into Christ Jesus. This does not refer to water baptism. Paul is actually using the word "baptized" in a metaphorical sense, as we might in saying someone was immersed in his work, or underwent his baptism of fire when experiencing some trouble. All Christians have, by placing saving faith in Him, been spiritually immersed into the person of Christ, that is, united and identified with Him (cf 1 Cor 6:17 10:2; Gal 3:27; 1 Pet 3:21; 1 John 1:3...). Certainly water baptism pictures this reality, which is the purpose --to show the transformation of the justified. into His death. This means that immersion or identification is specifically with Christ's death and resurrection....
6:4 buried with Him. Since we are united by faith with Him, as baptism symbolizes, His death and burial become ours. newness of life. This is true, if, in Christ we died and were buried with Him, we have also been united with Him in His resurrection life. There is a new quality and character to our lives, a new principle of life. This speaks of the believer's regeneration (cf. Ezek 36:26; 2 Cor 5:17; Ga;6:15; Eph 4:24). Whereas sin describes the old life, righteousness describes the new.

this is from pages 1702 and 1703 of The MacArthur Study Bible copyright 1997

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

I agree with the emboldened that we resurrected with Jesus Christ. We were dead unto our sins previously and now we're alive unto God.
However, I still believe in a bodily resurrection of believers according I Thess 4 and 1 Cor 15.

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

I am not dogmatic about that, since Col 2:12 may mean baptism is the death and burial, and a subsequent faith in God's operation is the resurrection. Or it may mean that since we rise when we come forth out of baptism, we are resurrecting. At any rate, this brings up the contrast you make below about baptism in Romans 6. I believe it is involved with water baptism, since that is what water baptism is meant to show, anyway.

I heard the idea that baptism in Romans 6 is "waterless", but tend to disagree. When I see water baptism demanded so stringently in the Acts of the apostles, I see it with the understanding of Romans 6's baptism. This shows us that the literal water is not the burial, although Paul is speaking of this burial while being water baptized, since Romans 6 teaches we were buried with Christ IN HIS TOMB IN WHICH HE WAS BURIED 2000 years ago. So why would we think the water is our actual burial. For some reason God demands physical object lessons in order to assist our faith, as in communion supper.

When we think of water baptism in the way Paul taught Romans 6's baptism into His death, then water baptism is much more meaningful and better understood. Otherwise it is an empty ritual without meaning which is why people disregard it so much.

John the baptist associated water baptism with death when he said the axe is laid to the root of the trees. John did that before Christ died, but he idea of death was certainly involved. This ties with Christ's death in Romans 6, and that is why those baptized by John had to be rebaptized in Jesus' name since Christ DIED.

Re: What Happened At Pentecost in Acts 2?
 

I respect MacArthur (and I'm definitely not a theologian). However, let's look at Rom 6 again.

Rom 6:4 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. (note the "like" as Christ)

Rom 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

Verse 5 clearly says that the baptism is in the "likeness" of his death. So we see that this baptism spoken of is an allegory. Water Baptism clearly is an allegory of:
Death and Burial (we go in to the water)
Resurrection (we come out of the water)

However, it is still all based on faith. No faith in Jesus Christ and the baptism is null, void, and empty.