It is so common in the religious world to hear people talk about having “a personal relationship with Jesus.” Nothing could be better on this earth than that! But, a person cannot actually have “a personal relationship with Jesus” until he is actually in “a personal relationship with Jesus.” I’m not sure if that makes sense to you, but just because someone claims to be in “a personal relationship with Jesus,” does not actually mean that he/she is. Let’s examine exactly WHEN the Bible says that someone enters into a personal relationship with Jesus.
We could study this from the perspective of birth. How is one “born into” the family of God and thus “born into” a relationship with Jesus? The Bible answer we would find would be at the point of a penitent believer being baptized (John 3:5; Eph. 5:26; Tit. 3:5), but that is not our focus in this article.
We could study this from the perspective of marriage. How does one become “married to Christ,” like it talks about in Romans 7:4? The Bible answer we would find would be at the point of baptism again, when one becomes a part of the bride of Christ with Christ as the bridegroom (1 Cor. 12:13; Acts 2:41, 47; Eph. 5:22-33), but that is not our focus in this article.
In both of these examples above, there is an obvious point when one goes from outside the family of God and into the family of God, and when one goes from outside a marriage to Christ and into a marriage to Christ. When it comes to a personal relationship with Jesus, one will find again that there is a obvious point when one goes from outside that relationship and into that personal relationship.
In Matthew 2:11, there is a word used about the wise men who were outside the house and then stepped “into” the house. That’s a very definite point of change. That same Greek word (eis) is used when one, who is outside a relationship with Christ, steps “into” that relationship. Look at these verses carefully.
“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:27). That Greek word (eis) denotes a movement “into” Christ, now to enjoy a personal relationship with Him. Again, Romans 6:3—“Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” These are the only two verses in all the New Testament that teach how one enters “into” Christ and, thus, “into” a personal relationship with Christ. That personal relationship cannot be claimed or enjoyed even one moment before one’s baptism.
Take time to also note that same Greek word (eis) is also used in Matthew 28:19, to emphasize a change in relationship with the entire Godhead which takes place in baptism.