What does Galatians 3:27 mean?

Paul has just made an enormous statement. In the previous verse, he declared that all who are in Christ Jesus "by faith" are the children of God. Gentiles no longer need to think of themselves as God's step-children. The rights and privileges of a full son or daughter of God are available to all who trust in Christ for their salvation from sin.

Now Paul describes this connection we have with Christ, the Son of God, as even closer than siblings. Those who trust in Him "put on Christ" like a garment. Paul likely has in mind the kind of robes worn in the Roman Empire during his day. To put on Christ is to be completely covered up by Him. To be "in Christ" is to be so closely identified with Him that we experience life through Him, in a sense.

How does that happen? Paul describes those who come "by faith" as being baptized into Christ. It's possible Paul is referring to water baptism, the outward, public sign of faith in Christ. More likely, though, Paul means that Christians are baptized in (or into) the Holy Spirit when we trust in Christ for our salvation. It is the moment when God's Spirit comes to live with and in us.

Paul describes it this way in 1 Corinthians 12:13, "For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit." He will use similar language to describe our oneness in Christ through the Spirit in the following verse.