For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, When we dip beneath the surface of the water, this is symbolic of our being buried with Christ. Then as we come up out of the water, this is symbolic of us being raised from the deadness of our old ways and being resurrected to walk in newness of life. We enter the baptismal still clinging to our old ways of doing things. But we leave the baptismal freed from the past and now living a new life. Verse 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
Baptism is a time of being set free.
By publicly confessing what Christ has already done in our heart, we are telling everyone that we are making a new commitment to follow Christ. We are set free and no longer the slave of sin. Now we acknowledge that when we are tempted to do what's wrong, we will look toward the help of the Holy Spirit to guide us in our new way of thinking and acting and living. We are now a new creation, and God will help us live a joyful life in him. This study on Baptism 1999 by David Humpal.