But there are many others, including the final transition from death to life eternal. Through baptism we are incorporated into the ongoing history of Christ's mission, and we are identified and made participants in God's new history in Jesus Christ and the new age that Christ is bringing. We await the final moment of grace, when Christ comes in victory at the end of the age to bring all who are in Christ into the glory of that victory.
Baptism has significance in time and gives meaning to the end of time.
In it we have a vision of a world recreated and humanity transformed and exalted by God's presence. Baptism is at the heart of the Gospel of grace and at the core of the Church's mission. Baptism is an expression of God's love for the world, and the effects of baptism also express God's grace. As baptized people of God, we therefore respond with praise and thanksgiving, praying that God's will be done in our own lives.