Jesus Christ in the flesh was the representative of the human family, a sample of what all humanity might become through union with Him. All that He did as man, He did for us, as our representative, and each individual may by faith receive the full virtue of every act of His life, just as though He himself had wrought it. Take, for example, His baptism. "The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all," (Isaiah 53:6) that He, "the Lamb of God, [might] take away the sins of the world." (John 1:29)
So when the multitudes came to be baptized in Jordan, confessing their sins, "Then came Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptized of him." (Matthew 3:13)
And it was by faith he witnessed in this act to the power of His sacrifice to cleanse the whole world of sin, the Spirit also bore witness to the acceptance of that cleansed humanity with God.
Jesus was baptized as our representative, confessing our sins; therefore the words, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," (Matthew 3:17) are for us, who are "accepted in the Beloved." (Ephesians 1:6)
The opened heavens, the descending Spirit, the approval of the Father, all are ours in Him who "by himself purged our sins," (Hebrews 1:3) and justified humanity. This glorious fact even the apostles were slow to accept, and a special vision was given to Peter in which the truth that in Christ all men were justified and cleansed was most emphatically taught. "What God has cleansed, do not call common." (Acts 10:15)
These were the words thrice repeated in the vision; and in relating it Peter said, "God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean," (Acts 10:28) thereby showing that in Christ God has cleansed every man. Hence the yearning call to those who have not experienced a blessing as of "the man whose transgression is forgiven and whose sin is covered," (Psalm 32:1) because they are ignorant of that blessed fact: "I have blotted out as a thick cloud your transgressions, and as a cloud your sins; return unto me; for I have redeemed you." (Isaiah 44:22) "Whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He so glorified." (Romans 8:30)
At His baptism Christ revealed man justified and accepted.
Later, towards the close of His life on earth, He revealed man glorified. For a little while the veil was removed, and the beauty and glory of the divine image shone forth and proclaimed Him the Son of God. A chosen few of His disciples were "eyewitnesses of His majesty; When He received from God the Father honor and glory." (2 Peter 1:16-17)
And this He received as man for men; He was still our representative. Therefore seeing Jesus crowned with glory and honor, the whole creation waits in hope for the manifestation of all the sons of God, when all whom He has justified shall be likewise glorified, when the righteousness wrought for them and in them by the divine Son of man, shall clothe them with raiment white and glistening, fine linen clean and bright, and crown them with unfading glory. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when He shall appear we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." (1 John 3:2)
Then, "[He shall] change our vile body, and fashion it like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able to subdue all things unto himself." (Philippians 3:21)--Present Truth, May 29, 1902--Timeline: II-2 (The Baptism)--Matthew 3:13