One of the most exciting things about this whole experience is how God keeps giving me (and others around me) revelations about the truth that is in his Word. It is outside of everything we have ever been taught and "indoctrinated" with. Truth is at the very source, from the Spirit of God himself speaking to us with his Word. It's enthralling to have the Living God moving inside of us and revealing things to us that our finite and carnal minds cannot grasp on it's own.
I attended two organic church gatherings and bible studies this week. A question was raised by some people asking about baptism. Personally, I never questioned baptism. I grew up with the belief that after we are saved, we go to be baptized with water to represent our new life in Christ. We die, leave our flesh in the water, and we are born again in the spirit.
But someone recently questioned this verse saying there is only one baptism:
"One Lord, one faith, one baptism,"Ephesians 4:5.
Okay, so?
But the bible speaks of two baptisms, one of water and one of the Spirit.
But that's two kinds of baptism, and the Bible says there's only one! We know the Bible doesn't contradict itself, so there must be an explanation.
And there is.
John the Baptist was a prophet of repentance. He preached repentance in the wilderness and baptized many in the water. When Jesus came to him to be baptized, John was stunned and said,
"I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?" Matthew 3:14
Imagine, the long awaited Messiah, the Son of God coming and asking YOU to baptize him. Who is worthy? Yet, Jesus replied:
"Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness." Matthew 3:15
Jesus Christ said this needed to be done for now, because he has come to fulfill all righteousness!
Jesus Christ walked a perfect man on this Earth and fulfilled ALL LAWS. He ALSO fulfilled righteousness. He fulfilled BAPTISM!!!
Now there is one baptism, which is the one of the Spirit.
When the guards put a spear through the body of Christ on the cross, it sprinkled blood AND water mixed TOGETHER (John 19:34). We are baptized of Christ in blood AND water, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
John baptized with water, but Jesus Christ baptizes with the Holy Ghost! (John 1:26, 33)
All physical things have been done away, and now Christ has brought spiritual things. Christ tore down the physical sanctuaries and created a spiritual temple within us by fulfilling the law. Christ fulfilled the physical water baptism and created a spiritual baptism by fulfilling righteousness.
Water is also an illustration of the spirit in the Bible. John 7:38, 39 reveal this.
"He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified."
We are now baptized with the living water, which is the Spirit of God.
Behold, Jesus Christ has made all things new. Praise HIS name!!
blessings, andrea
Love and Hugs ~ Kat
Charlene is gifted. The Holy Spirit guides her. It's amazing. I feel like her and I were paired together as sisters in Christ for a purpose. When we get together we become so one minded. It's not of us at all, totally ALL Holy Ghost-led friendship.
Isn't it wonderful the revelations that God begins to show us when we seek Him for Truth instead of others.I remember coming to that time period in my life where I did not just want to go forward in my life with just the information that I learned at church my whole life. I wanted to know that what I believed was real. I wanted the Truth. I remember even saying that to God, "I WANT THE TRUTH!" And it has been since that time forward that God has shown me deep revelations concerning Him and His body. When we all start to cry out to God desiring and craving only the Truth, I believe we will be amazed at what we as the body of Christ will begin to look and act like. Maybe a little more like Jesus Himself? the One and only Truth!!
The fact that the Jewish tradition contained various baptisms was one of the reasons we read in Ephesians that since Christ died, there is only ONE baptism - Ephesians 4:5... the Jewish traditions were done away with in favour of the baptism of Christianity - the new way.
John preached the baptism of repentance - and it was the only true baptism of that day - those who were baptised by him were the true remnant of faithful Jews at the time, amongst whom the Lord Himself must be numbered - hence His need to be baptised by John.
Following the death of Christ, baptism became baptism TO death. This means they had a part in the death of Christ, it is a beautiful symbolic action that a Christian has died to sin and to the state he was in before Christ redeemed him, and that he has come alive again, a new man in Christ. Of course the minute we are saved by grace we are dead to sin and come alive in Christ (baptism doesn't do that for us), but baptism is a symbolic action by which others KNOW we have taken that step. This puts us in a place of Christian responsibility - we must walk in the "newness of life" after making such a public declaration of our faith.
In our day, people get saved and it can take weeks, months or even years for a person to decide to be baptised. This is not how it was at the beginning of Christianity - you read in the Biblical examples (especially Acts, the first period of the Church) that people were saved and immediately baptised - this was their public declaration that Christ had made them new - it didn't save them, it doesn't do anything spiritually, it is purely a profession. Sadly in this day and age we live in people are full of apathy and a lot of people are ashamed and embarrassed by their beliefs - it is not as simple as it was back then - hence it takes so long for a person to decide to take that step and make their decision for Christ public through baptism.
The example of people like Peter and Paul is that baptism is still to be done even after the Cross - but now it had new meaning, and there was not to be many types of baptism, but rather the one type - the one that shows that we have died to ourselves and taken on new life in Christ. :)
And the thief on the cross wasn't baptized by water before he died, yet he repented from his sin and sought Christ. I believe he was baptized by the Spirit unto repentance.
We are to be born again if we want to enter the Kingdom of God.
And thanks for the verses!
Of course we see many being baptised and then never showing any fruit of the Spirit - clearly there are many who get carried away with emotions, there are many false conversions and many backsliders, but praise God it is not up to us to figure out who is truly saved and who is not. There is no way the Bible classes baptism and the fruit of the Spirit as making each other unnecessary. The decision to be baptised is a decision WE make... Regarding the fruit of the Spirit, that is something we exhibit when we allow the Spirit of God to work in us and through us.
Baptism shows a commitment to following Christ. The going down into the water is a picture of us following Him into death - we are committed to Him even to that point. It is a very serious symbolic action and should not be taken lightly - unfortunately you will find a lot of pastors making it into a lot less than it is for the sake of boasting of numbers of people they have baptised. So then you might see people being baptised (because it is the thing to do - pastor said they should) without it meaning anything or without their life showing any fruits of the Spirit. In the same way, a lot of people take the Lord's Supper lightly and do not realise the true significance - they might partake without ever showing any signs of the fruits of the Spirit. But who are we to judge who is or who isn't a Christian, regardless of what actions they take?
Acts 8:12-24, Simon received the Word, was baptized with water, then asked to BUY the Holy Ghost.
Acts 9 describes Saul's conversion and filling with the Holy Ghost. He was in a house and was baptized? How in the house? no water mentioned. (??)
Acts 10 while Peter was preaching the Holy Ghost came down upon them.
Acts 11 speaks of Holy Ghost baptism happening 'as on us at the beginning'
Acts 18:24 thru 19:7 Apollos received the Word, was water baptized by John for repentance, but had not yet even heard of the Holy Ghost. Then Paul baptized them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and they received the Holy Ghost. (This is what I believe the ONE Baptism of Ephesians 4 is)
more in next comment...
Gal 3:27-29 is being baptized into Christ, which we know can NOT be done with Water.
1 Cor 12:12-14 we are baptized into One Body, this can NOT be done with water.
Romans 6:1-6 being baptized unto His death, can NOT be done with water.
Col 2:9-15 Again being buried in his Baptism and risen in faith, this can't be done by water either.
Eph 4:1-6 is ONE Baptism, not two.
Hebrews 6:1-6 (Which I think you explained above)
1 Peter 3:18 being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. v 21 explains the baptism that saves is by Spirit. Not water.
So if there is
a.)ONE Baptism as stated in Ephesians 4,
b.)Water baptism does not save,
c.) Water baptism is a symbol,
d.)Spirit Baptism saves
Then just what exactly is that ONE Baptism?
And if the Holy Ghost came upon them
a.)after receiving the Word
b.)at more times in the Bible than just at Pentecost
c.)their spirits weren't quickened UNTIL they got the Holy Ghost
Then why do you think it only happened ONCE and that we aren't to seek Him?