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Baptisms
Hebrews
6:1-3 - Therefore
leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto
perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and
of faith toward God, Of
the doctrine of baptisms,
and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal
judgment. And this will we do, if God permit. [Emphasis
added are mine]
The Gospel of
Jesus Christ
I
Corinthians 15:1-4,14,17 - Moreover,
brethren, I
declare unto you the gospel
which I preached unto you, which
also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if
ye keep in memory what I preached unto you,
unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that
which I also received, how
that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was
buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
And
if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also
vain.
And
if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
[Emphasis added are mine]
The
doctrine of baptisms is so intertwined with the gospel of Jesus Christ that I
felt it necessary to introduce this doctrine with the gospel. Paul declared the
gospel unto the Corinthians and the gospel was well received by them. Paul told
them if they hold fast to it and abide in it, that it would ensure their
salvation, unless they believed in vain. The gospel of Jesus Christ does not end
at His death. He rose again in three days. The
gospel of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ was inseparable.
They all are equally essential in fulfilling the salvation, healing, and
deliverance of God’s people.
Paul
stressed the importance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and said if He never
rose from the grave than our faith would be in vain (useless) and we would still
be in our sins. The resurrection of Christ is so important that if it never took
place, then we can say Jesus was merely a man, a false prophet, who led away
many people to their own persecution and destruction, including us who believe in Him today. But the
reality of it is that He was not just a man or false prophet. He was God come in
the flesh prepared to die for our sins and pay the penalty for our
transgressions. He came to abolish the works of the devil and set His people
free. This is the glorious work of Jesus Christ and the cross.
The
gospel is very simple. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is
the gospel to preach. Think specifically about what was preached to you when you
entered into the New Covenant by the water and the Spirit. Think about what you
hear preached today that supposedly represents the gospel. Is it different? Has
something been added to it or taken away from it? Whatever you have experienced
or have heard preached from the many different denominations that are out there,
you need look no further than the scriptures to find out what was the gospel
preached by the apostles. There is only one gospel and this is it: Jesus Christ
died for our sins fulfilling many prophecies from the Old Covenant. He was
buried for three days and on the last day He rose again.
The
book of Acts has so many examples of how this gospel was preached and what the
apostles said that it would be fairly easy for us to read Peter’s messages, Paul’s messages, Stephen’s
messages, Phillip’s messages and compare them with what we hear preached
today as “the gospel”. I encourage you to stick with what the apostles of the 1st
century preached. You can’t go wrong.
Over
the centuries many things have been added to and taken away from the simplicity
of the gospel. The simplicity of the gospel has been clearly recorded and is
undoubtedly the power of God that grants salvation to everyone that will believe
in it (Romans 1:16) and Paul was not ashamed to preach this glorious truth.
The
response of a believer to that gospel is just as simple and clear. Jesus said
that a man could not see the kingdom of God unless he were born again. To
clarify He also said that to be born again, and see and enter into the kingdom,
one must be born of the water and the Spirit (John 3:1-5). Notice born of the
water and the Spirit are both required. They are also inseparable as a testimony
of being born again.
Hearers and Doers
– Faith and Obedience
For
the gospel of Jesus Christ to be applied to our lives, to be a relevant reality, we must hear it and obey.
Some never get to hear. Fortunately, we have had the privilege of hearing the
gospel. We must respond to hearing the gospel by obeying the gospel. What does
it profit a man to hear the Word and do nothing? Or what does it profit a man to
know that a furious hurricane is coming if he doesn’t board up his home or
find shelter on a house of solid rock and fortitude to withstand the onslaught
of the torrential storm?
Luke
7:28-30 - For
I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater
prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is
greater than he. And all the people that heard him, and the publicans,
justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. But the
Pharisees and lawyers rejected the
counsel of God
against themselves, being not baptized of him.
[Emphasis added are mine]
Jesus
spoke to all the people, including the Pharisees and religious leaders of His
day, that there was not a greater prophet to have lived than John the Baptist.
All that heard Him, except those religious leaders, justified God. The people
who justified God were baptized according to John’s baptism, but the religious
leaders were not baptized of John. Those religious leaders, according to the Word
of God, rejected “the counsel of God” given to John the Baptist to baptize
unto repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Not only did the religious leaders
not hear Jesus, but even in what they heard, they did not do. They did not obey
the Word of God and this resulted in their judgment.
Instead
of submitting to the Word of God, which is manifested as obedience to the Word, they
came around another time to try to trip up Jesus concerning John the Baptist.
Matthew
21:23-27 - And
when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the
people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest
thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?
The
religious leaders tried to confront Jesus through the back door. They recognized
His authority (or acted as if they did) and asked Him where did He get His
authority from?
And
Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye
tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things.
Jesus
answered that He would answer their question if they answered His.
The
baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men?
[Emphasis
added are mine]
He
confronted them concerning the baptism of John. Remember that the Word of God
said that they had rejected the counsel of God. So Jesus asks them if the
baptism of John was from heaven or from men? By heaven, he meant was the baptism
of John from God? By men, He meant did the baptism of John originate as a
man-made idea?
And
they reasoned with
themselves,
saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then
believe him? But if we shall say,
Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet. And they answered
Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by
what authority I do these things.
The
religious leaders counseled among themselves as to what to answer. If they would
say from heaven, meaning the baptism of John came from God, then their words
would judge them for they had not obeyed the command of John to be baptized for
the remission of sins, hence disobedience to God. Notice this passage says that if
they would have chosen to answer that it was from God, then it would be asked of them, why did they not
believe? In this context, believing was tied to obeying. In other words, if they
had believed John they would have been baptized. Since they didn’t believe
John, they didn’t get baptized.
If
they would say from men, then the people would “have at them” because the
people recognized that John was a prophet of the Most High (Luke 1:79).
Sheepishly, they answered, “We don’t know.” For their cowardice, Jesus did
not tell them by what authority He did these things.
These
events alone should testify of the importance of baptism in water.
Baptize
(or Baptism) – What is it?
Noun:
Baptisma – Consist of the process of immersion, submersion and emergence (from
the word bapto - to dip)
Verb:
Baptizo – to baptize, to dip, (like the dyeing of a garment), to be
overwhelmed or swamped under
Precedents
for the Baptism in Water
We
already studied in “Repentance
from Dead Works” how baptism was tied to repentance, forgiveness of sins
and confessing from sins.
Matthew
3:1,6,11 - In
those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
And
were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
I
indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is
mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you
with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
What
we also see is John the Baptist did not separate the truth that there would come
One that was mightier than he that would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with
fire. So we clearly see the legitimacy of a water baptism and of a spiritual
baptism: one that would immerse us in water for the forgiveness of sins and one
that would immerse us in the Holy Spirit. For the latter, however, we do not
know the reason yet according to the scriptures we have shared. Continuing in
Matthew we read of this:
Matthew
3:13-16 - Then
cometh Jesus
from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to
be baptized of
him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and
comest thou to me? And
Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for
thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.
Then he suffered him. And
Jesus, when he was baptized, went
up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and
he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: [Emphasis
added are mine]
The
question must be asked at this point, why was Jesus baptized? Jesus said that he
needed to be baptized of John to fulfill all righteousness. That is the first
and most important reason.
If
we are to attain the righteousness of God in Christ by faith, and it says that
He needed to be baptized to fulfill all righteousness, then baptism is to be
viewed as a requirement to obtain the righteousness of God. “Thus it becometh
us to fulfil all righteousness.”
In
this passage, John the Baptist, saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and
lighting upon Jesus. This was a type or foreshadow of the baptism in the Spirit.
John told Jesus that he needed to be baptized by Him. John knew that Jesus was
the One that would come after him that would baptize in the Holy Spirit and
fire. So when Jesus answered John the Baptist, He was not only referring to the
baptism in water, but also the baptism in the Spirit. These “baptisms” were
needed to fulfill all righteousness.
Why
then was Jesus baptized?
I
Peter 2:21-24 - For
even hereunto were ye called: because Christ
also suffered for us, leaving us an
example, that ye should follow his steps:
Who did no sin,
neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not
again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that
judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the
tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose
stripes ye were healed. [Emphasis
added are mine]
Philippians
2:5-8 -
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the
form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of
no reputation, and
took upon him the form of a servant,
and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man,
he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. [Emphasis
added are mine]
Jesus
did not “need” to be baptized in water for He had no sins to repent of or
confess. He did not “need” to be baptized in the Spirit for in Him (that is, the spirit which was inside
the body) dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead from the moment of His birth
(Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:20-23; John 4:24; Colossians 2:9). He, as
the Son of Man, was an example to us of what was expected of man in response and
relation to God.
The reason we see Jesus praying was because he was a man. He depended upon the Spirit
of God, just as all men need to be dependent upon the Spirit of God. Though all the fullness of God indwelt him, he was
still a man. If He were not man, like us, He would not
be an appropriate sacrifice.
The point is that as a man, He needed the Spirit of
God like any other man. Secondarily, He was an example to us
of a man being completely dependent upon God. We see that in His humility and
obedience to His Father, even when it meant His death.
John
1:29-34 - The
next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God,
which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me
cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. And I knew
him not: but that
he should be made manifest to Israel,
therefore am I come baptizing with water. And
John bare record,
saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon
him. And I knew him not: but
he that sent me to baptize with water,
the
same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and
remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And
I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
[Emphasis
added are mine]
John
the Baptist was the only one who saw the Spirit of God descending upon Jesus as
a dove. John the Baptist saw this because God said to him that on whomever he
saw the Spirit descending and remaining upon, that is the one who would baptize
in the Holy Spirit. This was the witness John the Baptist needed to identify who
truly was the promised Messiah and manifest Him to all Israel. Thus
John the Baptist concludes and testifies that Jesus is this promised Messiah,
the Son of God.
This
baptismal event does not show that Christ received the Spirit of God at this
point. It merely was a witness to John the Baptist of who Jesus really was - the
Son of God, the Messiah. God used this event as a confirmation to John the
Baptist who saw the Spirit descending and resting upon Jesus.
To reiterate,
Jesus did not need to be baptized in water for the forgiveness of sins (He knew
and did no sin – II Corinthians 5:21, I Peter 2:22) and He did not need the
baptism in the Holy Spirit for the Spirit of God already indwelt Him, even from
His birth. The following scriptures testify to the latter:
Luke
2:11 - For
unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ
the Lord. [Emphasis
added are mine]
The
angels spoke to the shepherds that Christ (the Messiah) the Lord, the Savior,
was born. He was to be recognized as Lord. If the Spirit of God in all His
fullness did not indwell that body, He could not be considered
“Christ the
Lord”.
But the reason He was considered “the Lord” is because God indwelt Him without
measure (John 3:34). If
this were not true, than Jesus, at His birth, was at best nothing but a mere mortal man.
Hence He would not and should not have been recognized as "the Lord" by the
angels or the shepherds.
Isaiah
7:14 - Therefore
the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and
bear a son, and shall call his name
Immanuel.
[Emphasis added are mine]
Matthew
1:21-23 - And
she shall bring forth a son, and
thou shalt call his name JESUS: for
he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might
be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a
virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and
they shall call his name Emmanuel,
which being interpreted is, God with us.
[Emphasis
added are mine]
It
was prophesied in the Old Covenant that a virgin (Mary) would bear a son and
that this son shall be called Immanuel. When that Son was brought forth (New
Covenant), He was called Jesus, thus fulfilling the prophecy that his name will
be called Emmanuel – meaning God with us. These scriptures testify that, even
at His birth, He was God with us – meaning God with humanity. Again, if the
Spirit of God was not in Him without measure, the He would be nothing more than
a mere mortal man and not worthy to be worshipped as Lord.
Isaiah 9:6 - For unto us
a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and
his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
This
prophecy is speaking of a child that would be born who is, none other than,
Jesus Christ. It was prophesied that this child, at His birth, would be called,
"The mighty God, The everlasting Father." The reason why they could
call Him this is because the eternal Spirit of the Father, who is none other
than the Holy Spirit Himself, was within the spirit of the man Jesus Christ
without measure.
John
3:22,26 4:1,2 - After
these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he
tarried with them, and baptized.
And
they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond
Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the
same baptizeth,
and all men come to him.
When
therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and
baptized more disciples than John, (Though
Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) [Emphasis
added are mine]
Some
say water baptism is unimportant. However, Jesus set the example for us to
follow, not only by partaking in water baptism (which for Him was personally
unnecessary), but also in that He baptized others. Let us now look into the
precedents for the baptism in the Spirit.
Precedents
for the Baptism in Spirit
Jesus,
after His resurrection, for 40 days was teaching and speaking of the things
pertaining to the kingdom of God. Before He ascended, He told the disciples to
not depart from Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father.
Acts
1:5,8 - For
John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost
not many days hence.
But
ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye
shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in
Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
The
promise of the Father was the baptism in the Holy Spirit. When they received the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit they received power and became witnesses
to all nations starting from Jerusalem throughout the world.
In
Acts chapter 2, we see that the 120 waiting in the upper room, received the
promise of the Father and began to speak in tongues and look like drunken
people. Peter was the first to preach the gospel in the anointing of the Spirit.
During his preaching, he testified of the man named Jesus that God raised from
the dead, has been exalted at the “right hand of God”. But Peter
explained, that what everyone now sees and hears (speaking in tongues and
seeming in some manner to be drunk) was the promise of the Father spoken to them
that they would receive.
Acts
2:32,33 - This
Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the
right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of
the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
The
Holy Spirit is the Spirit that raised up Jesus from the dead. This was the
Spirit that now indwelled the 120 disciples and quickened (made alive) their
mortal bodies to live for God (Romans 8:11). They could now walk in the Spirit
because the Spirit of God dwelled in them. Paul said if you do not have the
Spirit of Christ (which is the Spirit of God) you are not His (Romans 8:9).
Peter
then spoke to them saying that this promise was also for them, but that they
needed to obey the gospel he just preached. The listeners asked Peter and the
apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” for having crucified the
Lord of Glory Himself. Peter answered:
Acts
2:38 - Then
Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost.
The
promise was not only for the disciples (turned apostles of Jesus Christ). The
promise was for all men who would obey the gospel. Peter answered them to repent
(turn from their sin and turn toward God), get baptized in the name of Jesus so
their sins would be forgiven, and receive the same promise of the Holy Spirit
that they had. This was the fruit of that response.
Acts
2:41 - Then
they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were
added unto them about three thousand souls.
Almost
3000 lives were ushered into the kingdom. The Holy Spirit is akin to the kingdom of God
(Luke 17:21) that now indwells His people and is manifest to the rest of the
world through His people. We are the witnesses of Jesus Christ by His Holy
Spirit. Though, we were not there to witness His resurrection with our own eyes,
we witness of His resurrection by the Holy Spirit of resurrection that now
dwells in us. “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed”
(John 20:29). Therefore, we are witnesses of Jesus to the whole world (Acts
1:8).
We
will also note, in this first account, that baptism in water and Spirit were not
separated (John 3:3-5).
Acts
8:5,12,14-17 - Then
Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and
preached Christ unto them.
But
when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God,
and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. [Emphasis
added are mine]
Here
we read of Phillip preaching to the Samaritans. Phillip preaches Christ (the
gospel of Jesus) and the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of
Jesus Christ. They received what he preached and were baptized, both the men and
the women. We see here that even baptism in water in Jesus’ name is still the
required, even for the half-Jews.
Now
when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the
word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come
down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he
was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord
Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
Notice
the required response did not end with water baptism though. Peter and John were
sent all the way from Jerusalem to pray and lay hands on them to also receive
the Spirit, for they had not received the promise as of yet. They had only been
baptized in the name of Jesus. So they laid their hands on them and the
Samaritans also received the Holy Spirit. No one, at this point, was exempt from
responding to the gospel in this manner; repenting, which leads to baptism in
water and in Spirit. They are undeniably inseparable responses according to these
scriptures.
Acts
10:44-48; 11:16 - While
Peter yet spake these words,
the Holy Ghost fell on all
them which heard
the word.
And they of the
circumcision which believed were astonished,
as many as came with Peter, because
that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For
they heard them speak with tongues,
and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can
any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized,
which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And
he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.
Then
remembered
I the word of the Lord,
how that he said, John
indeed baptized with water; but ye shall
be baptized with the Holy Ghost.
[Emphasis
added are mine]
Here
Peter preaches to Cornelius and his household. They represent the Gentiles.
Before he could finish preaching, before he could baptize them in Jesus’ name
or lay hands on them to receive the Spirit, Jesus immersed them in His Spirit.
They spoke in tongues and magnified God. The Jews who accompanied Peter could
not believe it. They were completely awestruck. The Holy Spirit had been poured
on the Gentiles - the unclean! But they could not argue the matter because they
spoke in tongues, supernaturally, just like they did when they received the
Spirit. God had declared the Gentiles chosen and able to take part in the
kingdom of God by this very act.
Notice
here also, that even though they were not baptized in water, Peter commanded
them to be baptized in the name of Jesus afterward. He would not separate the
two. He would not say, “Oh, they got the Spirit just like we did. The work is
complete.” He continued regardless of the order of experience and baptized
them in the name of Jesus. This is now the third testimony showing that Peter
would not allow the separation of the baptism in water and the baptism in the
Spirit when obeying the gospel (to the Jews, half-Jews/Samaritans, and
Gentiles).
Let’s
study the testimony of Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla in Acts 18 and 19:
Acts
18:24 - And
a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty
in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This
man was instructed in the way of the Lord;
and being fervent in the spirit, he
spake and taught diligently the things of
the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.
And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila
and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them,
and
expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.
And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting
the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which
had believed through grace: For he
mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures
that Jesus was Christ.
[Emphasis
added are mine]
A
certain man named Apollos came to Ephesus preaching the things of the Lord. It
says that he was “Instructed in the way of the Lord” and very articulate
when he spoke concerning the scriptures. However, he knew only of the baptism of
John. During his preaching a man and woman named Aquila and Priscilla heard him
and when he was finished preaching, they took him quietly aside and expounded to
him the way more perfectly. It doesn’t say exactly what they told him, but
they gave him some greater revelation that went further than the baptism of
John.
To
find out what they told him, we must realize that Aquila and Priscilla were
traveling companions with Paul, the apostle (Acts 18:2,18), as he went to Syria.
They went about with him as he preached the gospel to the Jews and the Gentiles.
In knowing this, they heard the truth from an apostle - called and sent of God.
They picked up what he taught and shared it with Apollos. What exactly they
shared is not recorded in detail for us, but the next few verses, which followed
this event with Apollos, should shed even more light on this question.
Acts
19:1-6 - And
it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed
through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and
finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have
ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?
And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy
Ghost. And he said
unto them,
Unto
what then were ye baptized? And
they said, Unto John's baptism. Then
said Paul,
John
verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that
they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ
Jesus.
When they heard
this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
And when Paul had laid his hands upon
them,
the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
[Emphasis
added are mine]
This
account immediately follows the account recorded of Apollos, Aquila, and
Priscilla. Paul came to the upper coasts of Ephesus. He ran into some
“apparent” disciples. During there conversation, Paul asks, “Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?”
They answered they never even heard of such.
Paul
then asks, “Unto what then were you baptized?” Just by looking at these two
questions, Paul is showing that he is in complete agreement with Peter. He would
not separate the baptism in water in Jesus’ name and the baptism in the
Spirit. They were both essentially important to Paul in identifying who were
these “apparent” disciples. They answered that they were baptized into
John’s baptism.
At
this point, we realize that these “apparent” disciples were in the same
predicament as Apollos. They only knew of John’s baptism. This account of
Paul’s encounter with the “apparent” disciples shed’s light on what
Aquila and Priscilla “expounded” to Apollos.
Paul
then said to them that the baptism of repentance, which John carried out, was
good and well. However, even John the Baptist told the people to focus on the
one that would come after him, referring to Jesus Christ. He is one who that
would baptize in Spirit and in fire. The “apparent” disciples heard this and
believed the words the Paul spoke to them and were immediately baptized in the
name of Jesus. Paul then laid hands on them and they received the Spirit as
evidenced by speaking in tongues.
If Paul spoke this to them, and Aquila and
Priscilla traveled and learned under Paul the things to preach and teach, then
it is a safe assumption to say that what Paul did with these “apparent”
disciples is what Aquila and Priscilla did with Apollos. This “way of God more
perfectly” was what Aquila and Priscilla expounded to Apollos. Jesus is the
Christ that died, was buried and rose again. You need to get baptized in Him for
the remission of sins now and receive His most precious Holy Spirit.
The
testimonies are overwhelmingly in favor of the inseparableness of water baptism
in Jesus’ name and the baptism in the Spirit. Jesus didn’t die and stay
dead. He didn’t die and remain buried. Jesus died, was buried, and rose again.
To obey the gospel of Jesus Christ you must obtain for yourself the death,
burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. From the first New Covenant gospel
preaching, it was expected that you must “… Repent, and be baptized every
one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38).
The
initial willingness to repent and change your ways is a beautiful thing.
Repentance in your own strength is doomed to fail, though. However, God has made
a way. If you will die with Him and in Him, since He already died in your place,
and if you will resurrect with Him and in Him, since He has already resurrected
in your place, then you can obtain mercy, forgiveness of sins, and grace (divine
empowerment) to walk free from sin and death and walk according to the new law
of the Spirit of Life in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:2). In contrast to your previous
manner of life, walking in the flesh, you can now do something that you could
never do before and that’s walk in the Spirit – a life
completely dependent on the Spirit of God.
Why
Baptism in Water and in Spirit? – The Necessity and Essentiality of Both!
Acts
22:16 - And
now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be
baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. [Emphasis
added are mine]
Hebrews
9:14 - How
much more shall the
blood of Christ,
who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge
your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? [Emphasis
added are mine]
According
to the scriptures, water baptism is the act of faith through obedience that applies the
blood of Christ to our lives, washing away our sins and purging our conscience
from the guilt and shame of our own sin and failures and more specifically from dead works to
serve the living God.
Romans
6:3 - Know
ye not, that so many of us as were baptized
into Jesus Christ
were baptized
into his death?
[Emphasis added are mine]
Water
baptism is an act of faith through obedience that immerses us into his death.
Romans
6:4 - Therefore
we
are buried with him by baptism into death:
that like as Christ
was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father,
even so we
also should walk in newness of life. [Emphasis
added are mine]
We
are unashamed to baptize in His name and call upon Jesus because we are enjoined
to Jesus in His death.
Baptism
in water and in Spirit (“Baptisms”) is an act of faith through obedience that
allows us to say and experience that “I died and am resurrected alive in
Christ”.
We
are buried, by water baptism,
into His death. This is how we die. And in the same manner that Christ was
raised up by the glory of the Father -His most precious Holy Spirit- we also
walk in the newness of life by His Holy Spirit of resurrection.
Romans
8:1-5 - There
is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk
not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For
the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law
of sin and death.
For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God
sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned
sin in the flesh: That
the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk
not after the flesh, but after
the Spirit.
For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they
that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. [Emphasis
added are mine]
The
newness of life is according to the new law of the Spirit of Life in Christ
Jesus. We are free from the old law of sin and death.
We do not need to fulfill the law in order to obtain righteousness, but He has made a way that the
righteousness of the law be fulfilled in us.
By
walking in the Spirit, which was an impossibility before becoming born again, we
walk according the new law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. This law
supercedes the old law and frees us from the law of sin and death.
Romans
6:5 - For
if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be
also in the likeness of his resurrection:
We
have been planted (past tense) together in the likeness of His death (by
baptism in water) and shall be also in the resurrection (by baptism in the
Spirit who will bring this to fruition).
Romans
6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin
might be destroyed (destroyed
meaning inactivated – to render idle, unemployed, inoperative, to cause a
person or thing to have no further efficiency, power, force or influence},
that henceforth we should not serve sin.
The
“sin factory” that is our flesh has been inactivated. It has been rendered
powerless and inoperative. Jesus did this so that we should not serve sin
anymore. We had no choice beforehand. We were not lead or empowered by the
Spirit of Christ in anything we did. We did whatsoever our previous father
(satan) willed. But now, we are no longer forced to serve sin. We can leave that
sin factory and walk in “Spirit factory” that only produces righteousness.
II
Corinthians 13:4 - For
though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God.
For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God
toward you.
He
was crucified through weakness, His flesh, yet He liveth forever by the power
(the Spirit) of God. We also our weak in Him because of our flesh, but we
strengthen and overcome by the power (the Spirit) of God.
Being
baptized in water and in Spirit allows us to confidently and boldly say and
live out
that,
Galatians
2:20 - I
am crucified
with Christ: nevertheless
I live; yet not I,
but Christ
liveth in me: and
the life which I now live in the flesh
I
live by the faith of the Son of God,
who loved me, and gave himself for me. [Emphasis
added are mine]
Faith
defined is a fully persuaded belief that is ensued by action coinciding with
that belief. It is not simply a mental assent of knowledge or truth. It is not
simply agreeing with something that is true. Biblical faith provokes that person
to act upon that belief in some fashion and allow it to dictate their actions. A
synonym that I think is better suited to the biblical definition of faith is the
word trust. Trust has more of the connotation of surrendering or abandoning
one’s self into the care of another. Biblical faith is absolutely and
undeniably active in nature and expression.
By
faith we are crucified already with and in Christ. We live, but it really
isn’t us, it’s Christ living in and through us. We live by the faith of the
Son of God. The faith of the Son of God is a life that is completely abandoned
and surrendered to the will of God, just as the man Jesus the Christ.
We
no longer have
to serve sin because Jesus (God) doesn’t sin and if we walk in the Spirit we
will not sin.
Romans
6:7 - For
he
that is dead is freed from sin. [Emphasis
added are mine]
I
Peter 2:24 - Who
his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to
sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
If
we by faith are truly dead then we are freed from sin. That is a powerfully
liberating truth. We live, not for ourselves (we died), to serve God for Him, by
Him, and through Him. We live no longer to sin, but unto righteousness.
Romans
6:9,10 - Knowing
that Christ being
raised from the dead dieth no more;
death hath no more dominion over him. For in
that he died, he died unto sin once:
but in
that he liveth, he liveth unto God. [Emphasis
added are mine]
Death
will never have dominion over us. We will never die again because we live unto
God and that is eternal. Our flesh may die, but that is just the housing of who
we are. We are spirits and our spirits live eternally in
Jesus. God never died, but His flesh did. He raised up that body and glorified
it and He lives forever.
He
died once. We died once – in the baptism in water in His precious name. We
live now, by the Spirit, unto God forever, never to die again.
Romans
6:14 - For
sin shall not have dominion over you:
for ye are not under the law,
but
under grace. [Emphasis
added are mine]
Sin
will not have dominion over us because we are not under law. We are now under
grace – the spiritual empowerment of His Spirit causes us to walk in
righteousness. He fulfills righteousness in us because He is doing and living
through us. It is not us. It’s all about Him being the “One God and Father
of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:6)
The
penalty of sin is death. The law of sin and death simply states if you sin you
die. We were all under the law and that penalty. But God made a way for us to
come out from under that law. When we obey the gospel of Jesus Christ we get
baptized in water. Not only for the forgiveness of sins, but because Jesus paid
the death penalty. When we die in Him, we also die to the law.
Ephesians
5:25b - even
as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
In
the Old Covenant, because of the law, if a man and woman were married they
remained married until death one’s death. If the man or the woman died, the
other man or woman became free again. Obeying the gospel of Jesus Christ is how
God made a way for us to die to the law, without paying the penalty of death
because Christ already gave Himself up for the church. That resulted in us being
free to walk according the freedom found in the new law of the Spirit of Life in
Christ Jesus. This new law is not a license to sin, but a divine empowerment to serve
the living God.
Titus
3:5 - Not
by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he
saved us,
by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
[Emphasis
added are mine]
We
were baptized into the body of His death (through water) – “the washing of
regeneration”.
But we were baptized also into the body of His life - the body of the
resurrected Christ (through His Spirit) – “the renewing of the Holy Ghost”.
1
Corinthians 6:11 -
And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but
ye are
justified in the name of the Lord
Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
[Emphasis
added are mine]
We
are washed, sanctified and justified by both the name of the Lord Jesus at water
baptism and the Spirit of our God at the baptism of the Spirit. Again the work
here is shown to be inseparable.
I
Corinthians 10:1,2 - Moreover,
brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were
under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And
were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; [Emphasis
added are mine]
Even
the New Covenant shows that the Old Covenant did not separate the
“baptisms”. All were baptized into Moses (a type or foreshadow of Jesus) in
the cloud (type or foreshadow of the baptism in the Spirit) and in the sea (type
or foreshadow of the baptism in water).
Galatians
3:27 - For
as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Being
baptized into Christ refers both into His death (for he didn’t remain dead and
neither did we) and into His life (because He resurrected and so did we in Him). We can
say we are dressed with Christ.
I
Corinthians 12:13 - For
by one Spirit
are we
all baptized into one body,
whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and
have been all made to drink into one Spirit. [Emphasis
added are mine]
By
the one and only Spirit of God we were baptized into His body (the Church). Is
His body (the Church) dead? His physical body that resurrected represented His
spiritual Church (body). So one Spirit baptized us into a living body, the
living body of Jesus Christ that is active and present throughout the world
today bringing light and hope to a dark and lost world.
Colossians
2:12 - Buried with him
in baptism,
wherein also ye are risen
with him through the faith of the operation of God,
who hath raised him from the dead. [Emphasis
added are mine]
Again,
Paul claims we were buried (past tense) in baptism with Him. That is why water
baptism is a type of death and burial of/with Jesus Christ. But we are risen
(present tense), right now,
with Him through the faith of the operation of God. The operation of God is akin
to the Holy Spirit of God that raised Him from the dead. It is the Holy Spirit
that enlivens our mortal bodies and empowers us to serve a living God.
I
Peter 3:21 - The
like figure whereunto even baptism
doth also now save us
(not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good
conscience toward God,) by
the resurrection of Jesus Christ: [Emphasis
added are mine]
Repentance is akin to death - dying to our lusts and desires that are contrary
to God. Baptism is akin to burial, but Peter said that baptism also now saves us by
the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We have a good conscience toward God because we have obeyed His gospel and come
to Him on His terms. Again, Peter will not separate the water and the Spirit. He
recognizes both and affirms the essentiality of both.
Knowing
that we died, were buried and are now risen (resurrected) in Him, these next
three passages should have a whole new meaning:
Matthew
16:25 - For
whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for
my sake shall find it.
Mark
8:35 - For
whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life
for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
John
2:25 -
He
that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world
shall keep it unto life eternal.
We
must lose our life for His sake before we can find true life.
We
must lose our life for His sake and the gospel’s to actually save it.
We must hate our own life
(the life that acts independent and undependent upon God)
to keep the eternal life that is only found in our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ.
Death
and burial are necessary to be resurrected. We cannot be resurrected into a new
life in Christ Jesus without dying first. So both baptism in water and in the
Spirit are necessary for all of the aforementioned reasons. They are essential
to becoming born again (John 3:3-5).
Questions
Comments?
[ Repentance from Dead Works ] [ Faith Toward God ] [ Baptisms ] [ Laying on of Hands ] [ Resurrection of the Dead ] [ Eternal Judgment ]
©
copyright 2001 Jesus M. Ruiz