Baptism

We are dead with Christ in baptism, and raised with Him through faith in the operation of God Ro 6:3-4, Col 2:12. The law has dominion over us as long as we live Ro 7:1, but we have become dead to the law by the body of Christ Ro 7:4. It would seem that, since we are symbolically buried in baptism, we are then making a literal spiritual passing over from being alive under the law, to being dead to the yoke or burden of the law by Grace, or the New Covenant. Is this the importance of baptism? Is this literal act of spiritually dying actually the point where we come under Grace? I Pt 3:21 says “The like figure (Jesus’s death and resurrection) 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.”

Let’s learn more about baptism. First of all, there are three forms in the baptism of water, of the Holy Spirit, and of blood. The blood baptism being something that only Jesus has partaken in, so far as I can tell. Some may say that this is possible for us in martyrdom, because Jesus said to Zebedee’s children James and John that they are indeed able to be baptized with His baptism, in Mt 20:22-23, Mk 10:38-39, but we know that He must have been talking about the Spirit baptism, because John was not martyred, he died of old age. Also, don’t be confused when John the Baptist says, “He (Jesus) shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire” because these are the same thing, as seen in Acts 2:3 where the baptism of the Holy Spirit was first received to men by cloven tongues of fire. Jesus says in Lk 12:50 “I have a baptism to be baptized with…” which was said after both His water, and Holy Spirit baptism. This harkens us to I Jn 5:8, where John describes three that bear witness in earth, being the Spirit, the water, and the blood. Since Jesus was yet to die, but had already received the first two baptisms, we can easily see that His future baptism that He is speaking of is His baptism of blood, being crucified for our sins. Mt 3:11, Mk 1:4, Lk 3:3, Acts 13:24, 19:34 call water baptism, “the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins”. Jesus, in Lk 7:29-30, said “And all the people that heard him (John the Baptist), and the Publicans, justified God (or professed God to be True), being baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the council of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.”

Ep 4:5 does say there is one baptism, but this no doubt is referring to the Trinity doctrine, as the next verse says “One God, and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” Paul says that the Father is in us all, but we know that the Holy Spirit is the person of the Trinity that dwells in us. While we’re here, let’s look a little more at the Trinity shall we? The Hebrew word for spirit, literally means breath. Yes, you can see your spirit when you are surrounded by low temperatures. Is my breath a part of me? Or is yours a part of you? Jesus is the Word. How did God create all things? He spoke them into existence by His Word. Is my word a part of me? And is yours a part of you?

Jer 2:13, God is the Fountain of Living Waters. John 7:38-39, the Holy Spirit is a River of Living Waters. Rivers come from fountains. Wisdom is a tree of life, Pr 3:13-19. Wisdom is Jesus Pr 3:19, 9:1-5 (John 1:1-4). Rev 22:1 The River of Life (Holy Spirit) proceeds from the Throne, where God the Father (or Fountain Head) sits, and it passes through the Tree of Life (Jesus).