ࡱ>  M >bjbj== ?WW7lh$$$8$$$8$%|8O&~'"'''( 36NNNNNNN$?Q _S O$A8((A8A8 O=$$''!O@===A8$'$'N=A8N==sFV"N@$$N'% R88$)9bN NaO<OnNxS=SN=88$$$$Copyright John Pitts 7th February 2003 A short essay on FAITH and BAPTISM Mark 16:16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved. 2  HYPERLINK \l "_INTRODUCTION" INTRODUCTION 3 Chapter 1 - FAITH 3 HYPERLINK \l "_The_Cross_1"The Cross 5 HYPERLINK \l "_God_s_Relationships"Our relationship with God 7  HYPERLINK \l "_At_what_stage" At what stage of faith should a believer be baptized? 8  HYPERLINK \l "_Gentle_conversion" Gentle conversion 8  HYPERLINK \l "_Dramatic_conversion" Dramatic conversion 10 Chapter 2 - BAPTISM 10 HYPERLINK \l "_Baptism,_or_washing"Baptism - washing with water 10 HYPERLINK \l "_Johns_baptism_of"Johns baptism of repentance 11 HYPERLINK \l "_Christian_Baptism_of"Christian baptism of forgiveness 12  HYPERLINK \l "_Second_birth" Second birth 13  HYPERLINK \l "_Some_other_aspects" Some other aspects of Christian baptism 16 Chapter 3 - THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 16 HYPERLINK \l "_Pentecost"Pentecost 17 HYPERLINK \l "_The_Apostles_practice"The distinction between the second birth and gift of the Holy Spirit 20  HYPERLINK \l "_Exception_to_usual" The baptisms of Cornelius 23 Chapter 4 - LIFE AFTER BAPTISM 23  HYPERLINK \l "_Where_does_sin" Where does sin fit in? 24  HYPERLINK \l "_The_Old_Covenant" The Old Covenant physical circumcision 25  HYPERLINK \l "_The_New_Covenant" The New Covenant spiritual circumcision 26  HYPERLINK \l "_Infant_Baptism" Infant baptism 29  HYPERLINK \l "_Can_you_be" Can you be born again, again? 29 HYPERLINK \l "_Gods_Faith_in"Gods Faith in baptism 31 CONCLUSION 31  HYPERLINK \l "_Our_future_hope" Our future hope Bible quotations MKJV or NKJV INTRODUCTION Within the various Church traditions there is a very wide range of viewpoints about baptism. There are numerous different explanations of what exactly baptism is and why it is (or isnt) important. There are divisions over the necessity of water baptism, and whether it is a one-off act of God on that person or merely a public statement of belief. There is confusion over terminology like baptism of the Holy Spirit. How does that baptism relate to water baptism? Does water matter? When should a believer be baptized? What effect does baptism have? How does it affect our relationship with God? Everyone has a different experience of Gods working in their life and different understandings of how He is working in His Church now. I have set out to examine what the Bible says about the above questions. However, I am aware that in many ways I have barely touched the surface. The Bible gives us well over ten images to help us understand baptism from different angles. I have examined three or four of those aspects in chapter two but have done little more than list some of the many more. I trust firmly that all Scripture is breathed by the Holy Spirit, and I pray that any errors in my understanding of it will be shown up! I have divided the subject into four chapters as follows : Faith the cross, repentance and conversion, our relationship with God; Baptism in water the Jewish custom, Johns baptism, Christian baptism, being born again, other aspects of baptism; The gift of the Holy Spirit Pentecost, the second birth and the gift of the Holy Spirit, unbaptized believers; Life after baptism sin, Gods covenant with us, infant baptism, Gods faithfulness, the Christian journey, conclusion - our future hope. Chapter 1 FAITH The Cross The first step of Christian faith is in turning to face the cross of Jesus. It is the recognition that we are sinners needing Gods forgiveness, and that these sins are paid for by Jesus death. It involves sorrow for past sin, but this sorrow is outweighed by the peace given by the knowledge of Gods forgiveness. Turning to the cross involves repentance and conversion. Repentance is when we recognize our sinfulness and have the desire to make good for those sins. We see that we have turned away from God. Conversion is the act of turning back to God, and it follows true repentance. When we truly repent, the result is that we turn to look at the cross of Jesus. We turn to Him because we have faith that He has paid for our sins. We convert literally, we turn around. In the act of turning to Jesus, the believer faces a new direction, and is consequently turning his back on sin. Faith is a gift from God the Father. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin. There is nothing to be proud of or boast about  because it is God who gives us faith and God who shows us our sin. It is God working on us. Turning to Jesus cross is first and foremost a matter of faith, rather than due to wisdom or knowledge. It is faith partly because we start to believe in something (or rather, Someone) we cannot physically see. It is faith also because we start to put our trust in Him. We start to know God by kneeling humbly at the foot of the cross. It is the beginning, middle and end of the Christian journey. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life no man can come to the Father (i.e. know the Father) except through Him (i.e. through faith in the Son). Knowledge of God follows faith in God. When we allow Him it is the Holy Spirit who teaches us. It is only through Christ that this can happen. An Oxford professor of theology who knows the Bible back-to-front, but who does not accept Jesus as his personal saviour, knows nothing at all of Gods love or purposes. If he does not personally know God, how can he begin to know or understand Godly things? It is the fear of God, which is the fountain (source) of all wisdom. Knowledge and understanding of God grow after this step of faith has been made. This step of faith does not of itself make us move anywhere it is not a step forward or backward: it is a shuffling of feet to turn and face a different direction. A new believer accepts that Jesus has paid the price for his sin, but that does not mean that he has yet moved out of his sin. He has merely seen the direction he needs to go in. But what a movement! By Gods grace he has turned and seen the path the narrow path (narrow because there is no other way) leading to eternal life! This step of faith to believe and put our trust in Jesus death leads us to salvation. As we move along that path we get closer to God. As we see God more clearly we see more and more clearly the contrast of how far our sin falls short of His perfect love. In doing so we understand more deeply the absolute necessity of looking to the cross. The more we understand that His loving forgiveness is freely given, the more we are able to recognise our sin and ask for forgiveness. The more we see just how far we have fallen, the deeper we appreciate what Jesus did for us on the cross. It has been my experience that as a general rule God allows us to see our sin in proportion to our understanding and acceptance of His sacrifice. But does this mean that we can just carry on sinning? No! Absolutely not! In as much as we repent and move towards the perfection of God, in the same proportion He enables us to leave behind our sin. When Jesus comes again those who have died in Christ will be raised, and we who are still alive will be changed. We will be perfected and made sinless. In spirit, soul and finally body we will be redeemed and given eternal life. We shall meet God face to face and know Him as intimately as He knows us. I often think that in that moment we shall understand the enormity of how repugnant the tiniest of our sins is to God. We will see the full extent of the sin in our lives. And how will we cope with that knowledge? Standing before God would we not die on the spot!? Except that this overwhelming burden will be utterly and finally removed because finally we will understand how powerful Jesus blood is. There is no sin too powerful for Jesus blood. If a man commits the most awful sin imaginable, seven times, even seventy-seven times (i.e. an uncountable number), but then is led to repent and turn to the cross, shall he not be forgiven? Yes he most certainly shall; and he shall be saved from his sin. Our relationship with God God is love. He wants to have a deep, personal, intimate, holy relationship with us. Each kind of close human relationship mirrors the kind of relationship God wants with us. He is our Father, we His children. Jesus is our brother, we His younger siblings. He is our friend. The Church, born of the Holy Spirit, is in one sense a mother Paul describes himself as in labour pains for his flock. Perhaps the most mind-blowing image for me is that Jesus is the groom, and we the Church are His bride! We are currently engaged or betrothed, and when He comes again will be the wedding. A husband and wife are made one in the flesh. In some incredible way we shall be spiritually united with our Lord, as one. What a wonderful thing to look forward to! God gives us a guarantee that this will happen. This guarantee is also a foretaste of what is to come. The guarantee of this hope is that the Spirit of God lives in us (rather than merely working on us). But how does the Spirit come to live in us? How do we become Gods children? How are we members of His family? Jesus tells us we must be born of the Holy Spirit. God has created us so that we are born body, soul and spirit to natural parents. But our spirits need to be born of Gods Spirit to become His children. We need to be born twice once to human parents and once to God. We must be born again. An act of our parents caused us to be born physically. It is an act of God when we are born again spiritually. And just as we can only be born physically once, we can only be born of Gods Spirit once. The apostle Paul uses another metaphor for our relationship with God. He describes the Church as Christs body. Jesus is the head and we the Church are His body, each member having a different function within it. It is by Christian baptism that we become part of that body. He who believes and is baptized will be saved. After His resurrection, Jesus commanded the eleven apostles to go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Baptism means immersion, being fully covered in water. In baptism in Gods name we are immersed into God. The Biblical practice is to be completely submerged in water as a symbol of being completely submerged in God. We are washed by water. We are washed spiritually by God. When under water we cannot breathe. Being immersed in water symbolises what God is doing in the act of baptism. It symbolises our spiritual death to earthly things. We rise out of the water born again, born of the Spirit. I shall look at baptism in depth later on in chapter two. On the evening of the first Easter day Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit on the eleven apostles. After He ascended into heaven He received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father and poured Him out on the apostles at Pentecost. They were filled with the Spirit. They were then empowered to proclaim the gospel, and they baptized new disciples, both individuals and whole families, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Since that time, baptized men (usually the elders of local churches (presbyters/priests)) have done likewise, using water as the outward symbol of what God was doing on the inside of the newly baptized person. I have said that the first step of Christian faith is to repent and turn around to face the cross of Jesus. The second step then is a step forward, forward into His arms joining His spiritual body the Church, through baptism in His name. In doing so the new believer becomes a child of God the Father through God the Son, being born of God the Holy Spirit. This is an act of Gods doing, through the hands of a baptized man, as commanded by our Lord. Being presented for baptism, or choosing to come to baptism is the act of the believer. But the baptism itself is entirely an act of God. It is He who washes us, He who gives us spiritual life. At what stage of faith should a believer be baptized? Acts 8:36-38 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized? Then Philip said, If you believe with all your heart, you may. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. A new believer should not wait until he feels good enough or spiritually strong enough to be baptized. Until Jesus comes again he will never be good or strong enough to enter Gods presence! How can he be? Not under his own steam thats certain! If he tries he will surely fail. It is as if he is saying, Yes I believe that Jesus paid for most of my sins, but I still need to get rid of a few sins on my own! The man who says this has still not turned fully to the cross. He has not yet been taught (or at least has not accepted) the most fundamental truth Jesus has already paid completely for each and every possible sin, great and small. A new believer should say, Lord Jesus, I am a sinner. I believe You are the Son of God and that You died for my sins. I cannot yet understand the totality of what this means, but I accept it and want to enter into a relationship with You. He should then take the step of entering into those loving open arms by being baptized, receiving His Spirit. From that moment the Spirit will teach him from within, and not merely work on him from the outside. The Spirit of the living God will dwell in him. A mustard seed needs to be embedded in water in order to grow. A new believer with the smallest, weakest faith needs to be planted in the Church and fed by the Spirit, or his faith will fade away. If someone believes that Jesus died for him, he need not wait for anything else to be baptized. In fact, it is a matter of some urgency! The wonderful thing about Gods family is that He wants to have a relationship with us all as one (i.e. united) catholic (i.e. all-embracing) body, and also as the unique individuals that make up that body. We are all unique, and through Jesus cross each of us has a unique, personal experience of God. He wants us to know His love for us, whatever stage of life we are in and however far we may have fallen. Regardless of how much we lack faith in Him, He is always entirely faithful to us. Gentle conversion As we have been dealing with personal experiences, it seems appropriate to give now some small examples of the different ways in which God deals with individuals. In this and the next section I shall look at people who came to a relationship with God as adults. In chapter four I shall give a short account of my own experience, as an example of someone baptized as a child and brought up in the Christian faith. Many people come to faith quite slowly. My wife is an example. She says that from the age of 13 or 14 she believed that God existed, but that she put it to the back of her mind. Some years later, through Christian friends and Gods Spirit gently working on her, she gradually came to faith in Christ and was baptized into Gods family at 20. There was no great obvious change in her life at that point. But with hindsight we can see how God has been transforming her over the past seven years since then. Gods Spirit has allowed her to see certain sins and weaknesses and given her the faith to walk away from them and towards Him. She has seen His hand on her life, and has grown in her understanding of Jesus sacrifice on the cross. Dramatic conversion Some people have dramatic conversion experiences. They may hear Gods good news preached and turn to Christ there and then. Sometimes it is accompanied by signs of Gods power, for example with a physical healing. Sometimes God may convict them of terrible sins (although of course all sins are terrible to God) and give an immediate and immense sense of relief and pardon through Jesus sacrifice. It is wonderful to read of such conversions in books like The Cross and the Switchblade, Chasing the Dragon or Arise and Reap. They contain accounts of people who were terrifyingly caught in Satans grasp in prostitution, the occult, gang warfare, cannibalism, alcohol and drug addiction and so on, often living in abject misery. Many of these people heard Gods word, turned to Christ and were released from the devils hold on their lives in the most amazing life-changing ways. Nicky Cruz was a murderer and thief (amongst other things) before God turned him into a preacher of His word. These people were given new life in such a way that it was immediately apparent to everyone that knew them. Lets look again at the idea of repentance and turning to the cross, and moving along the narrow path to salvation. Such people may be said to have turned, and in the process immediately moved several leaps forward. The apostle Paul is an example of a man whom God convicted of terrible sin. On the road to Damascus he came to realise that he had been persecuting and killing Christs body the Church. He turned to the Lord, was healed of his physical blindness and was baptized. He was truly a new man - born again. We have seen how baptism is always preceded by repentance. Repentance and conversion must come first. We must recognize our sin and turn to the cross. Baptism should directly follow this initial repentance. I have mentioned briefly the idea that Christian baptism is a spiritual re-birth, a spiritual washing and the means of joining Christs body the Church. In the next chapter I shall look at several Biblical references to water baptism in some detail - how, when and by whom it was done in the New Testament. In chapter three I shall attempt to make the distinction between water baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Chapter 2 BAPTISM Baptism - washing with water Washing with or submerging in water was a religious rite that was very familiar to the Jews. It was the legal method of ritually purifying unclean people or objects, e.g.: High priest day of atonement, consecration of Aaron, washing from the laver in the tabernacle etc. N.B. baptism was a physical action, and when we see the word baptism in the New Testament we should read submerging in water, unless the context makes it very clear that it is meant in an expressly figurative context. Johns baptism of repentance Johns baptism was a baptism of repentance, of recognizing ones own sin. The people of Israel were far from the spiritual state they needed to be in to be able to receive the good news of forgiveness that was soon to be revealed in Jesus. God needed to prepare them. Johns baptism was a rite of preparation for the coming kingdom. It was no empty ceremony. Many Jews accepted Johns baptism clearly Gods Spirit was moving powerfully among them, convicting them of sin. Being submerged in water was a visible sign that the Jews could understand. It represented the fact that they were repentant for the sins against the existing covenant. It also represented faith in Gods promise to send His Christ and His kingdom to them soon. It was the necessary preparation for the reception of the gospel. Even Jesus needed to receive Johns baptism. He was born under the Law and it was His people who had sinned against it (even though He himself was without sin). He demonstrated His complete humility to God, and His love for us, by being counted among those who needed to repent (even though He Himself was without sin), being baptized by John. Immediately after His baptism by John He was anointed by the Holy Spirit for the work He was to do. Christian baptism of forgiveness John said in Matt 3:11, I indeed baptize you with water to repentance. But He who comes after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Baptism means submerging in water. Baptism with the Holy Ghost and with fire is figurative (colourful, poetic, metaphorical) language. If we were physically submerged in fire we would physically die so it clearly doesnt mean that. Jesus was to submerge us in the Spirit and with (spiritual) fire. In Acts 19:1-6 there is a clear example displaying the contrast between Johns baptism and Christian baptism. In Ephesus Paul found some people who had been disciples of John, and who had been baptized by John. He told them that they needed to believe in Jesus, and they accepted this. Paul then baptized them in the name of the Lord Jesus. And, either during the actual submerging in water or directly afterwards, when Paul laid his hands on them the Holy Spirit came on them and they spoke in tongues and prophecy. The Spirit began to live inside them and spoke through them. We notice that it was the act of being submerged in water in Jesus name and the laying on of an Apostles hands that resulted in these disciples being submerged in the Spirit. Johns baptism had no such effect. When John submerged people in water, it was an outward sign that they recognized that they were sinners and were repenting. It was important, but it was limited to that. From Pentecost, when the apostles submerged people in water in Gods name, it was an act of accepting Gods forgiveness through the cross. The implications of accepting Gods grace are vast. We shall look at several of them shortly. The easiest to grapple with is this: Christian baptism is for the remission of (forgiveness/freedom from) sins. The water was an outward sign of what God was doing in the same moment to their spirits - washing them. In that action, from that moment, God stopped seeing their sins! Also, they were freed from having to be slaves to sin. And because they were spiritually cleansed, God was able to dwell in them. It was not only an outward sign it was also an amazing spiritual event and very, very real! Johns baptism was for those who were repenting of sin, and was a sign of that repentance. Christian baptism is for those who already have repented, and is the reality of accepting Gods forgiveness for those sins through the cross. It is an act of God in cleansing and beginning to live in the believer. In it God gives each of us a new spiritual life. Second birth In John 3 Jesus talks with Nicodemus about the concept of being born again. Nicodemus, not surprisingly gets very confused! How can a man be born a second time? he asks, baffled! In response to this question about spiritual birth, Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. In order to enter Gods kingdom we must be born a second time. This second birth, this spiritual birth has two distinct aspects to it. It is a single action comprising two elements: first water, and secondly the Holy Spirit. The second birth = Of water visible, tangible. Through mans senses his body and mind are reached; and Of the Spirit spiritual birth. It is an act of God on the spirit of man. This act of giving the new spiritual life (by Gods Spirit) is indeed spiritual. But Jesus makes it absolutely clear (truly, truly) that water, although a physical substance, is an essential element to this new birth. Both are necessary. Perhaps one reason God chose the act of submerging in water was to emphasize that this spiritual re-birth happens only once and at a specific moment in time. It is the start of a God-filled life. Johns baptism did not give new life. Christian baptism involves God making us born again, with water as an outward sign of that. Some other aspects of Christian baptism Peter refers to Noahs ark as having been designed by God as a pre-figure (symbol) of baptism. By having faith in God and entering the ark, Noahs and his familys lives were spared from judgement of the flood. The following passages provide us with several more pictures of the meaning and effect of baptism. Therefore, even as through one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed on all men inasmuch as all sinned. But God commends His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father [i.e. by the Holy Spirit (see chapter 8)]; even so we also should walk in newness of life. For in that He died, He died to sin once; but in that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise count yourselves also to be truly dead to sin, but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. We were sinners. God loved us and Jesus died for our sins. When we are baptized into Jesus, we are to consider our sinful nature dead. He was raised by the Spirit, so we should now live a new, God-filled life. Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God shall destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which you are. Our bodies are members of Christ. Our bodies are individually and collectively the temple of the Holy Spirit. For as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. For also by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free, even all were made to drink into one Spirit. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many as were baptized into Christ, you put on Christ. There cannot be Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is no male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. Gods promise to Abraham and his descendants are summed up in Christ, and this is to be received by the Gentiles, slaves and women also. And you are complete (fulfilled) in Him, who is the Head of all principality and power, in whom also you are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by (in) the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in whom also you were raised through the faith of the working of God, raising Him from the dead. We are spiritually circumcised (see also page 25). Christian baptism = with water, of the Spirit, in obedience to Christs command, in His name, to those who seek it in penitence and faith. Through Christian baptism, we are Individually taken into Christ United all together as one in (or, as) His one Body, by the one Spirit (our sins and our sinful nature) Crucified with Him and Buried with Him Born (again) of water and the Spirit Made sons of God Raised (spiritually) with Christ (through the faith of the operation of God) Spiritually circumcised Enabled by the Spirit we walk in newness of life The temple of the Holy Spirit Clothed with Christ (we have put on Christ) Sons of Abraham and heirs according to Gods promise Because we are baptized we must consider ourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God in Jesus Christ our Lord Everything that Jesus did, we are also counted as having done (or having still to do), because through baptism we are united to Him. Incredible! We are united to God! If only one of the points listed above were true it would be more amazing than we could really understand. As it is, in baptism we enter into a new relationship with God that is and will be beyond our wildest dreams. We sinful men, women and children are united to the Almighty God of heaven and earth, Who is purer than pure. He forgives our sins and joins us to Him. He washes us. After baptism we keep on sinning but He keeps on washing us (I will look at this in chapter four). As much as we allow Him, He brings us closer and closer to His perfection. When Christ comes again our sins will be totally removed. At that point we will be so immersed in God that we will be actually unable to sin. We will be made perfect by the God Who loves us completely. Our relationship with Him will become absolutely intimate. Baptism is more important than we can imagine. Chapter 3 THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT Pentecost Between His resurrection and ascension, Jesus waited for 40 days to teach His disciples, even though He knew that He was to receive the Holy Spirit for His disciples when He ascended. What He taught them during this time must have been of the utmost importance! He commanded them to baptize all nations in the Name of Father Son and Holy Ghost. He who believes and is baptized shall be saved. But, the apostles couldnt do this until they themselves had received the Holy Spirit they needed to wait for the promise of the Father. Until they were themselves spiritual they could not be used for communicating that new life and anointing anyone else with the Holy Spirit. They all had probably received Johns baptism. But this was baptism into Christ and they could not baptize anyone until they themselves had received the Holy Spirit. If they had baptized new believers after the resurrection but before Pentecost, it would have been an empty rite, or at best merely a symbol. On the day of Pentecost flames of fire sat on them and the Holy Spirit filled them they spoke in tongues. Only Jesus Himself could baptize at this point, because only He had received the Spirit from the Father. But He had ascended, He was in heaven with the Father and wasnt physically present to baptize with water. The apostles were not baptized with water in His name, but clearly were baptized with the Holy Spirit directly by Jesus. From the fact that they went on to build the Church, we can deduce that no further act of physical baptism with water was necessary for them they were indeed part of Gods kingdom. In this one act they were born again by the Holy Spirit, and by the same act were filled (i.e. received the gift of the Holy Spirit). The distinction between the second birth and gift of the Holy Spirit So, did they think that water baptism was unnecessary? Did they because of their own experience believe that it was only necessary to be filled with the Spirit and not submerged in water? No. On Pentecost, the very same day that they were filled with the Spirit directly by Christ, they baptized (i.e. with water) 3000 people! Peter had told the crowd, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ to remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Baptism followed repentance. The gift of the Holy Spirit followed baptism. The gift of the Holy Spirit is clearly linked with baptism, but is not absolutely one and the same thing. Be baptizedfor the remission of sins,and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The implication here is that it normally is received after baptism, or as a direct result of being baptized. The apostles required those who accepted their word to be baptized. There is no Biblical example of the apostles accepting new believers without baptizing them. They were obeying the Lords command to make disciples of all nations and baptize them (submerge them in water) in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit must be considered as a related but separate event. This is demonstrated in Acts 8:12-17. In this passage we see a clear distinction between Christian baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit (in which the Holy Spirit falls on the believer and could be described as being emphatically received by him). Philip converted and baptized numerous people in Samaria. When the apostles heard about it they sent Peter and John to them, because they knew that these converts still lacked something that Philip could not give them. Their baptism was valid they had been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus by Philip (the second of the seven ordained deacons in Jerusalem). But, as yet [the Holy Spirit] had not fallen on any of them. The apostles prayed that the new disciples (who had already been born again of water and of the Spirit) would now receive the (subsequent, or further) gift of the Holy Spirit. They then laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. In baptism they had been born again in water and by the Spirit, but the gift of the Holy Spirit was received subsequent to baptism through the prayers and laying on of apostles hands. The Holy Spirit giving new life the second birth is completely linked with baptism with water in Gods name the birth of water and of the Spirit, which the Lord commanded. It is an act of God. In it the person is united with God, and Gods Spirit begins to live in him. As soon as the apostles came across new converts they baptized them (i.e. with water). We can recognise the work of the Spirit in someone by the fruit (result) of the Spirit in their lives. The fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control. Because the new convert has been born again, he can now look to receive the subsequent promise of the gift of the Holy Ghost, in which he may receive certain spiritual gifts (e.g.: word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healings, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues) and/or be more open to Gods working in him and using him. In Acts 2:33 we read that Jesus received the promise of the Holy Spirit (to be poured out on His people) only after He had died, risen and ascended to sit with the Father. When we have been baptized into Christ and been born again (or, spiritually raised), then can we receive the promise of the Holy Spirit. The baptism with water and the Spirit gives us new life that can subsequently grow and be filled by the same Spirit - submerged in the Spirit or in figurative language, baptized with the Holy Spirit. It is the beginning of life, and then the filling with life. Even though the apostles had received the gift of the Holy Spirit without having been baptized with water themselves in Jesus name, none-the-less they recognized that all new believers must be baptized with water, and that they should subsequently seek and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. In Chasing the Dragon Jackie Pullinger (a baptized Anglican) writes of her experience of seeking this further spiritual blessing. In a conversation with some Christians in China she was told that she did not have the Holy Spirit. She was confused she recognized that God had more spiritual blessings to give her, but she also knew that the Holy Spirit was already living inside her: Of course I have the Spirit, I thought to myself. I couldnt believe in Jesus if I hadnt. So what were we arguing about? These people obviously had something which I needed, which I had recognized even without understanding their sermon. They called it having the Holy Spirit and I wanted to call it something else. I quit the quarrel over terminology receiving the Spirit, being filled with the Spirit, baptism of the Spirit, the power of the Spirit, second blessing, or what have you. If God had anything more for me I wanted to receive it and I would sort out the theological terms later. The theological terms are indeed confusing. Pentecostals and charismatics use various terms to describe this second blessing the gift of the Holy Spirit. Sadly when the phrase baptism of the Holy Spirit is used to describe this second blessing, the importance of baptism in water can all too easily be forgotten. They are two parts of the same act of God living in us. Neither should be forgotten. The concept of being submerged in the Holy Spirit includes both. Different parts of the Church tend to emphasise one over the other, often to the total exclusion of one of them. One of the results is that in very large parts of the Church there is little or no teaching on spiritual gifts. Many Christians either believe that spiritual gifts no longer exist, or they have never heard of them at all. How difficult it is to grow in that situation. On the other hand, the result of an over-emphasis on spiritual gifts is that there are many believing Christians today who have not received baptism in water they have not received the second birth and have not been baptized into the body of Christ. Perhaps I could compare that (in one sense) to voting for a political party rather than being a member of it, or being a friend rather than a brother. God will still work on them in His love, but they have not obeyed the command to repent and be baptized. There may well even be some unbaptized believers who have received spiritual gifts. There is certainly one Biblical example: in Acts 10-11 we read of an occasion when the gift of the Holy Spirit was given neither after nor in baptism, but before. While Peter preached the Word to Cornelius and his family, the Holy Spirit fell on them they received the gift of the Holy Spirit. None-the-less, Peter saw that these people still needed to receive baptism in water. He knew that both were necessary. This point is more important and more relevant than ever in todays Church. Lets look at how Peter came to his conclusion. The baptisms of Cornelius Peter had a problem. In fact, he had two problems. Cornelius and his family were Gentiles. Firstly, it was some years after Pentecost, and Peter had not previously baptized a Gentile, and he was unsure about it. Secondly, Gods Spirit had fallen on these people who were not baptized. They spoke in tongues and magnified the Lord. God was going against all His own protocol. It was only to baptized Christians that He gave the gift of the Holy Spirit. And normally He worked through the laying on of apostles hands to give it. Here He was bypassing the apostles by giving the gift of the Spirit directly, to Gentiles, and to Gentiles who were not even baptized! Peter remembered Jesus words, John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit. He recognized that what these people had received was the same as the gift the apostles had received the gift that was usually conferred to the baptized through the apostles hands. The implication is that he believed that these people had been baptized with the Holy Spirit, in the sense of receiving the gift of the Spirit, being submerged as it were in the Spirit. But, had they received all they needed to receive? They had received the gift of the Spirit, but had they received the second birth of water and the Spirit? Had they received (as the apostles apparently had at Pentecost) the gift of the Spirit as well as the new birth, all at once? If they had received everything they needed to receive then Peter would be doing a terrible thing to baptize them. It would be repeating a one-off event. Or, it would reduce Christian baptism to a mere ceremony, an empty rite like the Jewish rites. It would be like saying, yes youve already come through the door, but Id just like you to sign a guest book! You have either received the one-off act of the second birth (of water and of the Spirit) or you havent. Peter clearly judged that Cornelius and his family had not. He saw that they still lacked something, despite the fact that they were speaking in tongues! God had demonstrated over a chain of events (including visions) that the Gentiles were also to be brought into Christ and into His kingdom. He had given them the Holy Spirit - the earnest (or pledge, guarantee) of that kingdom. He was telling Peter that these people were in. Peter could not ignore Gods clear demonstration of His will, that these people must become part of Christ. But they were not yet part of Christ, because Unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Peter was almost forced by God to baptize them, with water, in Gods name. Baptism could not be refused to them, except in direct disobedience to Gods demonstrated will. Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Spirit as well as we? What was I that I could withstand God? Peter remembered Jesus words, John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Peter here was contrasting Johns baptism (with water alone) with Christian baptism (with water and the Spirit). Not that water was unnecessary, but that baptism in water in the name of Jesus would confer that new life, the second birth by the Spirit. Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized? No. I.e. they had not been baptized yet, despite having received the gift of the Spirit. This shows how important Christian baptism (in water) in Jesus name is, and how it is distinguishable from the gift of the Holy Spirit. A Christian baptism is undertaken by a Christian by someone in whom the Spirit of God is dwelling. We must not be surprised that a human can baptize and that Gods Spirit in new birth is imparted through a particular physical action. It is through human hands that are part of Christs Body that someone is submerged in water. It is Christ who is doing the submerging. It is the Holy Spirit who gives the new spiritual birth. It is Gods act. It is His command. It is the one-off means He has chosen to impart new life, through the physical action of His Body (us) and the spiritual work of His Spirit. It involves a graphic/physical/dramatic symbol of being submerged in water to bring home to us the spiritual reality that is taking place in the same action. If we want to enter the kingdom of God, we must receive this new birth, of water and the Spirit, in Gods name, through the hands of a baptized man or woman. It is not an optional extra. It is the only starting point to a life in Christ. I am unable to give a detailed or elaborate definition of the gift of the Holy Spirit. God has a unique relationship with each of us, so I can do no more than make a few general comments: Jesus is the giver. The gift that Jesus gives is the Holy Spirit. He wishes to fill us all with the Holy Spirit. He wants to make us pure and holy to enable us to accept and receive Him all the more. The spiritual gifts mentioned on page 18 are specific abilities that the Holy Spirit gives for specific purposes. Like all good things they can be misused, and they can also be imitated by Satan (e.g. false prophecy). Discernment is needed (which is itself a spiritual gift), as is careful oversight by the church elders. Spiritual gifts should be found in every congregation and should be being used for the benefit of all. It is one of the subject matters about which Paul specifically says, I do not want you to be ignorant. He also tells us to pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that [we] may prophesy. The reason that prophecy is so important is that he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. I.e. spiritual gifts are for the benefit of the whole Church, and not just for the individual believer to whom they are given. If one member (of the Church) is honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Spiritual gifts are not given for personal glory. In the three chapters in 1 Corinthians that deal with spiritual gifts (12-14) Paul spends a long time emphasizing the following point: And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. God is love. Love is Gods most fundamental characteristic. Love is more important and more enduring than all else. When we desire and seek spiritual gifts we must ensure that our only motivation is love for God and for each other. Chapter 4 LIFE AFTER BAPTISM Where does sin fit in? If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us.  Does baptism make us sinless? No. But it does mean that we start afresh. We are spiritual babies, with a new life ahead of us. Our spiritual life with God has started. We are enabled to begin to crawl and then walk in the path that the Spirit leads us in. It means that God will work in us, on us and through us, if we continue to trust in Him and to desire Him to. If we put our faith in Him, then we will grow spiritually, and walk out of and away from sins. The Holy Spirit works in us, as far as we allow Him, to make us holier and less sinful each day. Paradoxically, the holier we become, the more we see our sins and our need for forgiveness. When Jesus returns we shall finally be made sinless. In Romans 7 and 8, Paul describes himself as still being a slave to sin in his body, even though in his mind he did not want to sin. Even though God had enabled him to desire to be holy, he was still a sinner. Despite being baptized into Christs body, having his sins crucified and buried with Jesus, being made a son of God, and receiving the Holy Spirit, Paul was still a sinner. But, Christs blood cleans our conscience from sins, and this enables us to serve God. Peter refers to baptism as enabling us to have a clear conscience before God, despite the fact that we are still in filthy (i.e. sinful) bodies. We know we are sinful, but we also know that Jesus was and is perfect, and that He was raised from the dead. Because we trust that His sacrifice on the cross has paid for our sins, our conscience is clear in respect to those sins. We trust that the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead will also live in us, and ultimately give us an eternal body. Until Christ comes we shall not achieve perfection, but we must wait in hope for it. Paul goes on to say that those who are in Christ Jesus (i.e. baptized into His body) are not condemned to hell, as long as they walk in a way that is guided by the Holy Spirit, and not by their own fleshly, earthly desires. So, we must be baptized, and also desire to be holy and be willing to be guided by the Holy Spirit. Baptism in one sense is a completed event. In baptism God unites us with Himself. This is a one-off act of Gods. Afterwards however, when we are part of Christs body, we still have free will. We need to continue in our faith. We need to allow God to work in us continually and make us holier and holier. But, we are capable of turning away from Him and rejecting Him again. This is a horrifying thought. For if, after escaping the world's corruptions through a full knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled and conquered by them, then their last condition is worse than their former one. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to know it and turn their backs on the holy commandment that was committed to them.  After entering into a relationship with God it is still possible to reject Him. But the judgment shall be much worse for those who do. The Old Covenant physical circumcision About 2000 BC God made an agreement (covenant) with Abraham. Because Abraham had faith he and his children could enter this agreement with God. God would bless Abraham with a huge family and a permanent land. Abraham, his household, and all subsequent male children were circumcised as a sign of this covenant. Accepting circumcision was the sign that Abraham had accepted Gods grace. It was God who had entered a special relationship with him and his family. God had promised to bless them beyond his wildest dreams. All Abraham had to do was to believe Gods promise and demonstrate his acceptance of it by being circumcised and circumcising his family. As the children became adults some kept this relationship with God. Some ignored the agreement and broke away. But none could undo their circumcision. They were all physically marked with Gods seal for life. That one act was irreversible. The New Covenant spiritual circumcision Baptism is the sign of Gods grace in entering into a new (and better) covenant with us, mediated through Jesus. We are circumcised in our hearts born of the Spirit into a spiritual relationship with God. We who are baptized are spiritually circumcised into that new covenant of Gods grace. We are spiritually marked for life. It is irreversible and unrepeatable. We can subsequently ignore or reject this our union with God. But God will judge us as members of His body who have fallen away. In the same way that children were circumcised through Abrahams faith, it is partly because of the faith of baptized parents that children can be baptized. They are spiritually marked for life. It is irreversible and unrepeatable. It is a sad fact that there are numerous baptized people alive today who have ignored or rejected their baptism. But God has not ignored or forgotten his covenant with them, made in His holy name. If a child is not fed or cared for he will die. But we do not say he was never born! If Christian parents neglect their duty of love to spiritually feed and nurture their childrens faith, then their children will die spiritually. But we cannot say that their baptism was an empty act that God completely ignored. It is we who ignore it, at our peril. Believing Christians often put non-believing friends all into the same unsaved category, without distinguishing between baptized and non-baptized friends. We should remember that God will judge them accordingly, and that we should pray for them accordingly. Infant baptism I have said that children can be brought to baptism as a result of the parents faith. Infant baptism is a very thorny issue that has been the source of much human division of the Church in the past three centuries or so. The disagreement usually arises from this difficulty: how can a baby repent? And if a baby cannot repent, then how can he be baptized? I believe the central answer to these questions is this: children are spiritual and therefore capable of receiving Gods grace. Baptism is an act of Gods grace on those who are capable of receiving it, and it is only as a child gets older that he begins to be able to reject Gods grace. Although young children have no understanding, they are still spiritual, and can be moulded spiritually by God. Paul describes Timothy as having known the Holy Scriptures since he was a baby. John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit even in the womb, and leapt for joy in Elizabeths womb when she greeted Mary, who was pregnant with Jesus. In Psalm 22:9 we read, For You are He who took Me out of the womb, causing Me to trust while on My mother's breasts. Amazing! We can trust in God while still breastfeeding! Jesus said, Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Therefore whoever shall humble himself like this little child, this one is the greater in the kingdom of Heaven. Whoever receives one of such children in My name receives Me. And whoever receives Me does not only receive Me, but Him who sent Me. Allow the little children to come to Me and do not hinder them. For of such is the kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, whoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter into it. And taking them up in His arms, He put His hands on them and blessed them. We understand from these passages that children are more suited for Gods kingdom than adults! If children are heirs of the kingdom of heaven, then how can we forbid them to receive the earnest (pledge or deposit) of their inheritance the Holy Spirit? We are not allowed to forbid children to join Christs body! They do not possess the faculties to understand, but the new covenant is a covenant of grace. We do not earn Gods grace - we merely accept it. God gives His grace freely. And if we are too young to accept it, then we are also too young to reject it. Although born in sin, a child has no pride and cannot intentionally commit any sin. While a child is too young to reject Gods love, He wants them to know His love, and He is able to live in them and work in their spirit. This idea is neatly illustrated in what happens physically in baptism. When an adult is baptized he merely has to allow the baptism to take place. It is God who is baptizing him, using the hands of the minister. The minister submerges him in the water. Baptism is Gods action. The adults only participation is in permitting it to happen. A baby, on the other hand, does not have that option. A baby cannot physically resist the minister submerging him in water, and in the same way he is not yet in a position to spiritually oppose Gods grace in his life. One other small point because of the concept of bringing ones children into the Jewish religion through the rite of circumcision, the early Church would undoubtedly have automatically applied the same logic to baptism as the rite of entering the Christian faith, unless they had been specifically taught otherwise. If infants could not be part of the body of Christ, we could justifiably expect clear teaching banning it in the Bible. That instruction is not to be found. On the contrary, we are told repeatedly that God wants children to be part of His kingdom. On the day of Pentecost, Peter said to the crowd in Jerusalem, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children The promise that our sins our paid for, and that we shall receive the Holy Spirit, is to us and to our children. In Acts 16 we read of a whole family being baptized, primarily as a result of the faith of the head of the house, the jailer of Phillipi. Acts 16: 31-34 [Paul and Silas] said [to him], Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household. Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took [Paul and Silas] the same hour of the night and washed their stripes [or wounds]. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household. In this short passage we read no less than four times that the whole family all his household believed and were baptized. The head of the family believed. Presumably his wife and any other adults that may have been part of the household (servants or younger siblings or adult children) also were persuaded by Pauls and Silas words. Let us suppose for one moment the slightly unlikely possibility that there were no children among the household. This group of pagan men and women were all until this particular evening ignorant of Gods work in either the covenant with Abraham and the law of Moses or the new covenant through Jesus. They were spiritually blind, but amazingly they were all baptized within an hour or so of first ever hearing the gospel! Any understanding that they may have had was tiny, but God moved them to have faith anyway. They did not accept it because they understood it, but because God gave them faith. It was a work entirely of grace, not of intellectual understanding. None-the-less, the terms household and all his family would strongly suggest that this family comprised more than just a husband and wife. If they or their servants had children, then those children were also baptized, despite being too young to understand. Lets look again at the first sentence: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, you and your household. Paul tells this man that if he believes then he will be saved; but not only him. His household also will be saved as a direct result of his individual faith. Any other adults were old enough to have their own faith. The ones who needed to be saved through his faith were the children. While children are too young to have faith of their own, the fathers (or mothers) faith will be counted as theirs, through Gods mercy. This man is responsible for the faith of his household because he is the head of the household. It is his duty to ensure that the children grow up in that faith. He must ensure that they grow up knowing God, and that his faith in Jesus is also their faith throughout their childhood. When they become adults they will be responsible for themselves. They will then be able to choose whether they wish to keep that belief or lose it. They wont have to choose to accept it anew because it will always have been theirs. They will only have the chance to reject the faith that they have already been given as children. Jesus said, Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. A child-like faith in God is what God wants from all of us. A 5-year-old can unquestioningly accept that Jesus died for him on the cross. He wont understand it properly yet. However, nor do we as adults fully understand it, and we wont until we understand everything when Jesus comes again. God wants our simple acceptance of Jesus sacrifice. The further away from childhood we get, the harder it becomes to accept like a child can accept. In baptism we become Gods children. How can we deny a child his God-given right to be a child of God?! Can you be born again, again? There are many Christians who only really come to faith as an adult but who were baptized as children purely because of the cultural tradition, even where the parents had no real faith. Some people feel the need to be baptized a second time, as an adult. Sometimes this is because they feel that their baptism as a child wasnt really valid, because they had no say in it. Sometimes it is because they understand baptism merely as a symbol of the believers acceptance of the cross, rather than recognizing it also as a spiritual act of God in joining them to the body of Christ. I am sure there are many other reasons, good reasons for wanting to dedicate themselves again to the Lord. However, if someone wishes to be baptized again, is not that in itself sufficient proof that God was faithful to his baptism as a child, and faithful through the years since? I.e. his baptism stands. It was a one-off act of God in joining him to Christ. It is unrepeatable. We cannot be joined to Christ twice! Our sinful nature cannot die twice. If he wishes to mark his renewed faith in some way, either to God and/or as a public statement, then he should ask his minister for a special service of dedication, or confirmation (if not already done) or some other similar act. Those who have already been baptized more than once (as indeed Smith Wigglesworth was) should rest in the knowledge that they are indeed forevermore part of Christs body. Gods faith in baptism God treats us all as individuals. Everyone has a different experience of His mercy and love. Some are brought up as members of His family, some as adults come to know Him slowly, some quickly and dramatically. I wish to give a very brief outline of my upbringing. By this outline I merely hope to illustrate (and witness to) the effect Gods grace has had on my life from its start, through baptism when I was a baby. I was born into a loving and praying Christian family. I was baptized in our parish church the second Sunday after my birth, and confirmed aged 14. I grew up knowing Gods love for me, and that my whole life is in His hands. I was taught the hope of our salvation through Jesus death and resurrection, and that it is through Him alone that we are restored to God. We are restored in part to God now. I believe that this hope will be fulfilled (or rather, completed) when Jesus comes again, and I look forward to that day when I and the whole Church shall know Him as He knows us. I have never made the choice to accept God. To put it another way, I was brought up actively accepting God, and never made the choice to reject Him. I have lived in the spiritual condition of accepting God, even if weakly and in my sinful nature. My parents knew that God would act in my baptism, and that he would willingly take me into His arms. He started the relationship with me. My parents knew that they would pray for me and bring me up in that faith. They knew that if they were faithful then the chance that I would remain in the Christian faith and grow in my individual relationship with God was very good. God was and is faithful. My parents were faithful. They fed and clothed me physically, mentally and (most importantly) spiritually. I have been greatly blessed through them. My baptism was no empty act. It was not merely an outward sign of the possibility that one day I would come to my own personal faith. It was an act of God in bringing me into His family by His amazing grace. He was working in my spirit, living in me from the second week of my life. I was marked with the cross, and spiritually circumcised. I received the spiritual mark of entering Gods new covenant through Jesus. When I came to confirmation it was completely natural for me to want to do so. There was never any possibility in my mind that I would not. It was the only thing I could do, or wanted to do. I did not deserve it. My sin is as much deserving of death as anyone elses. It was entirely through Gods grace that I knew His forgiveness through the cross and His love. Despite my numerous weaknesses and failings, I grew up knowing that the direction that I had to face throughout my whole life is the cross of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In retrospect I can see how important and what a blessing it was to have been taught that by my parents. I was brought up facing the cross. I was brought up knowing that I was in a personal relationship with God, and that God loved me personally. I knew that I could not earn Gods love, but that I could merely accept it. I never had to convert to turn to face the cross from a completely different direction. I have many times had to open my eyes again, and start to walk forwards again after a period of inactivity, but since my baptism I have always been on the narrow path leading to salvation. This isnt to say that I get everything right far from it, sadly. As I grew from infancy, my pride and stubbornness increased. Daily God convicts me of sin. Daily I grow in my awareness of my need for Gods forgiveness. CONCLUSION Our future hope Lets return to the metaphor of walking on the narrow path to salvation. On either side of this path is the world of sin. The path goes from where we are, cutting directly through our sinful nature to Godly perfection. While we are on the path and have not yet reached our destination we are in sin. But if we are walking towards God, then we are walking out of sin, and being made more aware of the sin we have left behind. At this rate, in twenty years time I wont think very much of myself! Hopefully though I shall be much more aware of how much God has forgiven me and how much He loves me. If we are still here Im sure that that will be so. But I hope that we wont be here, at least not in this state. In baptism we received the earnest (or pledge, down-payment) of our inheritance, the Holy Spirit. We need to continue and grow in our faith in the cross. If we do then we shall receive our full inheritance, the salvation of our souls, when Jesus comes again. We shall then be completely submerged through and through in His Spirit of love. There will be no room for sin in us. The last enemy, death, will be conquered. Jesus will then reign over all the earth. This is our great hope. The baptism of water and the Spirit is the beginning of life in God. The gift of the Holy Spirit is the filling with Gods life. Together these two things are the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They are the guarantee for our future hope of eternal life with God. We look forward to being face to face with Him. When Jesus returns, we will be made perfect and sinless. Those who are dead will be raised and we who are alive will be given the resurrection body. We will be able to fly and walk through walls! We will live forever. The union of Christ and the Church will be complete. Perfect, heavenly life will begin. We will hear His voice constantly and sing His praise gladly and easily with the uncountable number of men, women, children and angels in heaven. We will know everything we could possibly want to know, and yet I am sure that our capacity for knowing God will be eternally growing. We will be in a permanent but ever developing and increasing relationship with God. We will work tirelessly for His glory. Our every desire will be fulfilled. We will rest forever in His green pastures and by His still waters. We will live in Gods house forever. Our currently weak faith will be made permanent, perfect and unshakable. Our baptism in the Holy Spirit will be complete. Mark 16:16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved. Copyright John Pitts 7th February 2003  The Greek Biblical word which is translated as repentance means a change of mind, or a change of heart.  Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God  John 16:8 And when that One comes, He will convict the world concerning sin, and concerning righteousness, and concerning judgment. Concerning sin, because they do not believe on Me;  Romans 3:27 Then where is the boasting? It is excluded. Through what law? Of works? No, but through the law of faith.  John 14:6 Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.  Psalm 111:10  1 Peter 1:9 obtaining the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Luke 7:50 And He said to the woman, your faith has saved you, go in peace.  Romans 6:1-2 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound? Let it not be! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?  1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Behold, I speak a mystery to you; we shall not all fall asleep, but we shall all be changed; in a moment, in a glance of an eye, at the last trumpet. For a trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall all be changed.  1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall fully know even as I also am fully known.  See Revelation 12:1- And there appeared a great sign in the heavens, a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon was under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head, etc.  Galatians 4:19 My children, for whom I again travail [in birth] until Christ should be formed in you  Revelation 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice and we will give glory to Him. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has prepared herself. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white. For the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. And he said to me, Write, Blessed are those who have been called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, These are the true sayings of God.  Ephesians 1:13-14 you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the earnest of our inheritance, to the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. 1 John 4:13 By this we know that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 2 Timothy 1:14 Guard the good Deposit given through the Holy Spirit indwelling in us.  John 3:3-8 Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, You must be born again. The Spirit breathes where He desires, and you hear His voice, but you do not know from where He comes, and where He goes; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.  1Corinthians 12:13 For also by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free, even all were made to drink into one Spirit.  Mark 16:16  Matthew 28:18-20  Romans 6:2-3 Let it not be! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?  John 20:22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit.  Acts 2:33 Therefore being exalted to the right of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this which you now see and hear.  Act 2:1-4 And in the fulfilling of the day of Pentecost, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly a sound came out of the heaven as borne along by the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And tongues as of fire appeared to them, being distributed; and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled of the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance.  2 Timothy 2:12-13 If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we do not believe Him, yet He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.  David Wilkerson, Zondervan 2002  Jackie Pullinger, Hodder & Stoughton 1980 London  Isabel Chapman, Harper Collins/STL 1986  Numbers 19:7 Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water. And afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the evening.  Lev 16:23-24 And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall strip off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the sanctuary, and shall leave them there. And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself and for the people.  Exodus 29:4 And you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall wash them with water.  Exodus 40:30-32 And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, for washing. And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet there. When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near the altar, they washed, even as Jehovah commanded Moses.  Acts 19:4 And Paul said, John truly baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe into Him coming after him, that is, into Jesus Christ.  Matthew 3:13-17 Then Jesus came from Galilee to Jordan, to John, to be baptized by him. But John restrained Him, saying, I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me? And answering Jesus said to him, Allow it now, for it is becoming to us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he allowed Him. And Jesus, when He had been baptized, went up immediately out of the water. And lo, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon Him. And lo, a voice from Heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  I dont really understand the reference to fire. I presume it is a reference to the purifying work of the Spirit in us. Also a connection with Pentecost Acts 2:3  Acts 19:1-6 And it happened in the time Apollos was at Corinth, Paul was passing through the higher parts to Ephesus. And finding certain disciples, he said to them, Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed? And they said to him, We did not so much as hear whether the Holy Spirit is. And he said to them, Then to what were you baptized? And they said, To John's baptism. And Paul said, John truly baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe into Him coming after him, that is, into Jesus Christ. And hearing, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And as Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.  Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ to remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  See Romans 6:1-23  Acts 19:4  1 Peter 3: 20-21 the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. There is also an antitype which now saves us baptism  Romans 5:12  Romans 5:8  Romans 6:3-4  Romans 6:10-11  1 Corinthians 3:16  1 Corinthians 12:12-13  Galatians 3:26-29  Colossians 2:10-12  Matthew 28:18-19  Mark 16:15-16 And He said to them, Go into all the world, proclaim the gospel to all the creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned.  Acts 1:4 And being together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, which, He said, you heard from Me;  Mark 1:5 And all the land of Judea, and those of Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.  Acts 2:41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. And the same day there were added about three thousand souls.  Acts 2:38  Act 8:12-17 But when they believed Philip preaching the gospel, the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also, and being baptized, he continued with Philip. And seeing miracles and mighty works happening, he was amazed. And the apostles in Jerusalem hearing that Samaria had received the Word of God, they sent Peter and John to them; who when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had not fallen on any of them, they were baptized only in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.  Acts 6:5-6 And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicholas, a proselyte of Antioch. They set these before the apostles. And having prayed, they laid hands on them.  Matthew 7:20 Therefore by their fruits you shall know them.  Galatians 5:22  1 Corinthians 12:8-10  P.58, Hodder & Stoughton 1980  Acts 2:38  Acts 11:16  Ephesians 1:13-14 you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the earnest of our inheritance, to the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.  John 3:5  Acts 11:16  Paul refers to these two aspects of Christian life as being the means through which we are saved. Titus 3: 4-7 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration [rebirth - NIV] and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.  1 Corinthians 14: 26 How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification (building each other up).  1 Corinthians 12: 1  1 Corinthians 14: 1  1 Corinthians 14: 3  1 Corinthians 12: 26  1 John 1: 8-10  2 Timothy 4:8 Now there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that Day; and not to me only, but also to all those who love His appearing.  Hebrews 9:14  1 Peter 3:21 [Noahs ark, the antitype of which] now also saves us, baptism; not a putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ;  Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of the One who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the One who raised up Christ from the dead shall also make your mortal bodies alive by His Spirit who dwells in you.  Galatians 5:5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness out of faith.  2 Peter 2:20-21  Genesis 15:18, 17:1-9  Galatians 3:6-7 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. Therefore know that those of faith, these are the sons of Abraham. Also Romans 4  Romans 2:29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart; in spirit and not in letter; whose praise is not from men, but from God.  2 Timothy 3:15 and that from a babe you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  Luke 1:15 And he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.  Luke 1:41 And it happened as Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb.  Matthew 18:3-5  Mark 9:37  Mark 10:14-16  Ephesians 1:13-14 you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the earnest of our inheritance, to the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.  1 Peter 1: 3-9 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has regenerated us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and unfading, reserved in Heaven for you by the power of God, having been kept through faith to a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time; in which you greatly rejoice, yet a little while, if need be, grieving in manifold temptations; so that the trial of your faith (being much more precious than that of gold that perishes, but being proven through fire) might be found to praise and honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen, you love; in whom not yet seeing, but believing in Him you exult with unspeakable joy, and having been glorified, obtaining the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls.  1 Corinthians 15: 51-57 Behold, I speak a mystery to you; we shall not all fall asleep, but we shall all be changed; in a moment, in a glance of an eye, at the last trumpet. For a trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall all be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and when this mortal shall put on immortality, then will take place the word that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?" The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the Law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 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