Baptism
And Peter said to them, "Repent, and let each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
Acts 2:38
Jesus said to Nicodemus that for anyone to see the Kingdom of God, they needed to be ’born again’, that is to be spiritually born by receiving God’s own Holy Spirit. John 3:3 Jesus then said, "Unless one is born of the water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God." John 3:5 When Jesus said "born of the water and the Spirit", He associated being ’born of the Spirit’ with being ’born of the water’. Being "born of the water" refers to water baptism. Jesus himself received the Holy Spirit at His own water baptism, after He who never sinned, had participated in John’s baptism of repentance from sin Mathew 3:16, replying to John the Baptist that it was necessary to fulfill all righteousness. Mathew 3:15 Jesus started His public ministry, being empowered by the Holy Spirit, after His own water baptism. And after His resurrection, He commanded His disciples to go to all the nations and baptize them. Mathew 28:19
Water baptism was done by fully immersing the body under the water Mathew 3:16, thus cleansing the body, and the act of cleansing gave the word baptism the meaning of cleansing. John’s baptism of repentance was for for cleansing of the spirit, and gave new meaning to the word ’baptism’, joining the act of water immersion with the prerequisite of repentance from sin, and showing that true spiritual cleansing requires an end to sinful behavior, with the first step in that process being repentance from sin. John further testified that the process was completed by being "baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire", a process that Jesus himself underwent Mark 10:38 Luke 12:50, and that He would effect in the life of the believer. Mathew 3:11 John by referring to these processes as baptism showed that he viewed the whole process of cleansing the spirit from sin as one, and that water immersion was a part of that process, otherwise it would have been omitted.
In the beginning God created the world out of water 2 Peter 3:5, the source and symbol of life. Through which He later on at the time of Noah cleansed a wicked world of godlessness, using it as an instrument of salvation on the one hand to destroy evil but on the other hand to create life and a new beginning through a race of faithful people. The human race had been ’born again’ through the flood which Peter described as a ’type’ of baptism 1 Peter 3:20-21, a pattern and prophecy of the coming baptism and salvation in Jesus Christ. For the old testament is in the new testament revealed, and the new testament is in the old testament concealed. And later on when Moses led the children of Israel through the Red Sea, God used water to destroy His enemies but to save His people, leaving another sign pointing to baptism because scripture says that they were baptized into Moses. 1 Corinthians 10:2 And afterward Joshua, who’s name is the hebrew form of Jesus, led the children of Israel through the waters of the Jordan (which means descend) into the promised land, a type of the kingdom of God. They descended down into and rose up out of the water to inherit the promise. Joshua 4:19 And later on God cleansed Naaman the leper of his leprousy (which symbolized sin) when he obeyed Elisha the prophet by going down into the waters of the Jordan river seven times. 2 Kings 5:14 Jesus himself saying that the ’unclean spirit passes through waterless places seeking rest’ Luke 11:24, and He destroyed the power of unclean spirits by drowning their unclean hosts when they ran down into the water Mathew 8:32. So water is the scource and symbol of life as also is blood because scripture says that life is in the blood Leviticus 17:11 which is made of water, and these two came out together out of His body on the cross. John 19:34
The power and significance of water baptism lies in the fact that it is a spiritual burial for the believer and a participation in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Romans 6:3-4 For the believer obeying the commandment of the Lord and proclaiming his faith in the death and resurrection of the Lord, is baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, before men and the heavenly court. Mathew 28:19 And being completely submerged under the water, momentarily stops breathing, figuratively as a dead man. He therefore through obedience takes on the spiritual status of a dead man, and is freed from the condemnation of God’s holy law Romans 6:7 which is binding only while one lives Romans 7:1, having had his sins washed away Acts 22:16 by the water and the blood of Jesus which sanctifies the water of baptism John 19:34, because whatever is touched by what is holy itself becomes holy Exodus 30:29, and the blood of Jesus was holy because He who descended from heaven was sinless. Furthermore scripture says that we have been cleansed by the ’washing of water with the word’. Ephesians 5:26 Just as Peter also testified that baptism was for forgiveness of sins Acts 2:38. And having been legally cleansed according to God’s holy law, the believer is able to be spiritually cleansed by being baptized by the Holy Spirit. Therefore rising out of the water and possessing the gift of the Holy Spirit, he is now joined to Jesus Christ Romans 7:4 and has through baptism become a part of His body 1Corinthians 12:13, that is the church... God’s family and kingdom.
The book of Acts is about the creation of the early church and describes many conversions to the Lord Jesus Christ, with most accounts being joined with a reference to water baptism, showing the importance which the apostolic church gave to it in the believers relationship with Jesus Christ, receiving the Holy Spirit, and entering His kingdom. Beginning at Pentecost when Peter was asked what was needed he said, "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit". Acts 2:38 Acts:2:41 Further conversion accounts include Phillip in Samaria Acts:8:12, The Ethiopian Eunuch Acts 8:38, Paul’s conversion Acts9:18, Lydia at Philippi Acts 16:15, The jailer at Philippi Acts16:33, Crispus the synagogue leader Acts 18:8.
For the believer is not just baptized in water and by the Holy Spirit into Christ but also into his kingdom, the church, which is the manifestation of His body on earth. 1Corinthians 12:13 And because baptism is also the entrance into His people, the believer submits not only to the authority of the Lord but also to those whom the Lord has appointed to govern His people, first apostles then prophets who’s role is to bring all to a full knowledge of the Lord and maturity in Christ. Because of this the Holy Spirit was withheld from the baptized Samaritans Acts 8:16 so that apostolic authority could be established beyond doubt. As also was the case with the baptized Ephesian disciples who received the Holy Spirit at the hands of Paul Acts 19:6 who associated the giving of the Holy Spirit with being baptized into Christ, thats why Paul when finding out about them not receiving the Holy Spirit asked them about their baptism. For they did not know of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and baptism into Christ, knowing only of John’s baptism of repentance. As was also the case with Apollo in Ephesus who knowing only of the baptism of John was taught the truth of the gospel more accurately by Priscilla and Aquila. Acts 18:25
The association of receiving the Holy Spirit and baptism is also shown in the case of Cornelius, though in this case the temporary giving of the Holy Spirit preceded water baptism because God was demonstrating to Peter a jew, that the gentiles were to be included in His kingdom. Peter who recognized that Cornelius had received the Holy Spirit and understanding its association with water baptism then immediately ordered Cornelius to be baptized Acts 10:48 in the name of Jesus Christ, to which Cornelius obeyed submitting to apostolic authority and was baptized in order that the Holy Spirit would remain with him. For it is at baptism that the Spirit indwells and remains permanently with the believer just as the Holy Spirit remained with Jesus at His baptism. John 1:32 So believing in Jesus alone or temporarily receiving the Holy Spirit does not bring one into Jesus Christ and His kingdom because the apostles had indeed believed in Jesus and experienced the Holy Spirit John 20:22 but it wasn’t until the Holy Spirit remained on them permanently at Pentecost that they were born again and the church was also born. Acts 2:4 And even John the Baptist who was filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb, was not born again of the Holy Spirit during his lifetime. Jesus said that of those born of women none was greater than John, but he who was least in the kingdom of heaven was greater than John. Mathew 11:11 This making it evident that receiving the Holy Spirit alone is not being ’born again’ but to be born again requires dying to self and living to Christ through baptism into the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
So can one receive the Holy Spirit permanently and enter the kingdom of God which is Gods people on earth without being baptized, NO. Can one be saved without being baptized, YES. Was Moses or Elijah baptized, no, though their salvation is evident because they appeared in glory with Jesus at the transfiguration. Luke 9:31 The thief on the cross was not baptized and though he was told that he would be joining Jesus in paradise and not heaven, his salvation is implied. He facing death and leaving this world had no opportunity to enter Gods kingdom which is on earth. Luke 23:43 And what about the person who has never heard the gospel of Christ. He will be judged according to his conscience and how he has responded to the measure of light that he has received Romans 2:14-16 because God speaks daily to the conscience of everyman as the scripture says ’Jesus is the savior of all men’. So these can be saved from the judgment and enter eternal life by the grace of God and be sanctified in glory in heaven even though they had no opportunity to enter His kingdom which is on earth and experience the sanctification of their spirit in this life through the permanent indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit which is given at baptism. Therefore baptism is the entrance to the kingdom of God which is His people and body on earth just as Jesus said, "Unless one is born of the water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God." John 3:5
So with this in mind we should obey the commandment of the Lord when He said, ’Go into all the world bapizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.’ Mathew 28:19
