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Baptism has to do with identification. Identification with someone or something else.
There are two categories of baptisms. Real Baptisms and Ritual Baptisms.
Real Baptisms: Real Baptisms are actual identifcations.
1) The Baptism of Moses: Israel was identified with Moses at the Red Sea. (1 Cor. 10:2).
a) Israel was identified with Moses.
b) Israel was identified with the cloud (Christ); and with the sea through which they went dry.
2) The Baptism of Fire: The Tribulational unbeliever is identified with judgment at the end of the Tribulation at the Second Advent of Christ. The Tribulational unbeliever is cast off the earth and into the eternal fire. (Matt. 3:11-12; 13:25; Luke. 3:16-17; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Matt. 13:39-42; Matt. 25:41).
3) The Baptism of the Cross (the cup): (Matt. 20:22; Luke 12:50).
a) Jesus Christ was identified with the Cross and with our sins.
b) The sins of the world were put into a cup and poured out on Jesus Christ and identified with Him. God the Father then judged our sins.
4) The Baptism of the Holy Spirit: The Church-Age believer is identified with Jesus Christ in His victory over Satan on the Cross.
a) The Church-Age believer is entered into union with Jesus Christ through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and made a member of the Royal Family of God for all eternity. (1 Cor. 12:13; Col. 2:12). Yes, the Church-Age believer is Royal Family of God. We are in union with Christ and therefore share His royalty.
b) The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is unique to the Church-Age. (Col. 1:24-26)
c) Jesus prophesied the Baptism of the Holy Spirit for the Church ( John 14:20; Acts 1:5).
d) All Church-Age believers are made a part of one body. The body of Christ (Eph. 4:4-5; Col. 3:10-11).
e) All Church-Age believers have equality through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 3:26-28). There is no equality among men that is inherent through physical birth.
Ritual Baptisms: Ritual Baptisms are symbolic identifications.
Water Baptism: The water is representitive of something else.
1) Jesus' Baptism: (Matt 3:13-17).
a) The Father's plan is represented by the water.
b) Jesus Christ identified Himself with God the Father's will regarding the Cross.
b) Upon being submerged under the water, the Church-Age believer is identified with Jesus Christ in His death and victory on the Cross.
c) Upon coming back up from under the water, the believer is identified with Christ in His resurrection, ascension, and session at the right hand of the Father.
d) Water Baptism is a testimony to the believers personal faith in Christ.
e) Water Baptism is not a requirement for salvation, but is a ritual only. Water Baptism is not mentioned in the New Testament Epistles except for 1 Cor. 1:14-17 where Paul says only the following. ''I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15] that no man should say you were baptized in my name. 16] Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other; 17] For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, that the cross of Christ should not be made void.
The believer should understand the subject of baptisms for the purpose of edification.
In view of more recent threads concerning water baptism, I would like to direct peoples attention to this thread that I did back in Sept 2010 on the doctrine of baptisms. There are real baptisms which are always dry baptisms and there are ritual baptisms which involve water. The difference between the two has been explained in the first post.
For those who are interested, here are two other studies on the doctrine of baptisms.
This thread drew no interest when I submitted it back in September 2010. But in view of a recent thread on baptism which asks if you need to be baptized in water to be saved, I thought I would direct peoples attention to it.
Water baptism is only a ritual which represents what takes place with the baptism of the Holy Spirit which occurs at the moment of faith alone in Christ alone. During the dispensation of the Church, whenever a person believes in Christ for eternal salvation he is entered into union with Jesus Christ and becomes a part of the body of Christ - the church. The church is a new creation, a new spiritual species. 2 Cor. 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
1 Cor. 12:13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
Gal. 3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27] For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28] There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a real baptism as mentioned in the first post. The baptism of Moses, the baptism of fire, and the baptism of the cross or cup are also real baptisms and do not involve water.
Ritual baptisms on the other hand involve water. Jesus' baptism, John's baptism, and the believer's Christian baptism are ritual baptisms.
Again, the ritual of the Christians water baptism illustrates what occurs with the real baptism of the Holy Spirit.
All right, I've listed the various kinds of baptisms, I've given the Scriptual references, and I've provided some links to be referenced. Those of you who insist on believing that you have to be baptized in water will most likely continue to believe so. But hopefully someone will pay attention and learn something.
Eternal salvation is by grace alone,though faith alone, in Christ alone.
Eternal salvation is NOT by faith plus anything added to faith. Not by faith plus water baptism, Not by faith plus sabbath observance, Not by faith plus walking an isle, Not by faith plus giving up the booze, Not by faith plus ANYTHING. Eph. 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God 9] not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
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