Baptisms

Hebrews 6:1-3 

"So let us stop going over THE BASIC TEACHINGS about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the FUNDAMENTAL IMPORTANCE OF REPENTING from evil deeds and placing our FAITH IN GOD. You don’t need further instruction about BAPTISMS, THE LAYING ON OF HANDS, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding." 

• There is only ONE Baptism, and that is ➡️ THE HOLY SPIRIT BAPTISM. The passage in Hebrews is written in plural to make a distinction between the Baptism of John (Water Baptism) and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 4:4-6 

“For there is one body and ONE SPIRIT, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, ONE BAPTISM, ONE GOD and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.” 

THE WATER BAPTISM

It is done to demonstrate a person has REPENTED from their sins and turned to God ➡️ TO BE FORGIVEN. No one (except Jesus Christ Himself) received the Holy Spirit during water baptism! Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit (The Father), and they are never separate. His water baptism was only set as an example to follow, and for John to Witness and Testify about Jesus Christ.

• Matthew 3:13-17 “Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?” But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him. After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and HE SAW the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” 

• John 1:29-34 “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming AFTER me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’ I did not recognize him as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water SO THAT HE MIGHT BE REVEALED TO ISRAEL." Then JOHN TESTIFIED, “I SAW the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I SAW this happen to Jesus, so I TESTIFY that he is the Chosen One of God.” 

When people go through the water baptism without having repented and continue to live in sin, it doesn't count!

The water baptism is only a PREPARATION before receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 3:1-12 

John the Baptist PREPARES the way

“In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, “REPENT OF YOUR SINS AND TURN TO GOD, FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS NEAR." The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said, “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’” 

John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey. People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John. AND WHEN THEY CONFESSED THEIR SINS, HE BAPTIZED THEM IN THE JORDAN RIVER.

But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them. “You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? PROVE BY THE WAY YOU LIVE THAT YOU HAVE REPENTED OF YOUR SINS AND TURNED TO GOD. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ THAT MEANS NOTHING, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire. 

“I BAPTIZE WITH WATER THOSE WHO REPENT OF THEIR SINS AND TURN TO GOD. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. HE WILL BAPTIZE YOU WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND WITH FIRE. He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.” 

THE HOLY SPIRIT BAPTISM

It happens AFTER the water baptism.

Acts 2:38-39 

“Peter replied, “Each of you MUST REPENT OF YOUR SINS AND TURN TO GOD, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. THEN YOU WILL RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—ALL WHO HAVE BEEN CALLED BY THE LORD OUR GOD."

➡️ God examines a person's heart and tests their faith. Only if their repentance is genuine and faith proves true, God sends His Holy Spirit and makes them holy. Those are the qualifications. We cannot make this choice - God makes this choice based on eligibility.

• Just like you cannot go to any company and say "Now, I'm your employee because I want to and I deserve it. Now, give me my benefits. I believe they are mine." They would look at you and think, "Really? What else do you think you 'deserve'? Do I know you?" ➡️ We get hired based on our qualifications, not entitlement.

• John 6:44-45 “For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. As it is written in the Scriptures, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.”

• Romans 9:16 “So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.”

John 3:27-36 

“John replied, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven. You yourselves know how plainly I told you, ‘I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for him.’ It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the bridegroom’s friend is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success. He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less. 

“He has come from above and is greater than anyone else. We are of the earth, and we speak of earthly things, but he has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else. He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them! Anyone who accepts his testimony can affirm that God is true. For he is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God gives him the Spirit without limit. The Father loves his Son and has put everything into his hands. And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.” 

➡️ When God chooses to send His Holy Spirit to an approved believer - Jesus Christ REVEALS HIMSELF to them in His GLORY, and they SEE and WITNESS Him with their eyes. This is UNVEILING.

• John 6:40 “For it is my Father’s will that all who SEE HIS SON and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.”

• John 12:45 “For when you SEE ME, you are seeing the one who sent me.”

• John 11:40-42 “Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that YOU WOULD SEE GOD'S GLORY IF YOU BELIEVE?" So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, SO THAT THEY WILL BELIEVE YOU SENT ME."

• 2 Corinthians 3:18 “So all of us who have had that veil removed CAN SEE AND REFLECT THE GLORY OF THE LORD. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more LIKE HIM as we are changed into HIS GLORIOUS IMAGE.”

➡️ THE GLORY OF GOD ENTERS into the qualified person and prompts them to shout "Abba Father!" This makes the Baptism COMPLETE.

• Philippians 3:12 "I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which CHRIST JESUS FIRST POSSESSED ME."

• Romans 8:30 “And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, HE GAVE THEM HIS GLORY.”

• 1 Corinthians 6:17 “But the person who is JOINED TO THE LORD IS ONE SPIRIT WITH HIM."

• Galatians 4:6-7 “And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.”

John 17:22-26 

“I HAVE GIVEN THEM THE GLORY YOU GAVE ME, so they may be ONE AS WE ARE ONE. I AM IN THEM AND YOU ARE IN ME. May they experience such perfect UNITY that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began! 

“O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. I HAVE REVEALED YOU TO THEM, and I will continue to do so. Then your LOVE FOR ME WILL BE IN THEM, and I WILL BE IN THEM.” 

• John 14:21 “Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And BECAUSE THEY LOVE ME, my Father will love them. And I will love them and REVEAL MYSELF TO EACH OF THEM.”

➡️ Jesus Christ REMOVES their sinful nature and gives them the ability (the gift) to do miraculous signs, such as casting out demons, healing, speaking in tongues, interpretations, teaching, discerning, and miracles.

• Colossians 2:11-12 “When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature. For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were RAISED TO A NEW LIFE because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.” 

➡️ This LIFE-CHANGING event produces a TESTIMONY.

1 John 5:6-12 

“And Jesus Christ was REVEALED as God’s Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross— NOT BY WATER ONLY, but by water and blood. And THE SPIRIT, WHO IS THE TRUTH, CONFIRMS IT WITH HIS TESTIMONY. So we have these three witnesses—THE SPIRIT, THE WATER, AND THE BLOOD—and all three agree. Since we believe human testimony, surely we can believe the greater testimony that comes from God. And God has testified about his Son. All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. Those who don’t believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don’t believe what God has testified about his Son. 

And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.” 

Revelation 12:10-11

“Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, 

“It has come at last—salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth—the one who accuses them before our God day and night.

And they have DEFEATED HIM BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB AND BY THEIR TESTIMONY. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.”

• Matthew 16:25 “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.”

Acts 10:39-43

“And we apostles are WITNESSES of all he did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him to life on the third day. Then God allowed him to APPEAR, not to the general public, but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be his WITNESSES. We were those who ate and drank with him AFTER he rose from the dead. And HE ORDERED US to preach everywhere and to TESTIFY that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead. He is the one all the prophets TESTIFIED about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.”

John 1:6-14 

“God sent a man, John the Baptist, TO TELL ABOUT THE LIGHT so that everyone might believe because of his TESTIMONY. John himself was not the light; he was simply a WITNESS TO TELL ABOUT THE LIGHT. The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 

He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are REBORN—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. 

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And WE HAVE SEEN HIS GLORY, THE GLORY OF THE FATHER's ONE AND ONLY SON."

1 John 1:1-4  

“We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have HEARD AND SEEN. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. This one who is LIFE ITSELF was REVEALED TO US, and WE HAVE SEEN HIM. And now we TESTIFY and proclaim to you that HE IS THE ONE WHO IS ETERNAL LIFE. He was with the Father, AND THEN HE WAS REVEALED TO US. We proclaim to you what we ourselves HAVE ACTUALLY SEEN AND HEARD so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy.” 

➡️ If there is NO TESTIMONY = IT NEVER HAPPENED.

The Holy Spirit - the Glory - the Light of God works through the person He enters, gives the TESTIMONY, and speaks the TRUTH.

• Truth is salty, not sweet!

Matthew 5:13-16 

Teaching about Salt and Light 

“YOU ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. 

• Job 32:21-22 “I won’t play favorites or try to flatter anyone. For if I tried flattery, my Creator would soon destroy me.”

“YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD—like a city on a hilltop that CANNOT BE HIDDEN. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” 

2 Corinthians 4:3-7 

"If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are UNABLE TO SEE the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. 

You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know THE GLORY OF GOD THAT IS SEEN IN THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST. 

WE KNOW HAVE THIS LIGHT SHINING IN OUR HEARTS, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.” 

Revelation 2:26-28 

"To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, To them I will give authority over all the nations. They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots. They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I WILL ALSO GIVE THEM THE MORNING STAR!” 

• 2 Peter 1:19 “Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and CHRIST THE MORNING STAR SHINES IN YOUR HEARTS."

NO LONGER PART OF THE WORLD

John 15:19

“The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I CHOSE YOU TO COME OUT OF THE WORLD, SO IT HATES YOU."

1 Corinthians 12:3 

"So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus,

and no one can say JESUS IS LORD, EXCEPT BY THE HOLY SPIRIT." 🙌🏼