During this study we will discover that there are four discernable baptisms in God's Word, culminating in the final baptism. That Baptism holds the distinction of being God's method to bring about His total plan for the salvation and eternal life of humankind, as listed for us, in Ephes. 4:12-13 . . . the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; [13] until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ.
What does the word baptism mean, most would understand the term in relationship to John's baptism? The word is a new testament period word meaning to dip, sink. It is the Greek word baptizo. As a verb it is Baptize, in the noun form it is Baptism. When a baptism is performed, it can mean immersion, or absorption. The word comes from the clothing industry where cloth was baptize into dye. The cloth would be immersed, absorb the dye and come out a different color. While the word baptize does not appear in the Old Testament, it does have a counterpart which is the Hebrew word rachats, [ raw-khats' ; a primitive root; to lave (the whole or a part of a thing): - bathe (self), wash (self).] That word is what the priest did prior to receiving the blood sacrifice in behalf of the penitent. God instructed Moses: And he placed the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing. [31] And from it Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet.
Exodus 40:30-31
1 Cor. 10:2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; What was the baptism that they were immersed into-they were all, baptized through the Red Sea, the sea of separation-the cloud or covering-protection of the Holy Spirit and the Law given to Moses? Leviticus 26:46 These are the statutes and ordinances and laws which the Lord established between Himself and the sons of Israel through Moses at Mount Sinai.
The Old Covenant refers to the Covenant of Law and was the beginning of God's plan for the salvation of man through the blood of Jesus Christ. There have been other covenants each building upon the former, the first was the original Covenant, the one Adam was created in - it had one law-don't eat from the tree of the knowledge of Good and evil. It had one blessing-man shall have dominion and it did not have a sign other than the Lord, for God, He was present.
The original covenant was with Adam in the Garden as expected, had all of the elements of later covenants except a blood seal because it was the original. As we study Scripture, we will come to the conclusion that God has a goal. That goal, throughout the rest of the covenants, is to restore man and God's relationship with man, back to the original state of affairs. Similar passages to this one found in Jeremiah 24:7 can be found throughout Scripture although this one is exceptionally clear. 'And I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the Lord; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.
We should at this point take a slight divergent tack for understanding of covenants as they are interlaced with baptism.
The original covenant:
Genesis 1:29-30 Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; [30] and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food"; and it was so.
It also contained just one law or command. Genesis 2:17 "but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die."
The covenant with Adam was invoked by the death of animals for the skin covering for the now naked Adam and Eve. Genesis 3:20-21 Now the man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. [21] And the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.
The promise of the covenant begins in Genesis 3:14-21 by cursing the serpent, increasing the pain of child birth for the woman and making her subject to her husband. Cursing the soil of the earth to willing produce weeds, thorns and thistles, food will come only with toil and sweat. Mankind is made mortal.
The sign of the Adam covenant is death, both spiritual and physical. Genesis 3:22-23 Then the Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"-- [23] therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken.
This covenant continues even to this day for the decedents of Adam. Spiritual death is taken away only in the "New Covenant."
The blood seal of this covenant is of course
through the animals that God killed to make a covering for Adam and
his wife, Eve.
Next came the Covenant of God through Noah, The promise is in Genesis 9:15 and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. Genesis 9:2-6 The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. [3] Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.
[4] "But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. [5] And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. [6] "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.
The sign of that Covenant is found in Genesis 9:12-13 And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; [13] I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth."
The blood seal of the covenant Genesis 8:20-21
Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. [21] The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, although every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done."
The covenant was invoked by the ________ of the clean _______ and
clean __________. This covenant continues to this day.
Genesis 17:7-11 The promise, and the sign.
"And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. [8] "And I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojourning, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." [ 9] God said further to Abraham, "Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. [10] "This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. [11] "And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.
The Blood seal of the Covenant. Genesis 15:8-10
[8] And he said, "O Lord God, how may I know that I shall possess it?" [9] So He said to him, "Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon." [10] Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds.
Much meaning can be read into the sacrifices which are beyond our purpose here. Suffice it to say the sacrifice of the heifer [Numbers 7:8] is a glorious picture of the purifying work of Christ on the cross. The female goat and the bird point to a sacrifice under the law that atones for sin committed unwittingly or of necessity, found in Leviticus 5:6-8. The ram of course speaks of our Lord Jesus Christ as Abraham would later realize more profoundly through the purposed sacrifice of Isaac. Genesis 22:8-13.
Genesis 15:17-18 And it came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces. [18] On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, "to your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates."
God did all that he had promised in His covenant promises to Abraham. He separated the Hebrews for four hundred and thirty years in the land of Egypt. Apparently most of the people forgot the Coventry promises that they should be circumcised and they distorted their worship of God serving foreign idols.
Exodus 24:6-8 And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. [7] Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!" [8] So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, "Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words."
Exodus 34:27-28 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel." [28] So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.
Galatians 3:19-20 Why did the Lord give men the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed should come to whom the promise had been made. [20] Now a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one.
Galatians 3:23-24 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. [24] Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith.
The Law Forces us to realize our hopelessness, we cannot keep the law and therefor we have no hope apart from Christ from the penalty of the Law. Romans 5:13 for until the Law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
The baptism was the Law the baptizer was Moses
Matthew 3:1-3 Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, [2] "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." [3] For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet, saying, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight!' "
Matthew 3:5-6 Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea, and all the district around the Jordan; [6] and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.
Matthew 3:11 "As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."
We did not take the time earlier, as we studied the covenants, to determine the meaning of the symbolism of fire, but throughout Scripture, fire always speaks of Judgement; from the simplicity of the Jewish sacrifices being burned on the altar as a symbol of the sin, having been judged, to the complexity of the ashes of the Red Heifer. Matthew 3:12 may help to cement that picture in our minds. "And His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
Mark 1:4
John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Mark 1:8 "I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
In Luke 1:15 we come to a rather unique and disconcerting verse: "For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine or liquor; and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, while yet in his mother's womb."
Luke 1:16-17
"And he will turn back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. [17] "And it is he who will go as a forerunner before Him [Jesus] in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous; so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
Luke 1:76-79 "And you, children, [John] will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to Prepare His ways; [77] to give to His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, [78] because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the sunrise [Jesus] from on high shall visit us, [79] to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."
Luke 3:3 And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;
Luke 3:3-6 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. [4] As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
"A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him." [5] Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. [6] And all mankind will see God's salvation.' "
John is obviously teaching people how to be ready to receive Jesus and the ______________ that God is offering to all ___________________, not for The Jew only.
John 1:31 "And I did not recognize Him, but in order that He [Jesus Christ ] might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water."
To illustrate this last consideration let us look a little deeper at the parable of the wedding feast in Matthew 22:2-4 "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king, who gave a wedding feast for his son. [3] "And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. [4] "Again he sent out other slaves saying, 'Tell those who have been invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast."
The invitation was sent out by John for Jesus, his baptism was directed at the Jewish People.
John 3:24-26 For John had not yet been thrown into prison. [25] There arose therefore a discussion on the part of John's disciples with a Jew about purification. [26] And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have borne witness, behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him."
John 4:2 (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were),
John 3:26-31 And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have borne witness, behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him." [27] John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven. [28] "You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before Him.' [29] "He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. And so this joy of mine has been made full. [30] "He must increase, but I must decrease. [31] "He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all."
John 4:1-2. When therefore the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John [2] (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were).
John 3:31-36 Records the ministry of the Son, Jesus Christ. "He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. [32] "What He has seen and heard, of that He bears witness; and no man receives His witness. [33] "He who has received His witness has set his seal to this, that God is true. [34] "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure. [35] "The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. [36] "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
John used the element with which the Jews were familiar - water for his baptism of confession and repentance. It is more than interesting to note that when the religious leaders came to John in John 1:19-21. Their question of "who are you" had teeth in it, for they understood the use of water for cleansing and purification was their domain.
And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" [20] And he confessed, and did not deny, and he confessed, "I am not the Christ." [21] And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" And he said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No."
Why did they ask this question?
The Word of God begins to paint a beautiful picture for us, at the first miracle, of Jesus. And when the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine." [4] And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what do I have to do with you? My hour has not yet come." [5] His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it." [6] Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each. [7] Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. [8] And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the headwaiter." And they took it to him. [9] And when the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom,
A little side note on the side trip. Verse 3 is where the Catholic Church construes its authority to call on Mary as an intercessor.
The old has gone and the new is coming, the baptism of Mosses and the baptism of John prepared the way for the baptism of Jesus.
Matthew 3:11
"As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Matthew 3:13-15
Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. [14] But John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?" [15] But Jesus answering said to him, "Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he permitted Him.
Then why did Jesus submit to Johns baptism? Some have suggested that it was as an example to us, a type of setting of precedence. Read carefully Matthew 3:16-17 And after being baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him, [17] and behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.
I would submit to you that it is the need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit that Jesus was illustrating. When Jesus went down into the water of purification, depicting his death that would close the Old Testament and exemplified the soon to be possible new birth in the Spirit and the baptism into the Holy.
There are many ways that you can interpret what it means to be born of the water, the most popular being the water represents the embryonic fluid into which we are all born. I won't totally discount that because the body or the flesh is the ticket onto planet earth. Witness if you will the legion of demons who begged Jesus to allow them to go into the swine rather than force them back to the place of spirits from which they escaped. There is a higher interpretation though: if water equals purification. Purification is what we must receive, made pure by the blood of Jesus by receiving His death on the cross, for our sin debt. With that as foreground let's read the passage and let the Holy Spirit speak.
John 3:4-5
Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?" [5] Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Luke 12:50 "But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!
Mark 10:35-39
And James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, came up to Him, saying to Him, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You." [36] And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?" [37] And they said to Him, "Grant that we may sit in Your glory, one on Your right, and one on Your left." [38] But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking for. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?"[39] And they said to Him, "We are able." And Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized."
How can we be baptized with the baptism that Jesus was baptized with and how can we drink the cup that He drank from? 1 Cor. 11:25 In the same way He took the cup also, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."
Jesus did not need to repent and seek forgiveness at John's baptism. Rather, He pointed to the New Baptism, the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, Dying to your old self, and alive to the new. Not a baptism of confession and cleansing, for Jesus was already sin free and you and I are already forgiven, if we desire it. What we are not, is filled with His righteousness and wisdom until we receive that baptism, and are baptized with the Holy Spirit.
The New Covenant:
2 Cor. 3:6 who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
John 6:63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and our life."
How does a person get baptized into Jesus, let us read what Paul wrote in Galatians 3:23-27 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. [24] Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith. [25] But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. [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.
This account found in Acts 19:1-7 will illustrate the difference in John's baptism and that of Christ's . . . , Paul having passed through the upper country came to Ephesus, and found some disciples, [2] and he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said to him, "No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit." [3] And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" And they said, "Into John's baptism." [4] And Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus." [5] And when they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. [6] And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. [7] And there were in all about twelve men.
Romans 6:3-5 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? [4] Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. [5] For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection,
Romans 7:1-4 Or do you not know, brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives? [2] For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband. [3] So then if, while her husband is living, she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress, though she is joined to another man. [4] Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, that we might bear fruit for God.
Unlike the visitation of the Holy Spirit upon Mary, Elizabeth and Zacharias the Spirit of the Lord remained with Jesus. He was the first born of women to be born spiritually alive and now He was baptized in the Holy Spirit and the Spirit remained. Matthew 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
John 4:34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work."
Acts 1:2-5 until the day when He was taken up, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. [3] To these He also presented Himself alive, after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. [4] And gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Which," He said, "you heard of from Me; [5] for John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
All living beings belong to one or the other.
Matthew 12:25-26 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. [26] If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?
1 John 5:19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.
John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly."
John 8:43-44 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. [44] You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
John 18:36 Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."
Col 1:13 For he [Jesus] has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,
Having established that there are two kingdoms, the next question would be-is the kingdom of God available to those of us who live on this earth. Luke 12:32 "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom."
Luke 9:2 and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. Luke 9:11 but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.
Matthew 16:19 "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
Who then can come into the kingdom of God?
John 3:5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit."
John 3:6-7 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. [7] You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'
John 5:24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life."
Receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit has become such a catch phrase in Christian circles that it has lost its meaning, so we might rightly ask, what is the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Short and encapsulated we can say, it is the New Covenant. What is the New Covenant - it is the covenant of Spirit.
The New Covenant has a seal just like the Covenant of Law had a seal. The seal of the Old Covenant, the covenant of law was circumcision - to be cut. The seal of the new covenant is to be circumcised in the heart.
Romans 2:25-29 For indeed circumcision is of value, if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become un-circumcision. [26] If therefore the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his un-circumcision be regarded as circumcision? [27] And will not he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law? [28] For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. [29] But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.
In Deut. 10:16 the Lord looks prophetically ahead to a day when being circumcised in his heart will be possible for a person, "Circumcise then your heart, and stiffen your neck no more."
The Lord promises that there will come a day in Deut. "30:6 "Moreover the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, in order that you may live.
The covenant with Abraham had a sign, which was circumcision, this became the seal of the covenant of Law. Romans 4:11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be reckoned to them,
This is not a circumcision made with human hands. Col. 2:11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;
Philip. 3:3 for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh,
A circumcised heart seals us with a witness that we are in God and God is in us. 2 Cor. 1:21-22 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, [22] who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.
Who places us in Christ? ________
Ephes. 1:13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-- having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
Rev. 6:9 And when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained;
Having a testimony requires being a witness, and your testimony must be about something.
From the baptism of the Holy Spirit that has sealed us as a
witness of What - that God is God and that He loves us and indwells
us. He enables us to love
Romans 5:5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Romans 6:5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection,
Romans 7:6 But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.
When we take communion we eat of the bread that He broke, and participate in the death that closed the old testament, and removed the sting of death. He has broken the yoke of the covenant of law that kills us. We have already seen that It takes a death to close a covenant. The death of Christ closed the old and His resurrection opened the door for the new. We were born with the yoke of the law which imputed sin and condemnation. Apart from the new covenant there was nothing that we could do about it, our situation was hopeless. John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
If there is a creed for all who call themselves Christians it is
this
We are to be _____________ to _____________ the Scriptural doctrine of the ______ of the Spirit and the ____________ that He forges between regenerated man and God the Father.
The Christian way is the only way and it is a narrow way.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.
With no attempt to be redundant it is important to see the emphasis that the two of the Gospels place on this point.
Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. [14] "For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.
Luke 13:24 "Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
Now let's re-read this passage in Ephesians 4:. Our focus is on the truth of Baptism. We have studied four. The first three pointed to the forth and final. The baptism of the law pointed to our transgressions, our fallen nature, and our need to pay a penalty for those transgression. [1 Cor 10:2] John's baptism pointed to our need to repent and for forgiveness that could only come through the cross of Christ as we are baptized into his death (the third baptism). We are like mass murders, owing many death penalties, having only one life to give and that alone being inadequate and insufficient. There then remains an eternal life to live in service to our God. This can only be done in holiness and purity, which can only be accomplished in the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. This then is the final baptism, the one that all previous baptisms point to, the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Ephes. 4:1-6 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, [2] with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, [3] being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. [4] There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; [5] one Lord, one faith, one baptism, [6] one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
For Just a moment let's jump ahead to Ephes. 4:13-14. Scripture just finished telling us that the Lord has prepared some to be apostles, some preachers, some teachers, that the body of Christ may be built up. Verse 13 tells us why! until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ.
Ephes. 4:14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
Ephes. 4:7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.
Let me preface this by saying that grace-unmerited favor with God-is a euphemism for the Holy Spirit. There are myriad passages that allude to this but these few will suffices. We read in
1 Tim. 1:14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. And again in Titus 2:11-12 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, [12] instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,
When we have been baptized with the Holy Spirit the Spirit, assumes the roll of teacher and begins the arduous job of reconstruction, of renewing our minds, of giving us an attitudinal make over. Romans 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren;
1 Cor. 15:49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
2 Cor. 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
Col. 3:10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him
There is a purpose to all of this: Romans 11:29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
Ephes. 4:11-15 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, [12] for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; [13] until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ.
Ephes.4:14-15 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; [15] but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ,
Just as all of the covenants lead to, or are concluded in the New Covenants, so do the baptisms culminate in the one baptism-The baptism of the Holy Spirit. John's baptism was pointing the way to Christ. Matthew 3:11 "As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. It is this baptism that we must focus upon: it is His Spirit in whom we must be immersed. We must choose to set our minds upon the Spirit, to live in the new way of the Spirit, to live otherwise is receiving only half the Gospel. That causes double mindedness, instability, and leaves us twisting with every wind of doctrine. To live in the New Way of the Spirit is to live a life, here and now, of peace and joy in-spite of the circumstances, creating in us a godly view of the world from an eternal perspective.
For more on baptism try the study on Baptiism - do I need to be.
Thank you for studying the Word of the Lord. If you have questions or comments please contact the compiler : Greg at deans@interpath.com
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