Types of baptism..

[Sherman]

The baptism of John the Bapist was a baptism unto repentance, at this time our salvation was not yet manifest, so baptism was just a guage to see where people were at spiritually. It was an outward expression of their hearts.

Actually, Luke 3.3 says that John preached a baptism of repentance "for the forgiveness of sins", which is the same phrase in Acts 2.38 in the Greek. "eis" is traslated as "for, unto, because of, etc." It is a general connective that connects the two concepts but it does not define that connection. So baptism in water is connected to the forgiveness of sins in both the baptism of John and baptism in the name of Jesus. Both are also dynamically connected to repentance. "It was an outward expression of their hearts." This is true for both John's baptism and being baptized in the name of Jesus. But it is more than that also for both of the them.

[exrockstar]

The baptism of John the Bapist was a baptism unto repentance, at this time our salvation was not yet manifest, so baptism was just a guage to see where people were at spiritually. It was an outward expression of their hearts.

Actually, Luke 3.3 says that John preached a baptism of repentance "for the forgiveness of sins", which is the same phrase in Acts 2.38 in the Greek. "eis" is traslated as "for, unto, because of, etc." It is a general connective that connects the two concepts but it does not define that connection. So baptism in water is connected to the forgiveness of sins in both the baptism of John and baptism in the name of Jesus. Both are also dynamically connected to repentance. "It was an outward expression of their hearts." This is true for both John's baptism and being baptized in the name of Jesus. But it is more than that also for both of the them.

and do you think the apostles understood the concept of Christ providing salvation at Acts 2:38???????

Paul introduced it! Paul doesnt even make the scene til later and still has to be taught by Christ for 3 years!

understand that just 50 days earlier the apostles were scared for their lives when Christ was being crucified!

my oh my

[Sherman]

The baptism of John the Bapist was a baptism unto repentance, at this time our salvation was not yet manifest, so baptism was just a guage to see where people were at spiritually. It was an outward expression of their hearts.

Actually, Luke 3.3 says that John preached a baptism of repentance "for the forgiveness of sins", which is the same phrase in Acts 2.38 in the Greek. "eis" is traslated as "for, unto, because of, etc." It is a general connective that connects the two concepts but it does not define that connection. So baptism in water is connected to the forgiveness of sins in both the baptism of John and baptism in the name of Jesus. Both are also dynamically connected to repentance. "It was an outward expression of their hearts." This is true for both John's baptism and being baptized in the name of Jesus. But it is more than that also for both of the them.

and do you think the apostles understood the concept of Christ providing salvation at Acts 2:38???????

Paul introduced it! Paul doesnt even make the scene til later and still has to be taught by Christ for 3 years!

understand that just 50 days earlier the apostles were scared for their lives when Christ was being crucified!

my oh my

Actually, yes I think they understood very well that salvation was based on the goodness and forgivenss of God, especially as revealed through the sacrifice of Christ. Not only did they see the risen Christ but they had multiple encounters with Him. What they didn't understand was that one could be saved and filled with the Spirit and not become a Jew. This was first revealed to Peter, but Paul ran with it. Concerning the 3 years that Paul spent in Arabia, the other Apostles also spent those 3 years being taught by the Holy Spirit, but in Jerusalem. Of course, Paul was a Pharisee theologian before he was saved and filled with the Spirit, so he had a lot of rethinking to do. He also had alot more knowledge of the scripture and could articulate the theological concepts of Christ.

[poorinspirit]

Thanks for your input damo! I just want to add before anyone gets angry at me for reopening this can 'o worms that I believe that there is a huge amount of Biblical evidence that baptism is important in salvation. My only question is, how do we know what kind of baptism God means? I would think that the whole act of being "saved" would cover repentance and Holy Spirit baptism as we are renewed by the Spirit. So I guess I would say that baptism is essential to salvation, but is also part and parcel with it? Not sure?

1 Corinthians 1: 12Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. 13Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? 14I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; 15Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. 16And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.

17For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. 18For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

19For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 22For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 23But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 24But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 25Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29That no flesh should glory in his presence. 30But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

Jesus is the Saviour. Not water baptism unless we place salvation back into our hands to say we saved ourselves by having water baptism too.

The Jews had to do it because they were identified with God by the Old Covenant in the keeping of the Law which they could not do, thus the water baptism was their way of dying to the "old" to become a " new creature" in Christ Jesus to be identified by His righteousness and not by anything they did by the Law. Then they received the promise of the Holy Spirit.

The Gentiles were not identified with God by the "established" old ways to be identified as His, but were sinners in need of the Saviour. When they heard the Good News and believed, they received the Holy Spirit before water baptism. Water baptism for the Gentiles became a public witness to the believing christian Jews as much as confessing with one's mouth unto salvation, but one can with mouth confession be saved without water baptism because Jesus is the Saviour.

Romans 10: 9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

We are not to refrain any believer from having water baptism, but we are not to take away the glory of the Lord as Saviour by saying you have to save yourself by water baptism as well. That is like saying.. He is not able to save you by Himself, but yet deep down, we all know the Truth that He can.

Acts 2: 21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Romans 10: 12For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.14How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

However, in living the christian life, one looks to the Saviour to be their Good Shepherd. One may be surprised at how much pruning in our lives that requires repentance, but yet we are still His as we lean on Him to lead us away from temptation and deliver us from the evil one for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever... amen. Sinners can call on Him to deliver them from their sins and to destroy the works of the devil in our lives. It is not in themselves as in the flesh to do it thus the repentance call is more in turning away from one's religious strivings to believe in the hope in Christ Jesus.

John 6: 28Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

1 John 3: 7Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. 11For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

Ephesians 2: 8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

1 John 3:22And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. 23And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. 24And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

Loving your enemies is not an easy task. Only Jesus Christ being in you and working in you can enable you to love your enemies. So the hope of salvation as well as living the christian life is all on Jesus Christ the Lord as Saviour as well as the Good Shepherd. And that is why sinners would be converted to Him because no one is pointing at them to repent but to look to Him to help them repent to live as His.

[poorinspirit]

As noted on other posts, there are several types of baptism. Baptism in water and repentance are very closely associated, along with receiving and experiencing the forgiveness of sins that Christ purchased for us on the cross. Concerning the baptism in the Holy Spirit, when one is born of the Spirt, born again, one receives the Holy Spirit as a seal of the salvation we have in Christ. The Apostles had this before Pentecost. At Pentecost in Acts 1&2 they received the baptism in the Holy Spirit, an empowerment for ministry.

The difference between receiving the Holy Spirit when one is saved and being baptised in the Holy Spirit is similar to the difference between giving a man a drink of living water, and that same man drowning in the ocean. Both are water (the Spirit), but the reality of the experience is dramatically different. Can one be saved, sealed by, born of the Spirit and not baptized in the Spirit? Of course, look at the Samaritans; they had been born of the Spirit and even baptized in water, but had not been baptized in the Holy Spirit until Peter and John had laid hands on them (Acts 8). Not only that, but the baptism in the Holy Spirit seems to be something that comes and goes and is not a one-time, once-and-for-all experience. Rather, the apostles were often and repeatedly filled with the Holy Spirit, especially when in a tight situation.

But of course, the place to start in relationship with God and to receive more of His goodness is in repentance, on our knees in prayer like the publican who prayed, "Lord, have mercy upon me a sinner." Being poor in spirit, recognizing one's spiritual poverty is the place to start and stay. We all need more of Jesus!

Blessings,

Sherman

Hi Sherman,

Here are some things to consider prayerfully:

Acts 8 was a precarious situation involving Simon the scorceror who became a believer. The fact that he thought he could buy this power of laying on of hands to give out the Holy Spirit goes to show the mentality of the region due to the reputation and supernatural dealings of Simon the scorceror. Why did they not receive the Holy Spirit right away when they believed as promised? What we are not seeing is that God knows what we do not know... and the probability of committing the unforgiveable sin was too great for these people to receive the Holy Spirit right away due to their own experiences with the supernatural because of Simon the scorceror. If one places themselves in their shoes, they see Simon as a new believer among the new converts, one could see how one could venture forth the supernatural event of the Holy Spirit if it happened as promised right away when they believed by relating to their other supernatural experience with Simon the scorceror and thus commit the unforgiveable sin. One could say God provided the gap to allow time to sink in for the new converts to not do that thus later on, they were ready to receive the promise so as to not commit the unforgiveable sin. I can understand the waiting period for these new converts.

One could say, that is reading into it alot, but the same can be said for the former as in your beliefs. And yet we have scriptures to back up what I say as assurances for those that believe in Jesus.

Ephesians 1: 12That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. 15Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,

John 14: 6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. .....

15If ye love me, keep my commandments. 16And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

Ever wonder about this? When one reads verse 15, you wonder what commandments a believer has to do to get the Holy Spirit? Such an important set of commandments just to get the Holy Spirit... what are they when we need Him in us in order to live the christian life? The answer are His invitations. They are His commandments as stated in verse 6... thus we read on to see the promise for coming to Him.

17Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 18I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. 19Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. 20At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. 21He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

So the promise of the Holy Spirit fulfilling the role as the Comforter is when Christ ascended thus as our seal of adoption, abides in us forever.

More proof?

Epheisnas 1: 12That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. 15Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,

What happens when a believer sins? The Holy Spirit is still in us... quenched.. grieved.... but still in us.

1 Corinthians 3: 10According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. 14If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 16Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. 18Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 20And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. 21Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are your's; 22Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are your's; 23And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.

How does one cleanse oneself?

Romans 8: 12Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Colossians 3: 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

5Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

1 John 3:3And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Philippians 1: 6Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: .....

9And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; 10That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ. 11Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

Jude 1: 24Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

Hebrews 4: 12For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. 14Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

What is the faith?

2 Corinthians 13: 5Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

How can one keep the faith if one believes the Holy Spirit comes and goes? How can the Holy Spirit fulfill the role of the Comforter then? What happens when one preaches a continual filling of the Holy Spirit? It takes their eyes off of seeking the face of Christ to looking for the "Holy Spirit" to come to them again and again and yet no invitation has been given to come to the Holy Spirit because of the promise for all those that come to Christ Jesus. The danger of reading between the lines in Acts and not take what is plainly stated by Jesus as well as the letters to the churches in regards to our faith in Christ will lead one to seek another spirit other than the one they had already received.

2 Corinthians 11: 3But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

1 Timothy 4: 1Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

Can the rudiments of calling the Holy Spirit to come be the same as the world's in the American Indians calling for the Great Spirit, or animal spirit guides or new age channelers in calling for their spirit guide or mediums in calling up ghosts? Why is it the khundalini.. an eastern mysticism speaks of meditation where one receives power.. fire.. peace.. and an innumerable supernatural experiences that edifies not in the knowledge of Jesus Christ but simply steals their attention to this type of "worship"? Amazing how those believers in Christ claim that the Holy Spirit is in them but yet they call for Him to come and fall on them again and again. Is that not a clear case of hypocrisey? But yet believers are not discerning the experiences by the Word of God.

Matthew 24: 23Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

24For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25Behold, I have told you before. 26Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

People have flocked to Pensacola Florida for the "Outpouring of the Holy Spirit" or to Toronto Canada for the "blessings" and did not heed the warning above nor remember the faith of 2 Corinthinas 13:5.

They even ignored this warning as well.

1 John 4: 1Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

4Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 5They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 6We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. 7Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

I'm sure you have heard this as result of those that chase after the Holy Spirit in "its" visitations that they have a hunger for more of God. Even you, yourself had declared needing more of Jesus.

John 6: 35And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Colossians 2: 5For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ. 6As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: 7Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. 8Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 9For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

Hebrews 4: 9There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 10For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 11Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Does the Holy Spirit seek attention or worship?

John 16: 13Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

If the Holy Spirit does not speak of himself, should we speak of the Holy Spirit as much as we do about Jesus?

John 15: 26But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: 27And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.

Why is that?

John 5:22For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: 23That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

How is God glorified?

John 13: 31Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him.

John 17: 1These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:

So if the indwelling Holy Spirit seeks to testify of Jesus Christ and glorify Him as we are instructed to also, why do that which the indwelling Holy Spirit do not seek but other spirits do? That is why the invitations given in various ways all points to Jesus Christ and thereby we receive the spirit of promise and we can rest in Jesus Christ so as to hunger no more. Is that not the simplicity of the Gospel that a child can come to?..... and all they can do is trust the Lord.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the distractions and take pride in it as "God dealing with us", but nothing changed except the way one worships, turning christianity into spirituanity. We seek to understand it by incorporating our experiences into the Bible when we should be discerning the experience by the Word of God. We wind up taking a simple verse like...

Ephesians 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;....

....to take the supernatural experience as ongoing continual filling when it simply said do not be drunk with wine as in excess or you lose self control... temperance which is a fruit of the Spirit. When you become sober again, self control returns for the Spirit is still in you... grieved that you got drunk, but still there as promised. It is so because no drunk person can mock God or test Him by saying.. "okay Lord.. fill me with the fruit of temperance now". The call in Ephesians 5:18 is to remain in self control.. filled with the Spirit as opposed to drinking excess of wine to become drunk and if you read that verse... one can drink wine in excess, but note the Spirit is not indicated as having excess. Why?

Luke 5: 36And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. 37And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. 38But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.

2 Corinthians 5: 17Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Thus we are complete in Christ thus we have a rest in Christ....thus the good profession of our faith.

1 Corinthians 2: 2For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

Matthew 11: 28Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

May the Lord cause the increase for I am nothing.

[exrockstar]

Actually, yes I think they understood very well that salvation was based on the goodness and forgivenss of God, especially as revealed through the sacrifice of Christ. Not only did they see the risen Christ but they had multiple encounters with Him. What they didn't understand was that one could be saved and filled with the Spirit and not become a Jew. This was first revealed to Peter, but Paul ran with it. Concerning the 3 years that Paul spent in Arabia, the other Apostles also spent those 3 years being taught by the Holy Spirit, but in Jerusalem. Of course, Paul was a Pharisee theologian before he was saved and filled with the Spirit, so he had a lot of rethinking to do. He also had alot more knowledge of the scripture and could articulate the theological concepts of Christ.

they were still casting lots in Acts 1:26.

doesnt that tell you something? you know what "casting lots" did...no?

so they still were in "training."

besides, are you familiar with scripture that show Paul not agreeing with the apostles?

[Phil.2:12]

I know that two posts on baptism have been shut down, and I am not trying to revisit the "baptism as a must for salvation debate". I just want to know what you think about the types of baptisms mentioned in the Bible and where your beliefs lie in regards to the different "types" of baptism.

There are at least 5 types of baptism mentioned in the Bible:

1-baptism by repentance

2-baptism in water

3-baptism into the Holy Spirit

4-baptism by fire

5-baptism into the Body of Christ

What do these mean to you and your ideas of baptism and salvation? Can we not agree that there are different types of baptism and the all Christians by way of our basic beliefs have been baptised in at least one way? I am genuinly curious and would like to learn more about different baptisms.

To answer these 5 types of baptism correctly, we need to define the word "baptism". The Greek word simply means to dip under, to immerse, and nothing else. The only mode of baptism that fits the Greek meaning is total immersion, which conveys the original meaning of the Greek "Baptidzo". However, when the New Testament was being translated out of the original Greek into English, especially the King James Version, there were three modes of baptism being practiced, sprinkling, pouring, and immersion. To keep from having a baptism fight breaking out amoung the religious leaders, the Greek word conveying the idea of total immersion was not translated, but was simply transliterated. That is the Greek Beta became an English "B", the Greek Alpha became an English "a" the Greek Pi became the English "p" and so forth until the whole Greek word was transliterated into English giving us the English word "Baptism". Then anyone who wanted to could give it any meaning they wanted, from sprinkling to pouring and finally to total immersion. In this way, the certain fight over the mode of baptism was avoided, but the English word "Baptism" lost it's original Greek meaning and actually became a rather meaningless English word that could mean whatever the person using it wished it to mean. A careful examination of the Baptism of Jesus will clearly show that the mode was total immersion, since it is physically impossible to come up out of the water in either sprinkling or pouring.

Therefore, the above five instances of baptism should read as follows:

1. Totally immersed into Repentence

2.Totally immersed into water

3. Totally immersed into the Holy Spirit

4. Totally immersed into fire

5. Totally immersed into the Body of Christ

The total immersion into fire was not the fire one gets from something burning, but rather represented the trials and tribulation one must face if they name the name of Christ and are a committed follower of Jesus. As Jesus went through His own trial of fire, the greatest one being His separation from His Father for the first time in all eternity when (on the Cross) He, who knew no sin, became sin for us that He might pay our sin debt, so we must also go through our own trials of fire when we become followers of Jesus. Satan is the originator of these trials of fire, both for Jesus and for us and it is in these trials of fire that we are hardened and strengthened in our faith. To be totally immersed into trials of fire is the greatest calling any Born-Again child of God can achieve, for it is here that we really prove our mettle as a Christian, a true follower of Jesus.

Perhaps if we put the original meaning of the Greek word "Baptidzo" back into our discussions of baptism, we might just be able to get a glimpse of what a true, dedicated, life in Christ is all about.