I was listening to another song of Kenny Chesney’s on the radio. The song Down The Road’s lyrics stated, “Her momma wants to know am I washed in the blood or just in the water.” I believe that baptism is an important step of obedience for every person who has accepted Christ as his or her Savior. What is with the blood or the water? Is this like the communion where the wine is turned to real blood and bread is the body?
Jesus believed it so much that he let his cousin John The Baptist performs this right of passage on him as a sign for the start of his ministry.
Matthew 3:13-17 “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
But what is baptism? I think that baptism is a way that we say we want to have a relationship with God and Christ. It is an outward display for the church to see that we choose to become a follower of Christ. When we are baptized we repent of all our sin and that we try to live a righteous life from that point forward. Many religions choose different ways to display that act. Some sprinkle, some submerge. Some do not baptize babies because a baby can not profess their own faith. This act called christening; is for the family and congregation of the church to strive to live a life to bring up the child in a righteous home. Jesus talks about how important baptism so that we are filled with the spirit.
In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
4“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” 5Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
Born again is being born and washed in the blood of Jesus. Some churches believe that the baptism of the Spirit is an experience different than initial salvation. They see it as a second experience that gives a person much greater spiritual power and boldness, and the ability to live a more victorious Christian life.
As a baby, then a child I was baptized, I was baptized with water from the Jordan River, I was baptized after a commitment class I think 5th grade. I guess it was not until I was older that I realized that I just could not do this any longer and excepted Christ and that is when the blood washing took place. I think at that point I felt the Spirit of God enter my life.
All believers share the same experience of being baptized by the Spirit.
Matthew 3:11, “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He (Jesus) 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.”
What does it do? It makes us part of the body of Christ or the Bride of Christ, the Church.
When did it happen? If every believer has been baptized in the Spirit, then it must happen at the moment you accept Christ and become a Christian.
Great Christians down through the years have often experienced dramatic encounters with God after salvation. There is no reason to deny that this is a genuine way that God works with His people. It is also true that equally devout, effective Christians have gone through life without such a “second work” of grace. Most of the time we hear the same faith story – that the person’s life changed dramatically. They were born again…
We may use whatever words we want to describe our experiences with God. But it is most accurate to say that the Bible uses “baptism of the Spirit” to refer to one of the wonderful things that God does for us the instant we trust Christ and enter His family!
How important is it? Again it is important because Jesus said, “19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew 28: 19 “The Great Commission
16Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28: 16-20
The question then comes to us – are we washed in the blood or just the water? If you are truly living Bold you are washed in the blood. We need to be inviting and bringing people to church each Sunday to be washed in the blood. That is our commission if we are living Bold.
- Steve Rusk
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