The Three Baptisms

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A Brief excerpt from yesterday's message.

   The term "baptism" is familiar to most people, regardless of the particular church they may be involved in. However, as we read the Scriptures, we soon learn that baptism does not refer to one but three separate events. The first baptism is into the body of Christ, a.k.a. salvation, the new birth, or being born again. They all refer to the same. This is the process by which the Holy Spirit, through the regenerative work of Jesus, brings us from spiritual death to spiritual life, thus making us part of the "body" of Christ. Paul writes, "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and were all made to drink of one Spirit.” (1 Cor. 12:12, NASB) I refer to this baptism as a baptism of position, because we have moved from an existence apart from God due to sin into a position with God due to the right-standing that is ours due to Jesus Christ's death and resurrection.
   The second baptism is water baptism, and is likely the one we are most familiar with. This is a baptism of public profession. According to Jesus own words, we are called to, "make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." - (Matt. 28:19, NASB)  There are disagreements as to the mode and method of this event, but we understand that the Greek word means "to immerse," therefore we take new believers and immerse them in ordinary water as a public way of declaring their new life and faith in Jesus Christ.
   The final baptism is one John spoke of when he told those around him, "…He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit." - (Jn. 1:33, NASB) This is what may referred to as a baptism of power. Jesus told His disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit would baptize them. (Acts 1:4-8). Yes, there are disagreements with the existence, understanding, and application of this principle; however, no where in the Bible are we told that this would be normal occurrence only for the first century church. The Assemblies of God today is the largest Pentecostal body globally, and is among a tiny group who can still attest to growth in a time when many Christian groups are facing decline. I firmly believe that it is our reliance upon this baptism of power that continues to allow us to reach, teach, and grow men and women of God.
   Which of these is most important? Without a doubt the answer is the baptism of position. Without the new birth the other two would either not matter or be impossible. After an individual has received the first, then the remaining two are both important: water baptism for obedience to Jesus' command, the Holy Spirit baptism to live and serve as a child of God. The real question is which of these have you experienced? If you have not experienced any of these, or all three, then truly you do not know what you are missing. 

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