More About Baptism


John the Baptist brought the Baptism of Water.
Jesus brought the Baptism of Water, Holy Spirit and Fire.
Today, I have brought, from the Father, the Baptism of Water, Holy Spirit, Fire And Blood!

By
The Man Who Saw God Face To Face
Raphael Okechukwu Nweze


Meaning Of Baptism
         Baptism means any or all of the following:
  1. A turning point. Hence, repentance is the prerequisite to baptism. A person who has not repented is never baptized.
  2. A change in nature. There must be change in nature, character, action and belief. The change in nature makes baptism of the Holy Spirit compulsory.
  3. A re-orientation unto expected behavior. This explains why baptism is often preceded by preaching of the gospel: enlightening people and thereby re-directing them.
  4. Baptism is also the putting on the seal of a confirmation.
  5. Removing the old things and putting in the new things of life; it is cleansing of old thoughts and actions.
Types of Baptism
         Three types of baptism shall be explained. They are the baptism of water, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and Baptism of fire.

Baptism Of Water
         The true baptism of water is immersion baptism. The whole body has to be dipped in a river. The same was performed on Jesus Christ.

Jesus himself performed immersion baptism.

After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized. And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizes, and all men come to him. John 1:22, 26

Significance Of Immersion Baptism
         The significance of immersion baptism includes:
  1. The whole body has to go into the river, to represent complete repentance.
  2. It is the footstep of God, which everybody has to follow. Thereby, the believer dies with Jesus and resurrect with him.
  3. Baptism fulfils all righteousness. It is a commandment of God. The perfect will of God constitutes righteousness. By so doing, we submit to God, who then perfects our righteousness through the nature (body and blood) of Jesus Christ. And Jesus answering said unto him, suffer it to be so now: for thus it becomes us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him. Matthew. 3: 15
  4. Of all the four elements of life (earth, water, air and fire), it is only water that can penetrate into every part of the body (both outside and inside), also without destroying the body. Therefore, it represents the word of God which is able to reach the bones and marrows.

    For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged 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. Hebrew 4:12

  5. For a thing to belong to a person, that thing has to be marked out or be separated from other things. It is water that is able to completely go round the entire body, and thereby define the body.
  6. Water is colorless, tasteless and odorless. In order words, water acts as a true messenger. It neither adds to nor subtracts from the message if delivers. By its neutrally, it does not add to or interfere with the nature of God that is possible through the Holy Spirit.
  7. Just as water is used in washing away dirt, so the water of baptism being the word of God, watches away sin. Thereby, making us new creatures in God. You will notice that areas of which there is no complete demarcation are prone to troubles and despite. There must be complete separation. Every person must belong to God or Satan. There shall be no sitting in the fence.
Baptism Of The Holy Spirit
         A human being has body, spirit and soul. The soul is the seat of consciousness. It can be in a good spirit or evil spirit, and the spirit remains in the body, whether the body is good or bad (sick or handicapped). When God first created man, the spirit of man was from God. It was a bright nature, pure and glorious. Because of sin, man lust the glorious nature, and became joined with the evil spirits. That is why crimes and vices of various descriptions abound in the society. For a man to be born again means to be born anew. Being born-again means removing the contaminated spirit of man, as well as the evil spirit that contaminates it, and giving the person a completely new spirit of God.
         In the conversation between Jesus and Nichodemus, Jesus said,

Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? John 3: 5-8.

Significance Of Baptism Of Holy Spirit
  1. When the water in a vessel becomes contaminated, you must pour it out and fill the basin with new water that is not contaminated. And 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. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better. John.5:36-39
  2. Just as water can contain the things that contaminate it, so can spirit contain evil spirits that contaminate it, for spirit can join or mix with another spirit.
  3. The former spirit given to man by God is no longer pure and complete. It is no longer perfect. It has to be removed and replaced with a new and perfect spirit.
  4. Jesus said,

    The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. John 3:8

    This passage means that a solid foundation must be made for a person’s character, the foundation must be the righteousness of God. Otherwise, the person’s character will not be reliable because you will not know what he does. When the sure foundation has been laid, then you can predict the person’s character, whether he is present or absent.

Meaning And Significance Of Baptism Of Fire
         The baptism of fire is passing objects through fire in order to remove anything evil in them. The evil things include evil spirits, demons, ghosts and black energies. They do not, and cannot, withstand the fire of the Holy Spirit.

"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." John 3:11,12

The baptism of fire purifies a soul by burning away everything evil. Fire is the highest purifier. God explained it in “21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to the battle, "This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded Moses: 22 "Only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, 23 everything that can endure fire, you shall put through the fire, and it shall be clean; and it shall be purified with the water of purification. But all that cannot endure fire you shall put through water. 24 And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and be clean, and afterward you may come into the camp.” Numbers 31:21-23 the fire, by its heat, is able to permeate an object, and disable and flush out anything evil inside it.

Meaning And Significance Of Baptism Of Blood
         When children return from evening plays, their parents give them bath and change their dresses. So it is with God. When it is time to welcome His children home from their earthly sojourn, He baths them with water, Holy Spirit and blood. The blood restores and consolidates the nature of God in them. Mores so, as after sin is death. But after blood is everlasting life.
The baptism of blood restores the nature of God in them and endows them with divine victory wherever they go thenceforth.