Water baptism
‘Baptism’ is a word, which comes from a Greek word “ Baptizo” which means to ‘dip’ or to ‘plunge’ or to ‘immerse’.
FROM HISTORY
- Since time immemorial, when men felt dirty on the inside, they usually decided to calm their conscience by washing on the outside e.g Pilate after condemning Jesus before the Jews washed his hands.
- A Gentile who was circumcised was baptized in order to follow the Jewish God, i.e become a Proselyte.
IT MUST BE IN MUCH WATER
Oh! It must be much water, not a flag or soil. John the Baptist, baptized people in much water (John 3:23). The Ethiopian eunuch went into the water and out of the water (Acts 8:38). Baptism means much water immersion.
The Meaning of Baptism
Dear Believer,
After you have believed that Jesus died for your sins, he was buried and rose again the third day, you become justified because you have now believed. You are now righteous before God. Your prayers will now always be answered. And you do not want to offend God again with your sins. So if you try by your strength to live a holy life you will fail and you might have to start the process again. You will come to realize that in you, there is a nature which likes to sin. And all the time it makes you to sin and make you insensitive to God. It makes your prayer a burden so you ask how do I now do it? The whole story of this nature is in Romans chapter 6. The nature is called old man or simply sin. It is a principle of sin and God has made a provision for it to be removed from you.
How is Sin’s Nature Destroyed?
By the Holy Spirit, you will be revealed that Jesus did not just die for you, but you died with Him, then you were buried with Him and then you rose again from the dead with Him. This is called co-death, co-burial and co-resurrection. You identify with Him by faith. Do you perceive such a salvation? Just see Romans 6:5 “…we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, also in likeness of his resurrection”. Why? So that God can destroy the sinful nature, the old man, yes the man who likes to sin is completely destroyed. And as you believed know that, that man has already been eliminated by the resurrected Christ in you. But, unless you show that faith in action you will never experience its power. So, God has only given us one ACTION to do in connection with this and this is to go into much water. Believe that you died with Christ. (Tell the devil and the world goodbye or bad bye, then in the presence of two or three witnesses, go into the water, dipping yourself completely ( that is being buried with Christ) and then as Christ was raised from the dead, you also rise again with him from the dead ( the water). And as you do that, God will supernaturally perform an operation in you and completely remove the old man from you. See Colossians 2:11-13.
“ In whom ( in Christ) also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands. In putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, buried with him in baptism, where in also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he made you alive together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses” Amen and Amen. There are yet more witnesses in Romans 2:29, Eph 2:5-6, Mark 16:16 says “ Whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved’. You can see? It is necessary. The world and flesh will not bother you anymore, after Israelites crossed the red sea (type of baptism). Pharaoh could only follow them, and be destroyed. From there ( baptism) is only to obey God, eat manna ( the word of God and fellowship with the living word , Jesus), live a Holy life and cross the Jordan ( Baptism in the Holy Spirit), so that you can now gain your inheritance in Christ by casting out the devilish kingdom of Stan out of Canaan! Amen.
YOUR FUNERAL
