J esus said we must be born again , or born of water and of the Spirit, to enter the kingdom of God. Did he mean be baptised with water and with the Spirit? Perhaps the best way to answer this question is to begin by simply comparing the passage where Jesus spoke of being born of water and the Spirit with the passages which speak of being baptised with water and the Spirit:.
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. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: I indeed have baptized you with water: John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: And I knew him not: And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.
And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days. And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.
Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
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And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. Do we really believe that the need to be born of water and of the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God bears no straightforward relation to the water and Spirit in these passages? As we would expect it to be. In the first verses of the Bible we find that the body of the earth itself, out of which Adam was formed, was in darkness and without form and empty—like man in his unsaved state.
Here is a great baptism of the dead earth, a world into which the Spirit and the Word of God bring light and life—a mighty pattern set out in the first three verses of the Bible. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature [creation]: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water , perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth , wherein dwelleth righteousness. Christ enters the world with fire and establishes his kingdom, burning up the sin and bringing righteousness and peace, paralleling his entrance into the individual with the Holy Spirit and fire.
And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea ; 1 Corinthians One further example will be enough: And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters , and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.
And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire , and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. In this story, Elijah and Elisha walked through the river Jordan on dry ground just as Israel had walked through the Red Sea. If Paul calls the latter a figurative baptism in water, so is the former, and when we consider that it was this same Jordan river in which John the Baptist baptised Jesus and many others the connection is clear.
But it was the fire and the wind from heaven which parted Elijah from Elisha and carried him into heaven to a new beginning. The first point is that each Christian has at least one spiritual gift 1 Cor Gifts are not given primarily for the benefit of the gift holder but rather as a ministry for others. Spiritual gifts are not to be self-focused but rather others focused.
Fourthly, not all people have the same gift. Lastly, gifts are to be exercised in love. As Paul states, exercising gifts without love is like an annoyance of banging gongs or symbols 1 Cor Most evangelical Christians are at least somewhat aware that there are questions and points of difference and disagreement regarding spiritual gifts.
- Being born, or begotten, of the Spirit;
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For example, is God giving all gifts today, such as the gift of apostleship, prophecy, tongues, or healing? The gifts of apostleship and prophecy are foundational to the church and on which the church is built. One criteria of apostle in the early church is that the person saw the resurrected Jesus Acts 1: Unless Christ made a special appearance as he did to Paul on the road to Damascus this criteria would not be replicable today.
Born again — of water and of the Spirit • Revival Fellowship New Zealand
There is no explicitly clear statement that some gifts have ceased but one must also compare the claim of possessing a certain gift with Scripture. What is the nature of the gift in the Bible? What is its purpose? How did or does it function? Lastly, for most evangelicals even if one does not hold to all the gifts functioning today this does not rule out God doing miracles directly such as healing in response to prayer James 5: What is the role of the Holy Spirit following conversion?
While the baptism of the Holy Spirit occurs once at conversion, the filling of the Spirit can happen multiple times after conversion and also is commanded. Here the filling of the Spirit is given as a command to be followed. In this analogy the Spirit is compared negatively to wine. Closely related to being filled with the Spirit is being empowered with the Holy Spirit. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that enables Christians to live lives obedient to God. Lastly, not only does the Holy Spirit fill and empower but he also leads or guides the believer in Jesus Christ.
Baptism Of The Holy Spirit
A final area of discussion is that of some instances where the Holy Spirit is referred to in the Bible with a symbol. Four prominent symbols that refer to the Holy Spirit are the dove, fire, wind and water. When looking at a symbol, one must be careful to make sure the context is identifying the symbol with the referent you are considering in this case the Holy Spirit.
For example, even though the Holy Spirit is identified with a dove in Matt 3: Probably the most recognizable symbol of the Holy Spirit is the dove that appeared at the baptism of Jesus. It is recorded in all four gospels Matt 3: The dove as a symbol of the Holy Spirit communicates beauty, gentleness, and peace. The dove also comes from above, perhaps suggesting coming from heaven.
Another symbol of the Holy Spirit is fire. The most explicit passage that refers to the Holy Spirit as fire is in Acts 2. Disobedience to the Spirit is like throwing water on a fire. The Greek word for Spirit pneuma can also be translated as breath or wind. Perhaps then it is not surprising that the Holy Spirit is seen and compared to as wind.
Two verses in the New Testament communicate this.
So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. Lastly, water is also an image of the Holy Spirit. Jesus makes this explicit connection on one of the feast days of Israel. As physical fresh water is needed for physical life, the living water of the Holy Spirit is needed for spiritual life. In conclusion, Christians should not be afraid of the Holy Spirit but rather look to the Spirit for guidance and spiritual strength.
The Holy Spirit is alive and active today in the lives of both believers and unbelievers. He is to be respected, followed and cherished. Zondervan, , Not all are apostles , are they?
Most Relevant Verses
Then Peter answered, While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.
For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,. And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness. Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.
With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;.
Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, read more. What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be!
How shall we who died to sin still live in it?
Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.