 |
| III. Baptism What is Baptism? What is Water? And how does it relate to being "born again"? JOHN Chapter 4. 1: When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, 2: (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) 3: He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. 4: And he must needs go through Samaria. 5: Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6: Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. 7: There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. 8: (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) 9: Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. 10: Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. 11: The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? 12: Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? 13: Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. 15: The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus is with a Samaritan woman by a well, but Jesus is not talking about the water in the well, or about drinking that "literal" water is He? Verse 2 is very interesting to me, Jesus never baptized anybody....at least not in the literal sense. Peter had to deal with this issue as well. Acts Chapter 10 44: While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. 45: 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. 46: For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, 47: Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? 48: And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days. Which is more important? The physical water or the receiving of the Holy Ghost? The Gentiles were baptized in the Name of the Lord, it doesn't say they were baptized with water. So water is a physical symbol of a spiritual reality. The water that Christ gives us is not H20. Being baptized is not about being immersed or annointed with H20. It is about recieving the Holy Spirit and about accepting Jesus Christ. Being born again with water and the Sprit, is not about going back into your mother's womb, so it's also not about physical water. Acts Chapter 11 15: And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. 16: 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. The next page is "JESUS:God and Son of God" |
|