LESSON 8

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Doctrine of Baptisms

 

Heb. 6:1-2 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,  Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

 

There are actually five clearly stated baptisms in the New Testament.

 

The 5 baptisms are as follows:

 

          1) Water Baptism

          2) Holy Spirit Baptism

          3) Fire Baptism

          4) Baptism into His death

          5) Baptism into His sufferings

 

WATER BAPTISM

 

Matt. 3:4-6  And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.  Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,  And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

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This is the first place in scripture where baptism is mentioned.  The law of first mention applies.

 

The root word for Baptized means to be immersed in liquid.  It speaks of a ceremonial washing or cleansing.

 

John baptized them in the Jordan.  The Jordan was a filthy river.  The word Jordan means: To bring low or descend.

 

It speaks of humility.  They had to come to the Jordan and humble themselves.  They had to humble themselves two ways.

 

First they had to publicly allow themselves to be immersed in filthy water.

 

Second they had to spiritually humble themselves before all who were there because they were coming for the remission of their sins.

 

They humbled themselves and they were confessing their sins publicly.

 

Every ounce of their own life, past, and reputation, had to be laid down at the waters of baptism.

 

WATER BAPTISM IS NOT JUST A SYMBOLIC ACT.  IT IS THE PUBLIC DECLARATION THAT EVERYTHING THAT I AM, I‘M DYING TO, AND WHEN I COME UP IT IS NO LONGER I WHO LIVE BUT CHRIST LIVING IN ME.

Mat. 3:6  and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

 

In keeping with the Law of First Mention, we see from this verse that  water baptism has been joined together with the confession of sins.

 

Psa. 32:5  I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

 

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GOD REQUIRES CONFESSION!

 

The only reason a person will not confess their sin is they are too full of  pride to admit they are wrong.

 

Confession requires that you take full responsibility for all your actions, your sins.

 

Charles Finney, one of America's great revivalists, used to teach people to make a list of all their sins and write them down.  Then carry that paper around with them for days and as God reminds them of other specific sins to write it down and then one by one confess them.

 

Prov. 28:13  He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh [them] shall have mercy.

 

The purpose of water baptism is to humble ourselves, to reject our old life, confessing our sins.

 

1Pet. 5:5b-6  For God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.

 

Ezek. 36:25 Then I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean;  all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you.

 

1 John 1:9  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

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Without confession there is no forgiveness and there is no cleansing. 

 

Confession is verbally accepting responsibility for your actions.

 

SPIRIT BAPTISM

 

Acts 1:5,8   For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. 

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

 

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The baptism of the Holy Spirit is for a purpose.  Acts 1:8 says that you shall receive POWER to be WITNESSES.

 

The word POWER means supernatural ability.

 

In our modern Pentecostal and Charismatic churches today most equate the baptism of the Holy Spirit with tongues.  At this point I am not going to deal with tongues, however they are vitally important.

 

I have met many tongue talkers who don’t show any evidence as to the power of the Spirit’s baptism.

 

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is about having the power to be a witness.  However this means more than first meets the eye.

 

The word witness comes from the Greek word Martus which literally means to be a martyr;  one who dies for a cause.

 

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is for the purpose of giving you the power to become a martyr, the power to die.

 

Water baptism requires you to choose to lay down your life for Christ and die to self.  The Holy Spirit Baptism gives you the power to die to self.

 

Now comes the third baptism.....

 

FIRE BAPTISM

 

The fire speaks of judgment and purification.  This baptism burns out all the junk in your life that you confessed at the waters of baptism and laid down by the power you received at the Holy Spirit baptism.

 

Gen. 19:24  Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven.

 

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The law of first mention applies here.  It is the first place where the word FIRE appears.

 

When fire first came, it was for the purpose of judgment and for purification.  God brought judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah and purified the land with FIRE.

 

The baptism of fire is where God will burn out all the ungodly aspects of our lives and purify that which is of Christ. 

BAPTISM INTO HIS DEATH

 

Rom. 6:3-4  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  

 

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We are baptized into His death for the purpose of resurrection.

 

The baptism of water symbolized our covenant with God and shows that we are dying to ourselves to live for Christ.  The Holy Spirit baptism gives us the power to die to self, to keep the covenant.  The baptism of Fire purges us of all the ungodly junk in our lives.  Then the baptism into His death brings us to the point of resurrection so we can walk in newness of life.

 

 

BAPTISM OF SUFFERING

 

The fifth baptism is the baptism of suffering. 

 

Mark 10:36-39   And He said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you?  They said unto Him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.  But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?  And they said unto Him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized.

 

Most of us have believed that this scripture speaks of receiving  the baptism of the Holy Spirit but this is not true.

 

Luke 12:50  But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am straitened till it be accomplished.

 

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He is speaking here of His death on the cross.  He is speaking of the price of His calling.

 

The baptism into Christ's suffering is the baptism into paying the price of your calling.

 

Let’s review the five kinds of baptisms.

 

1) WATER - Decision to die to self

2) SPIRIT - Power to die to self

3) FIRE - Purifies the junk out

4) DEATH - Brings you to the point

    of resurrection

5) SUFFERING - Gives you the                                                                            

    power to pay the price of your

    calling.  

 

In Review:

1.  List the five baptisms mentioned in the Bible and give their scripture reference?  _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2.  What does the root word for baptism mean?  _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3.  What does confession require?  ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4.  What is the purpose of being baptized in the Holy Spirit?  ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5.  Explain these baptisms...

Fire Baptism- _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Baptism Unto His Death-  _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Baptism of Suffering-  _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________