Born of Water and the Spirit.

“Arise and be baptised and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” Acts 22:16 

Righteousness is the imputation of Christ’s own righteous nature. Which God freely gives to us, not because we knew to confess our sins but because we have believed in His Son. Because to Him the sins of the world were atoned for on the cross, there is nothing which the blood of Christ has not paid for. “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself not imputing their sins to them.” 2 Corinthians 5:19 Therefore God looks down from haven and looks into the world marked by His blood and freely gives His righteousness to all who look to Him through Christ, giving no regards to who they are or what they have done. And this in turn elicit a response from us, the confession of our mouth by which we are saved.

That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him form the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:9-10

Redemption is the forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus Christ. And the means given us by which we appropriate the redemptive work of Christ in our lives is through water baptism. That is to wash away our sins and to break the power of sin from our lives that we may no longer be it’s slaves.

Repent, and let everyone of you be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Acts 2:38

Then the starting point is believing on the Lord Jesus for Righteousness, calling on Him for salvation and baptised in Him for the death of the flesh by which the power of sin is broken from our lives. That is the purification of heart and body. 

And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is life [alive] because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Romans 8:11 

Paul speaks of saying how one might have the Spirit of Christ yet be in a body dead in sin. Then he associates the raising of Jesus from the dead, to the similar event in the believer’s body [which was dead in sin] to be given life by the same Spirit who raised Christ, and this is done through water baptism: 

• As many are baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into His death. Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:3-4 
• In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the the body [of sins] of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. Colossians 2:11-12 

What is put to death? Paul teaches saying, that our old body was a habitation for sin therefore we found ourselves constantly doing things we regret and are ashamed of, “now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.” that we were slaves. Though we may set our mind to object we always find ourselves submitting to the incitement of the flesh. “But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.” That sin in our body had rendered us powerless and we were helpless passenger to fulfil its lusts. It is from this body of death we are delivered through Jesus Christ. [Romans 7:20,23-25]

Then the death of the old man is what sets us free from being slaves to sin. He who has died has been set free from sin. “knowing our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” Romans 6:6 And water baptism is a means by which we are made able to achieve that. Then a born again person who is not water baptised is a disjointed person; alive in the Spirit yet is still a slave to the body of sin. Therefore, through baptism we enact His redemptive work in us by accepting to be buried with Him, that we might wash away the sins of our ignorance by putting to death the body of sin and be raised to a new life in Christ.

That is we might be born through water. 

Peter also teaches that baptism is a means by which we are saved and compares it to the saving of Noah and his family through water saying;

“There is also an antitype which now saves us – baptism, not the removal of filth of the flesh, but the answer of good conscious towards God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 3:21 

In saying “not the removal of filth of the flesh” then the application baptism is not for a mere act of repentance but total redemption. Noah and his family were saved through the Ark but the water killed the world. By which old things passed away, and all things where made new; by which the sins of the world was washed away.. Then Peter’s association of the flood to baptism is in terms of life and death. Death to the flesh [the body of sin] but saved through Christ. 

“being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.” 1 Peter 3:18

Now, John’s baptism, was for the forgiveness of sins, in preparation of the salvation to be declared by Jesus. However, the baptism into Jesus [is a baptism of redemption] it is a means for a new life [through being raised with Him] free from the power of sin for which John’s does not equip. Therefore in saying good conscience towards God; it is speaking of a conscience that is free from guilt before God and is bold in all righteousness in spirit and body. Our spirit made alive, and our body given life that we are no longer sin obsessed, but are free in our approach of God.   

let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience AND our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:22

We can also see the effect of baptism in the redemption of the children of Israel from the life of slavery. Though they were redeemed from judgment of death by the blood of the lamb, their freedom from slavery was not truly declared until Israel walked through the Red sea and the depth closed over their old slave master who was seeking to bring them back into bondage. And they passed through the water with this promise, “the Egyptian you see you will never see again.” Exodus 14:13 That is sin shall have mastery over you no longer. 

Therefore to walk in the fullness of our redemption requires a response from us. The Lord told Israel apply the blood of the lamb on your door posts and lentil that the destroyer may not come in, however if Israel had failed to apply it their fait will be no different from that of the Egyptians. Likewise whether you wash away your sins in faith is your responsibility. God has given you the means to do just that by which you get rid of the stain of sin and the body that was constantly given over to sin.  

What has that to do with water? It is a means God has placed for us to demonstrate faith. Just as your confession of your mouth is to your salvation Your spirit is born from haven, and you die through water and are raised to a new life. 

What of Cornelius and his household? What makes us candidates to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit is to be born of the Spirit. Which is to have the same righteous nature as Christ. Peter speaking of Cornelius, he said,  “So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. ” Acts 15:8-9

They were born from above and endowed with power from on high. Yet Peter still took steps to fulfil our responsibility and baptised them in water saying, “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptised who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” Acts 10:47 

Immersion vs Sprinkling: Baptism represents death, burial and a new start. And in both Noah and Moses baptism is demonstrated by passing through an exceeding and great amount of water by which death came to one and life to another. And its significance to us is likened to be entombed with Our Lord Jesus Christ. Then we ought not to think a mere sprinkling would suffice, when what we are asked to do is to bury a dead body.

Then is God being petty, since what matters is the intent of our hearts? No, but the point is giving Him what is due. 

In Malachi God spoke to Israel, saying “If then I am a Father where is My honour? If I am a Master where is My reverence?” Malachi 1:6 and reprimanded them for bringing bellow standard animals for a burnt offering, saying “cursed be the deceiver who has in his flock a male, and takes a vow, but sacrifice to the Lord what is blemished – I am a great King.” Malachi 1:14 God does not demand from you what you are unable to do but expects you to fulfil the things which you are able. Jesus also spoke of a rich man saying, “So is a man who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:21 Therefore we who are able ought not to settle for a mere form of tradition for the sake of ease and reduce the significance of baptism to token religious exercise without any meaning and cheat ourselves of a blessing.  

“And a servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes…. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to him much is committed, of him they will ask the more.” Luke 12:47-48

Circumcision of Christ: Israel was set apart from the world through the circumcision of the flesh as a covenant between them and God. And Paul in Colossians likens baptism to the circumcision of Christ; “circumcision made without hands, by putting off the the body [of sins] of the flesh.” that its effect is supernatural. And it is a mark that identifies us as His disciples by which we have fellowship in the assembly of the saints.

Under the old covenant, one who was not circumcised in the flesh was cut off from the assembly of Israel. Nor was anyone uncircumcised permitted to take part in the passover. Then we ought to take into consideration, the value and significance water baptism has in the christian walk.  

Jesus asked saying, “The baptism of John — was it from haven or men?” Luke 20:4 And testified of John saying, “For John came to you in a way of righteousness, and you did not believe him.” Matthew 21:32 [However] we know this is an ordinance that is given to us by our Lord saying, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19 That it is an earthly representation of what is heavenly, as our spirit is renewed from haven our body is also renewed through water.  

“Most assuredly, I say to you unless one is born of water and Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.” John 3:5-6 

Does that mean without baptism we can not enter haven? No, Jesus said “the kingdom of God is in the midst of you,” it is present here and in haven [it is here and its to come]. If your spirit is reborn, it is set to enter haven, but if you fail to be born of water, then prepare yourself to live a life of defeat to sin. That is you are making allowances for sin to persist in your life.  Then if you know this, what is your response ought to be?

“Even the tax collectors justified God having been baptised with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptised by him.” Luke 7:29-30 

Therefore do not reject the will of God for yourselves by rejecting what He has ordained.