There are four distinct baptisms described in the New Testament. They are (1) Christ's Baptism (2) The Baptism of the Holy Spirit (5) The Baptism of the Believer (4) The Baptism of the Lost Man in Fire. The word "Baptize" means "to cover wholly with a fluid, to dip, to envelope, to come under the control of, to overwhelm." May the Lord bless this study to our hearts.

The baptism of Christ is spoken of in Luke 12:50 where Jesus said "But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished." The Lord Jesus had a mission to complete which required His death by crucifixion at a stated time and place. The sins of the whole world were to be laid on Him (Isaiah 53:6) and it would require a separation from God the Father (Matt. 27:46). His death on the cross was a baptism which He would accomplish for us. The Devil sought to keep Him from accomplishing our salvation on that cross, but he was not successful. The victory of Christ for lost sinners is expressed clearly by the Word of God "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree" (I Pet. 2:24) and "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God" (Heb. 10:12) and "Wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25).

The baptism that our Lord Jesus was to be immersed in at the cross was in the mind of God from the foundation of the world and was carried through by the Lord Jesus in fulfillment of the Father's will. From the creation of Adam and his subsequent fall into sin, God was moving toward the cross where reconciliation with God would be made available to sinful man. When Adam sinned God covered his nakedness with coats of skins. We should assume that this required the death of an innocent substitute. God taught them that the only way of forgiveness would be through the death of an innocent one. Abel brought a lamb sacrifice and was accepted. Cain did not, and was rejected because "sin lieth at the door" (Gen. 4:7). There was no sub­stitute dying for his sins and therefore they were being accumulated to his account without forgiveness. Further along God taught Abraham that the lamb would be provided by the Lord himself (Gen. 22:8). Finally, the Lord taught Israel when they left Egypt, that the blood of the lamb had to be applied to them personally, if they wanted God to pass over them (Exodus 12). All of this is summed up in Isaiah 53 where the prophet foretells the coming of one who would pay the price for the sins of all men. He said that the iniquity of all would be laid on this coming one by the Lord, and that he would be brought as a lamb to the slaughter.

When Jesus contemplated His coming death on the cross He knew that the salvation of all those who had brought offerings for sin and who believed that God would take away their sins depended on Him. The salvation of all those from Adam onward hinged upon the words from the cross, "It is finished." Many had died and their spirits were being kept in God's "hold­ing area" called "Abraham's bosom" (Luke 16:22). They were not in heaven, nor could they be, until "this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God" (Heb. 10:12). If Christ had not died for our sins Abel would be lost, Enoch would be lost, Noah would be lost, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Daniel, Isaiah. David, Job, and countless others would be lost. When Satan prompted men at the foot of the cross to say, "if thou be the Christ, the Son of God, come down from the cross" (Matt. 27:40). Jesus knew that to do so would damn all those to Hell who by faith had believed. The Lord Jesus also knew that a people yet unborn would be lost in Hell forever without His atoning sacrifice. You and I would be without hope if Christ had not died for our sins according to the scriptures. Jesus had a baptism to undergo at the cross where He would be immersed in our sins. There was no one else worthy to make that substitutionary sacrifice. Having borne our sin, He has now been raised out from among the dead and is alive again as our Saviour.

  The second baptism mentioned in our study is that act of the Holy Spirit which takes place when a person is saved. Along with the new birth whereby a repentant sinner receives Christ and is given a new nature, and along with the coming of the triune God to indwell the believer, there is a baptism by the Holy Spirit of the believer into the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit takes the believer whose former standing has been "in Adam" where "all die," and places him "in Christ" (I Co. 15:22). The apostle Paul writes, "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body" (I Co. 12:13) and that Christ is the "head of the body, the church" (Col. 1:18). The Spirit of God places the believer into spiritual union with Christ. This act makes his standing before God as perfect as that of the Son of God. This unity makes available to the Christian the resurrection power of the Lord Jesus Christ for the overcoming of the sinful nature. Also, by being placed into Christ's body, which is the Church, he is assured of eternal salvation.

THE BAPTISM OF THE BELIEVER

The Lord Jesus commanded His disciples to go and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). Those who believed were to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19). The Word of God makes it very clear that this act of baptism is symbolic of our complete identifi­cation with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection (Rom. 6:4 and Col. 2:12). This baptism is to be in water and is restricted to believers only, "Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?" (Acts 10:47). Everyone who is saved has a clear command from his Lord to be baptized. This is a public testimony to the world that he is dead to sin and alive unto God (Rom. 6:11). The New Testament teaches that baptism was to immediately follow salvation. It is the believer's first act of obedience after he is saved and it ought to be a welcome delight to one who has been rescued from sin and Hell.

 When John the Baptist spoke of Christ he said, "He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire; whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire" (Matt. 5:11,12). Here the baptism of the believer by the Holy Spirit is mentioned along with the baptism of the lost man in fire. The Word of God tells us that those who do not believe in Jesus Christ as their only hope for salvation will be cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:15). In Matt. 25:41 the Lord Jesus referred to this as "everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels." In Jude 7 it is referred to as the "vengeance of eternal fire." In Rev. 21:8 it is referred to as a lake "which burneth with fire and brimstone." There men are said to be "tormented with fire and brimstone" (Rev. 20:14).

Today, the Lord Jesus Christ is preaching the good news of salvation to lost men. In this He is proving His love toward us and showing us that He is "not willing that any should perish" (II Pet. 3:9). Tomorrow, He will return to pour out His wrath upon those who have refused His love. (Rev. 6:16,17). This baptism is to be greatly feared and can be avoided by calling on the Lord Jesus Christ alone for His free gift of salvation. Why not trust Him today and receive everlasting life?

By Paul L. Freeman, Evangelist

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