(identification: placing a person or thing into a new environment or into union with someone or something else so as to alter its condition or relationship to its previous environment).
1. Real baptisms (actual identification; a person identified with something real; dry).
a. Moses — 1 Cor. 10:2 (double identification).
(1)
Children
of Israel identified with Moses as they went through Red Sea.
(2) Identified with cloud (Christ) and with sea, but went through dry.
b. Fire — Matt. 3:11; 13:25ff.; I>uke3:16b(unbeliever identified with judgment; end of Tribulation; Second Advent).
c. Cross (cup) — Matt 20:22; Luke 12:50 (double identification).
(1)
Christ
identifies Himself with cross and with our sins.
(2) All the sins of the world put inone "cup" and poured out on Christ; Father judged our sins as they were on Him.
d. Holy Spirit - Acts 1:5; Rom. 6:3,4; 1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:26-28; Eph. 4: 5; Col. 2:12 (union with Christ; position).
(1)
Mechanics:
Holy Spirit takes believer at the moment of salvation
and
puts him into Christ.
(2)
Did
not occur in Old Testament times or in any previous
dispensa
tion
(Col. 1:25,26).
(3)
Was
first prophesied by Christ during His earthly ministry (John
14:20).
(4)
Unification
of believers is achieved by baptism of Spirit (water bap
tism
divides); (Eph. 4:5; Heb. 2:11).
(5)
Began
me Church Age (Acts 1:5; 2:3; 11:15-17).
(6)
Basis
of current positional truth (Eph. 1:3-6).
(7)
Not
an experience of any kind (Aorist tense excludes experience
—
once
and for all).
2. Ritual (Literal water which represents something else).
a. Baptism of Jesus— Matt. 3:13-17 (unique).
(1)
Water
represented Father's will or plan, Phase I.
(2)
Christ
identified Himself with Father's will in going to the cross.
b. John— Matt. 3:1-11; John 1:25-33; Acts 19:2-4.
(1)
Water
represented the Kingdom.
(2)
Identification
with Jesus and His Kingdom.
c. Believers' (Christian) baptism - Acts 2:41; 9:18; 10:47, 48 (Double identification).
(1)
Water
represents body of Christ.
(2)
Identification
with Christ in His death (retroactive positional truth);
picture of rejection of human good.
(3)
Identification with air (coming out of water
— current positional
truth); picture of union with Christ in resurrection life; walking
in
newness
of life; divine good.
(4)
This
act represents union with Christ and is a testimony to
person
al
faith in Him.
(5) Two ordinances for the Church:
(1) Water baptism: once; represents salvation;
(2) Communion: repeated; represents
fellowship.
This Web Page Created with PageBreeze Free HTML Editor