Spirit baptism places us into the “one body,” which is the Church. It is then symbolized by water baptism. After his conversion on the Damascus Road, Saul (Paul) heard these words from God: “Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name” (Acts 22:16). Much later Paul himself wrote, “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:5–6). When we demonstrate our faith and obedience in water baptism (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38), we are affirming a two-fold identification. First, we testify to our identification with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:1–11; Galatians 3:27). Secondly, we are identifying with some local expression of His one body, the Church. Even though Paul was personally converted by Christ on the Damascus Road, he still needed to be involved in a local body of believers, so Barnabas “brought him to Antioch” and he became involved with the church there (Acts 11:22–26). Tragically, rather than emphasizing the true meaning of water baptism, we Christians through the ages have largely been divided over baptism. There is indeed only one baptism, and if the act of baptism is not symbolizing one’s faith in Christ Jesus as Lord—regardless of the mode—it is little more than empty tradition, meaningless liturgy, or pagan superstition. So, as the writer to the Hebrews said, “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:22).
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