BAPTISM INTO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
Paul
Wong
What did
Paul mean when he wrote “One Baptism” in his letter to the church in
Ephesus? (Eph. 4:5) Did he imply
baptism of water or baptism of the Holy Spirit? In order to find out what Paul
meant by “One
Baptism” we must know the background of his relationship with the
church in Ephesus. They were dear to the heart of Paul
(Acts 20:17-21,36-38). He first met
them in Ephesus. They knew only John’s
baptism of repentance from sin, but did not know the Baptism into the Lord
Jesus Christ that became effective after His death and resurrection (Acts.
19:1-4; Heb. 9:15-18; Rom. 6:3-8).
These Ephesian Christians were similar to Apollos who “had been
instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and
taught accurately the things of the
Lord, though he knew only the baptism of
John.” (Acts 18:24-26) Many people came to be baptized by John “confessing their
sins” (Mt. 3:5-6, 11). Today
we can find many good Christians who have similar conditions as Apollos and the
Ephesian Christians. Although they have
accepted Jesus as their Messiah and have even been baptized before, yet they
have little or no knowledge of the Holy Spirit. The critical point is their lack of understanding in the relationship
between the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and water
baptism (Rom. 6:3-8; Col. 2:12). After
Paul explained the water baptism’s relevancy to their belief in the Lord Jesus
Christ he rebaptized them. It is
through Paul’s recognition of the Christian’s correct faith, attitude and mode
of baptism into Lord Jesus Christ that he considered the necessity for
rebaptism. This is the “One Baptism” that we are going to study.
A good illustration of the “One
Baptism” that has all the basic requirements is found in the miracle of
the healing of Naaman (2 Kn. 5:1-14).
Leprosy that was considered one of the most feared diseases symbolizes
sin in man. The prophet Elisha’s instruction to Naaman to “go and wash in the Jordan seven times”
signifies the “One Baptism” that cleanses
man from sin. “So
he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of
the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a child, and he
was clean.” (2 Kn. 5:14) There are seven important truths
in the Baptism
into the Lord Jesus Christ.
1.
Believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ
In His Great Commission the Lord Jesus Christ said: “He who believes
and in baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mk.
16:16)
On the Day of Pentecost Peter urged the people to “be saved”,
and they “gladly
received his word were baptized, and that
day about three thousand souls were added to them.” (Acts 2:40-41) The eunuch
asked Philip “What
hinders me from being baptized? Then
Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ And he answered and
said, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’ So he commanded the chariot to stand
still. And both Philip and the eunuch
went down into the water, and he baptized him.” (Acts. 8:35-38)
For a more detailed study on Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ 
2. Baptism in the Name of
the Lord Jesus
Christ
In His Great Commission our Lord Jesus Christ commanded His disciples to baptize in
the “Name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Mt. 28:19) The Early Church baptized in the name of the“Lord Jesus Christ”
(Acts 2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5). There are very good reasons why baptism is administered in the Savior's name.
Name of the Father The word “Father” is not a name. What is the Father’s name?
“And God
said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the
children of Israel, ‘I AM’ has sent me to you.’” (Ex. 3:13-14). The Name of the Father is “I AM WHO I AM”
“YAHWEH” in Hebrew. When our Lord commanded them to baptize “in the name of the
Father” the disciples understood that He meant “YAHWEH”.
Due to the Jews' reverence for God's sacred name they call Him “Adonay” which is translated as
Name of the Son
The word “Son” is not a name either.
The divinely given name of the Son
of God is “YAHSHUA” the Hebrew Name for “JESUS.” The Name “YAHSHUA”
consists of two words. “YAH” is the shortened name for “YAHWEH”, and “Oshua”
means Savior. “YAHSHUA”
is God’s name for redemption that “saves His people from their sins.” (Mt. 1:21; Acts 4:10-12;
10:43; 2:38; 22:16).
Just before our
Lord gave the Great Commission He proclaimed His supreme powers as King of the
heaven and the earth. He said: “All authority has
been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” (Mt. 28:18) The authority is in His name “YAHSHUA”. It is so powerful that prayers are answered
when invoked in this name (Jn. 14:13-14). Miracles, signs and wonders are
performed through the name of Jesus (Acts 2:22; 3:6-9; 4:30; 9:34). Even demons are subjected to the name (Lk.
10:17; Mk. 9:38; 16:17; Acts 16:18).
The most important aspect of the name of YAHSHUA (JESUS) is this: “. . . . Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is
no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts
4:12) “To
Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him
will receive remission of sins.” (Acts 10:43). How can we receive remission of sins through
the name of YAHSHUA (JESUS)? “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38) This is very clear. The person who repents and is baptized in
the name of Jesus Christ will have the remission of sins. The Samaritan
Christians were “baptized
in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 8:16)
Name of the Holy Spirit The Lord Jesus Christ declared: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the
Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to
your remembrance all things that I said to you.” (Jn. 14:26) The word “Christ”
is derived from the Greek “Christos” that means “the
Anointed One”. It is
translated from the Hebrew word “Messiah” with the meaning “Anointed of YAH”. Originally the word “Christ”
is a title (Lk. 24:46; Mt. 16:16). Later on this title “Christ” became the personal name of the Savior.
So now we know the baptismal formula “in the name of the Father, Son and Holy
Sprit” means “in the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ”. This is
the full and complete name of the Savior.
In the Hebrew language we baptize in the Name of “YAHWEH, YAHSHUA ha MASIACH” . Apostolic Messianic Jews baptize in the name
of “Adonay Y’shua ha Masiach”.
The name "Lord Jesus Christ" has now been transliterated into hundreds of languages of the world.
to visit this "Transliterated Names" web site: for a more detailed study on Baptism in the name of the "Father, Son and Holy Spirit"
3. Baptism
in the Blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ
“For
the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the
altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes
atonement for the soul.” (Lev. 17:11) Christians are washed and redeemed by the
precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:5; Eph. 1:7; 1 Pet.
1:18-19). How does the blood which was
shed nearly two thousand years ago do that in our time? To understand this truth we must go back to
Calvary where our Lord was crucified.
“But
one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and
water came out.” (Jn. 19:34)
This is an act of God and the fulfillment of a prophecy.
The blood and water that came out from the Lord’s side is
the “fountain
for sin and uncleanness” (Zec. 13:1).
“This
is He who came by water and blood - Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by
water and blood. And it is the Spirit
who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the
Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on the earth: the Spirit,
the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.” (1 Jn. 5:6-8)
Through the witness of the Spirit of truth, the blood of
Jesus Christ is also present with the water when the Christian is baptized into
Him. Will you be washed of your sins in
the precious blood of Jesus Christ?
For a more detailed study on Baptism in the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ
4. Burial with the
Lord Jesus Christ
The apostle Paul wrote, "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized 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" (Rom. 6:3-4). "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" (Col. 2:12). Since water baptism is to be a burial with the Lord Jesus Christ the mode is complete immersion. The person who is baptized must believe that he or she is buried with the Lord Jesus Christ.
For a more detailed study on Burial with the Lord Jesus Christ
5. Baptism in the likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ’s Death
"So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, 'It is finished!' And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit" (Jn. 19-.30).
Those
words "It is finished" means
the work of redemption for mankind was accomplished at that moment. Jesus Christ died for our sins and opened a
way for us to identify ourselves with His death. We do that by receiving baptism into His death.
" Or
do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized 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." (Rom. 6:3-4)
The
Christian is identified with the death of Jesus Christ, being “buried with Him through baptism into death.”
"For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection." (Rom. 6:5)
When the
Christian is baptized he or she is united with Jesus Christ and buried together
with Him. The Old King James Bible
reads “planted
together in the likeness of His death". In other words, the person is buried in the water in the same
mode that Jesus died. How did He
die? The Bible states clearly "And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit"
(Jn.19:30). Bowing of the
head is the baptismal mode which most resemble the death of Jesus Christ on the
cross.
" Knowing
this, that our old man was crucified with Him, (baptized into Christ) that the
body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
For he who has died has been freed from sin.
Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with
Him." (Rom.6:6-8)
Baptism
into the LORD JESUS CHRIST enables the person to be freed from sin therefore
the mode should reflect the attitude.
There must be repentance before baptism (Acts 2-38). The person receiving baptism must have
confession of sins, therefore as a sinner he or she cannot lift the head or
look up (Mk. 1:4-5; Ezra 9:6; Psm. 40-12; Lk. 18-.13). Bowing of the head shows
the repentant attitude of the baptized person.
For a more detailed study on Baptism in the Likeness of Jesus Christ’s Death
6. Baptism by Spirit-filled Baptists sent by the Lord Jesus Christ
Although
water baptism is physically performed by baptists but it is the Holy Spirit who
is actually baptizing believers.
"For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one
body" (I Cor.12:13).
"Then Jesus said to them
again, 'Peace to you! As the Father has
sent Me, I also send you.' When He said this, He breathed on them, and said to
them, Receive the Holy Spirit. If you
forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any,
they are retained." (Jn.20:21-23)
The authority and power of forgiving and retaining sins is given through the Holy Spirit by the Lord Jesus Christ to His disciples who had exercised this power during baptism (Acts 2:38). Baptism can only be administered by Spirit-filled baptists who are sent by the Lord Jesus Christ to baptize for the remission of sins.
For a more detailed study on Baptism by Baptists sent by Jesus Christ 
7. Baptism in Living Water created by God
The Lord Jesus Christ is God Who manifested Himself in the flesh (I
Tim.3:16). He was not baptized for the remission of sins but did so because He
wanted to "fulfill all righteousness"
and also to set an example for us (Mt.3:15; Jn.13-15- I Pet.2:21). He could
have been baptized in one of the pools in Jerusalem but He preferred the
river. There must be a reason for it. He spoke about "rivers
of living water" (Jn.7:38). God promised, "Behold, I will extend peace to her (True Believers)
like a river, And the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream"
(Isa.66-.12).
Although the river would be the ideal baptismal site but it is not
always possible to have it. John the
Baptist would normally baptize people in the River Jordan but he also did it
'in "Aenon
near Salim, because there was much water there" (Jn.3:23). Aenon is an Aramaic word meaning
"springs". The Bible mentions
baptism and remission of sins in the sea (I Cor.10:1-2; Mic.7:19). "Your way was in the sea, Your path in the great
waters . . ." (Psm.77:19). God wants His people to be baptized
into the LORD JESUS CHRIST, the “Fountain of living
waters” and in natural places which are His own creation (Jer.2:13).
For a more detailed study on Baptism in Living Water created by God
8. Receive Baptism into the Lord Jesus Christ
If you are not a Christian yet and desire to become one, you need to follow the command of the Lord Jesus Christ and be baptized into Him as soon as possible. Why? Because you need to have your sins washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ. If you are already a Christian but feel that your previous baptism is incorrect then you need to reconsider Baptism into the Lord Jesus Christ. The disciples at Ephesus knew only the baptism of repentance but after learning about the Baptism into Christ they were rebaptized (Acts 19:3-5). Does your previous baptism conform to the seven important points in Baptism into the Lord Jesus Christ? If you are unsure of your baptism, do pray and ask the Lord to guide you. The Bible describes true believers as those "who follow the Lamb wherever He goes" (Rev. 14:4). You should follow Him and be baptized into the LORD JESUS CHRIST.
For a more detailed study on Receiving baptism into the Lord Jesus Christ
May God bless you.
