ENTRANCE  TO  THE KINGDOM  OF  GOD

We have come to understand the Kingdom of God is a spiritual one and there is an entrance to it. Our Lord Jesus Christ declared: "I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." (Jn. 10:9) "These things says He who is holy, He who is true, 'He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens.'" (Rev. 3:7)

Jesus told a Pharisee named Nicodemus, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God." (Jn. 3:5) Our Lord Jesus Christ has given us the true and correct meaning of "born of water and the Spirit" when He was "speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.  And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, which, He said, 'you have heard from Me;  For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." (Acts 1:3-5) "Born of water" refers to  baptism of water and "born of the Spirit" refers to baptism of the Holy Spirit."

Let us see how the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Door of Salvation relates to baptism of water and baptism of the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus died on the cross "one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out." (Jn. 19:34) This miracle of the blood and water combines the two events in the life of Jesus.  The blood points to His crucifixion and the water points to His baptism.  "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." (1 Jn. 5:6) Water baptism is the entrance and Jesus Christ is the Door of salvation. Believers are baptized into the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation in three ways. (Gal. 3:27) 

1.  They have repentance and are baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. (Acts 2:38) 

2.  They are baptized "not only by water, but by water and blood." (1 Jn. 5:6) "and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.  To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever Amen." (Rev. 1:5-6)

3.  "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.  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. 6:4-5) To be united with the Lord Jesus Christ in the likeness of His death means to be immersed in the water with head bowed just like the way He died. (Jn. 19:30)

"And John bore witness, saying, 'I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.  I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God." (Jn. 1:32-34)

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Baptizer with the Holy Spirit.  After His death, burial and resurrection He appeared to His disciples and said, "Peace to you and!  As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.'  And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit." (Jn. 20:21-22) This is not the Baptism with the Holy Spirit but a foretaste of it.  Before His ascension to heaven our Lord told His disciples, "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." (Lk. 24:49)  "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers." (Acts 1:14) "Now when the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.  And . . . they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2:1-4)

To enter the Kingdom of God a Christian must be born of water and the Spirit.  Without exception every believer must be baptized into the Lord Jesus Christ and also be baptized with the Holy Spirit.