The single most important thing a new believer must do is to be water baptized into Jesus Christ.Romans 8:1
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are IN Christ Jesus.I know of many Christians who believe in Jesus and still struggle with condemnation.
You believe in Jesus..... are you IN Christ Jesus, according to the scriptures?
How do we get IN Christ Jesus?
Galatians 3:27
for all of you who were baptized INTO Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.To be IN Christ Jesus we must be baptized into Him. It is an act of FAITH with awesome spiritual results.
1 Peter 3:20-22
20who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,Peter declares water baptism to be symbolized by one of the most significant physical events to ever occur. This entire earth was flooded and everyone who did not get INTO the ark perished, yet those who got into the ark were resurrected through that same water. Why would God use one of the most significant events, ever to occur, to describe baptism if baptism wasn't the most significant life changing event to occur in your life.
God did not stop there. He also performed another enourmous, supernatural event that also symbolizes water baptism into Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 10:1-2
1For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.Paul declares that the parting of the red sea symbolized water baptism into Christ Jesus.
The two greatest physical events of the old covenant were done just to describe the, new covenant, water baptism, into Christ Jesus.
I am persuaded that God puts a great deal of emphasis on water baptism INTO Jesus. If Noah hadn't got into the ark the water wouldn't have saved him. If the Isrealites hadn't passed through the red sea they would have remained slaves and perished in that slavery.
Are you standing on the Egyption shore, trying to free yourself from the slavery of sin? By faith in the power of God you too can pass through the water and be resurrected on the other side. Your slavery will perish in the water, as the egyptians did. And you will be in a place where you can see the promised land.
Romans 6:3-10
3Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. 8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.There is only one right water baptism. By faith into Jesus Christ..... and you only need to do it once. There are other baptism's. Many are man made versions that achieve nothing more than a bath.
Mikvah is the hebrew word we translate baptism. In the old covenant when anyone did something that caused them to become unclean, they had to take a Mikvah. Complete immersion in water and upon exiting that water they were declared clean. A complete change of state. When priests became of age and were to serve as priests they too would take a Mikvah. It was an excepted reality for the people of God to know that a mikvah changed you. That is why they didn't need to explain what a baptism was to the early church.
Unfortunatly true baptism into Jesus Christ has been neglected on our Journey through time. God predicted this would happen with the story of Joshua. His hebrew name was Yahshua which is the same name as our Lord.
Joshua 5:1-9
1 Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the LORD had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until we had crossed over, their hearts melted and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites. 2 At that time the LORD said to Joshua, "Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again." 3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth. 4 Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of military age—died in the desert on the way after leaving Egypt. 5 All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the desert during the journey from Egypt had not. 6 The Israelites had moved about in the desert forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the LORD. For the LORD had sworn to them that they would not see the land that he had solemnly promised their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way. 8 And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed. 9 Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." So the place has been called Gilgal to this day.Once again God did the miraculous and parted the waters of the Jordan this time for all the ones who had been born in the wilderness and had not passed through the red sea. Note He tells Joshua to circumcise them again. Circumcision was also a discriptive physical act to describe water Baptism into Jesus Christ. They would cut off there flesh and it would die but they would live seperated unto God because they were circumcised. The parting of the Jordan and the circumcision had to be accomplished before they could enter the earthly promised land. So must water baptism be done before we can follow our Yahshua into the heavenly promised land.
Ironically all who followed Moses and were baptized into him perished, and were not allowed into the promised land. But all who followed Joshua and were baptized into him were led into the earthly promised land, which was a type and shadow of our heavenly inheritance IN Christ Jesus.
Romans 2:28-29
28A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God.How and When does the Spirit circumcise our flesh?
Colossians 2:10-12
10and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 11In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.Once again the answer is water baptism into Jesus Christ.
Many christians are nearsighted and can only understand what can be seen with their eyes. Yes baptism into Jesus Christ will also change this.
John 3:3-5
3In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. 4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" 5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.Baptism into Jesus Christ also gives us the ability to see the unseen things God is preparing for our inheritance.
Colossians 3:1-3
1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.The only way we can be raised with Christ Jesus is if we die and are raised with Him by faith through water baptism into His name. By proxy we are partakers of His death burial and resurection following Him into the Heavens through water baptism in His Name.
Ephesians 2:6
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,Once again for this to be true we must be baptized into Him.
Even our first birth was not without water. When a womans water breaks a child is delivered. Water baptism also delivers us into the next life. IN Christ Jesus we become a child of God.
Mark 16:16
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.Jesus gave this command to His Church before His departure and the book of acts records the actions of the early Church.
Acts 2:38
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.Acts 10:47-48
Then Peter said, 47"Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have." 48So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.Acts 16:32-34
32Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized.The early church knew the importance of baptism into Jesus Christ and demonstrated that by their actions and their teaching.
Acts 18:24-26
24Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.Acts 19:2-6
2and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." 3So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?" "John's baptism," they replied. 4Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus." 5On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 6When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.Acts 8:35-37
35Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. 36As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?"The book of acts should be a roadmap to guide the current church. The early church emphasized the importance of proper and immediate baptism into Jesus Christ. They knew that anything less was not a complete deliverance into the kingdom of God.
How can our baptism INTO Jesus Christ be any less spectacular then the, old covenant, historical, supernatural events God performed to demonstrate our new covenant baptism.
Hebrews 7:22
Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.Acts 22:16
And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.'Acts 19:5
On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.Praise Jesus!!!