EPISODE 25 – DECLARATION OF FAITH – PART 5 - “Faith and Baptism” скачать в хорошем качестве

EPISODE 25 – DECLARATION OF FAITH – PART 5 - “Faith and Baptism”

Does water baptism truly grant salvation? Or have we misunderstood the meaning of being “born again” for centuries? If this question stirs concern or curiosity in you—stay with us. Today we will go deeper than the symbol, deeper than the ritual. We will look into the very center of what the Bible calls being born of the Spirit. In the Christian world, water baptism is understood in many different ways: some see it merely as a symbol, others as a condition of salvation. One thing, however, is common: most people connect it with faith and “entering into a new life.” But the central question arises: Can a person initiate their own salvation? Can the act of pouring water and reciting a formula cause God to give the Holy Ghost? The Bible answers very clearly. 1. Salvation is God’s choice Scripture plainly teaches that it is God who chooses, not man. In Romans we read about Jacob and Esau: “For the children being not yet born… it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger” (Romans 9:11–13). This means: God’s choice existed before the person did anything at all. How then could a human being “force” salvation through a ritual? 2. Examples without water baptism John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Ghost while still in his mother’s womb (Luke 1:15). The thief on the cross heard: “To day shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Neither of them was baptized in water. It was not a sacrament that saved them—but God’s grace. 3. Physical or spiritual? When Scripture calls Jesus the “Son of Man,” it speaks of the Heavenly Man, not merely a man of flesh and blood. Likewise, His baptism was not a ritual for us to mechanically imitate, but a sign revealing a spiritual truth. John testifies: “He that sent me… said unto me… the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost” (John 1:33). It is Jesus who baptizes with the Spirit—not man. 4. Born “of water and of the Spirit” Nicodemus did not understand Jesus’ words about the new birth. He asked: “How can a man be born when he is old?” (John 3:4). Jesus answered: “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). “Water” in biblical language is a symbol of the Spirit and of life (Ezekiel 36:25–27; John 7:38–39). Jesus Himself is the “Water of Life” (John 4:10, 14). This is not physical water—it is the cleansing that God Himself gives when He sends the Holy Ghost. A person has no control over this birth—just as they have no control over their physical birth. 5. Why does a physical interpretation lead to a dead end? If a person tries to “improve” their salvation with rituals, they contradict themselves. For if after baptism they are still a sinner who must repent and seek further cleansing, then the water has changed nothing. Scripture explains that circumcision and baptism are symbols of God’s spiritual work (Romans 2:28–29; Colossians 2:11–12; First Corinthians 10:2; First Peter 3:20–21). True faith and true cleansing appear only when God gives the Holy Ghost. Therefore, when Scripture says: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16), in the spiritual sense it indicates the proper sequence: God gives faith—and God gives baptism, meaning immersion into the Spirit. Water baptism is a symbol. It does not save, does not cause the new birth, and does not impart the Spirit. It is God who saves, God who chooses, and God who gives the Spirit to those whom He chose before the foundation of the world. God casts out the evil spirit (the spirit of Satan, the spirit of death, the unclean spirit) from the soul of the elect, and dwells in that person as the Spirit of God (the Holy—Pure Spirit, the Spirit of Life). The new birth is a passage from death to life—a spiritual resurrection accomplished only by the Holy Ghost.