Saturday 1 September 2012

TRUE BAPTISM

Baptism simply means dipping, as per the earlier uses of the language.The Genesis of water Baptism is in the levitical law. It was cleansing ceremony performed on the congregation, on the priests and Levites, to provide for them accessibility to God. The cleansing was done with water, contained in the brass laver. This was before the name of Jesus was given to men by which we are now empowered to ask anything from God. One of the things to ask for, is righteousness. Which in turn is a gift. 

 By the baptism, the ancients attained a cleansed disposition before God. Priests and Levites had a basin, or a laver, for washing before entering the holy places. For the cleansing of the entire congregation, a pigeon was held under running waters and this resulting purity symbolically transfered to the congregation. This was a form of baptism by water, conducted symbolically on behalf of the entire congregation. 


 Years later and the bible in the new testament refers to the famed wilderness experiences as a "baptism into Moses,"  which the children of Israel had passed. Moses, unlike John, did not stand at a river to immerse them. The red sea experience they shared, and the ritual baptisms of the temple qualified them. The reference nevertheless brings a different perspective to the understanding of baptism, that of a spiritual resultant effect. Though bound by the law, the congregation could still attain righteousness by this symbolic acts of baptism.

Few seasons later and there is the Word of God sent to earth. The living waters, to baptise an entire generation into righteousness;
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life"(John 3:16)
The first epistle of John puts a vivid description of His spiritual predisposition. Everything that is part of God is spiritual in nature and thereby, alive. This part of God, His word, the same word by which He said"let there be," and it was, the same ten commandments and legal principles that He dictated on the mountain, and better yet, every inspired word of prophesy recorded down for the nations before He was even conceived by man. This was all Gods decree upon the earth of His son, and after the earth listening to this decree through His creation, His Laws, His prophesies and His symbolic drawing out of the children of Israel from Egypt, the earth finally conceived this powerful word in its womb, the womb of Mary, and wise she was for at the declaration of the message of conception by Angel Gabriel, she sealed it by saying"be it unto me according to your word," and pregnant, she was. 

 When she brought forth her son, the entire spiritual kingdom of this world gave birth to a new age, one which shall not pass until it sees His second coming as the King, He said. He was the seed of the new Kingdom, one free from all works of darkness, for He also is the light of the world, says John, and the purpose of light is exposure. There is only one reason why God would bother to expose works of darkness, to bring them to an end, and this will come to pass sooner than later. Jesus described Himself as the living waters. He cleanses sins with this same water. His cleansing is of the spirit, thus, "a day will come and the day is, when the true worshipers...worship in truth and in spirit." 

 Flesh versus spirit  is actually a clue of differentiating between true worshipers  and untrue worshipers, whose worship is an abomination before God. The opposite of worship is witchcraft, which is the committal of abominations in the face of God. This is the continual offering that flows out of the spirits of the sons of darkness before God. Righteousness is the only acceptable form of worship. 

 Righteousness is a gift and is now attained by faith, as Abraham did many years before. This is true baptism by dipping into Jesus Christ Himself, the living waters. This Kind is permanent, as it is a gift from God, and His gift are of no repentance.
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