Baptism is definitely something that a lot of people are unsure about. This is because of all the different church doctrines. There’s even a church denomination that names itself after Baptism i.e. the “Baptist church”.
It seems to lead the way for the support of baptism.
But what’s important is what the bible actually says…
So, What Does The bible Say About Baptism? Let’s see what the scriptures actually say about Baptism and if our the Saviour the Messiah supported baptism…
Let’s get straight into this then…
What Is A Baptism?
First let’s define what a Baptism is. There are two definitions of a baptism.
The first says that a baptism is the sprinkling of water on your forehead and the second is to be immersed completely in water.
In the catholic church Baptism is commonly performed on babies.
What The Bible Says About Baptism?
But what does the bible actually say about Baptism?
We have seen the worldly definitions and how the Church performs Baptism on babies, but what do scriptures tell us, that’s what’s important:
Matthew 3:11
11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
John tells us that he baptized with water, so we know that Baptism requires water.
As we read on we also see that the Messiah himself was Baptized:
Matthew 3:13
13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
Above we see that the Messiah sought out John to be Baptized.
Matthew 3:16-17
16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Further reading describes the Messiah coming up out of the water when he was baptized which shows us that he was fully immersed in water.
Here we see the bible definition of a baptism.
The Importance Of Baptism
First thing to note above is that the Messiah himself was baptized with “water”.
I put water in quotations, because there are some that say that there is no need for a water baptism.
Their argument is that the Messiah now baptizes us with the Holy Spirit.
This is contary to what we are told in the scriptures, because as followers of the Messiah we are supposed to do what the Messiah done.
Keep in mind that John the baptist also thought that it wasn’t his place to baptize the Messiah, but the Messiah urged him to do it. (Matthew 3:14,15).
Ask your self, if there’s anybody that doesn’t need to be baptized wouldn’t it be the Messiah himself?
Matthew 3:14-15
14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
So if the Messiah humbled himself to be baptized why wouldn’t we do the same? Remember the Messiah had no sins and baptism announced him as the Son of the Most High.
Further to this we see that Messiah’s disciples also Baptized believers:
John 4:1-3
1 When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,
2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)
3 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.
The Messiah himself didn’t baptize any body, but he did encourage his disciples to do so…
The same process was commanded to continue after the Messiah resurrects and left us, as mentioned previously.
John 3:25-26
25 Then there arose a question between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying.
26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.
After John baptized the Messiah, questions were asked, such as, why the Messiah’s disciples were also baptizing like him.
This shows us that the Messiah supported the baptism because his disciples were doing what they were commanded to.
The Messiah also confirms this:
Matthew 28:19
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Above the Messiah tells his disciples to baptize in the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit.
The Purpose Of Baptism?
Mark 1:4
4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
If we read the above scriptures the water baptism symbolises repentance (change) and the washing away of sins, when you have confessed your sins, of course. (Acts 22:16).
Acts 22:16
16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
This above scriptures makes it clear what water baptism symbolises when we believe in the Most High.
Water Baptism vs Holy Spirit Baptism
Let’s take a look at what is meant by the Messiah baptizing with the Holy Spirit and fire, as this is often used to justify not being baptized.
Acts 10:44-48
44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,
47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
If we read the scriptures above we see that when the Holy Spirit was poured out many that received it spoke in tongues.
This is not the only sign of the Holy Spirit baptism, but it can be one of them.
The Apostles themselves knew that they had the Holy Spirit, but we never saw them speak in tongues.
We should also note that when they spoke in tongues the languages were understood by those around.
Another interesting fact is that after they received the Holy Spirit they were baptized (Acts 10:48).
This shows that there was still a need for a water baptism, even after recieving the Holy Spirit baptism.
Other gifts of the Holy Spirit can be found in 1 Corinthians 12, which makes it clear that it’s not necessary that you speak in tongues. But that it’s a possibility.
1 Corinthians 12:28-31
28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.
In Acts 19:1-7 below you can also see baptism starting with water baptism and then the Holy Spirit baptism.
Acts 19:1-7
1 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,
2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.
4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
7 And all the men were about twelve.
This shows that receiving the water baptism and Holy Spirit baptism can be done in any order.
Is The Holy Spirit A Person?
This question needs to be answered because there are some that claim specific men are the Comforter or Holy Spirit. The most popular claim is that Muhammad the Islamic prophet is the Holy Spirit.
But what do the scriptures say about this?
We were told by the Messiah that he had to leave so that he could leave the Holy Spirit, because while he was on earth their was no need for the Spirit.
John 16:7
7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Although we do know that the Spirit was present with selected prophets, such as John the Baptist.
Luke 1:13-15
13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.
The Holy Spirit is to be our guide and bring into remembrance the laws of the Most High.
That being said, the Holy Spirit is clearly not a man, which clears up the fake narrative which says Muhammad was the Spirit, also called the Comforter.
Benefits Of The Holy Spirit
You may wonder why we need the Holy Spirit? And this is a perfectly reasonable questions, so let’s answer it using scripture.
If we continue where the Messiah left off. We know that the Holy Spirit is our comforter…
But what does this mean?
When we look deeper, the Messiah explains, here is what the Spirit does for us…
Brings The Commandments Into Remembrance
John 14:26
26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
We’re told that the Spirit will brings into remembrance everything that the Messiahs has taught.
This is necessary, because believers often have trouble understanding the scriptures. The reason for this is, is always because they don’t have the Holy Spirit.
Intercedes For Us
Another great benefit of the Holy Spirit is that it intercedes for us. What does this mean? Let’s look at scruptures:
Romans 8:26
26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
You may or may not have experienced what’s being explained in the scripture above, but I’m sure you will at some point.
We are told (and I have experienced this myself) that the Spirit can help us pray when we don’t know what to say.
The result of these prayers are “groanings that cannot be uttered”.
How Is The Holy Spirit Represented?
The representation of the Holy Spirit is not seriously important, but it does need to be explained, to help you avoid doctrines that may be created around this topic.
We see in a physical representation of the Holy Spirit as a Dove in many places in the world, so let’s see if this has any biblical credence:
Matthew 3:16
16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
Above we see the baptism of the Messiah. And we are told that Spirit was “descending like a dove” upon him.
This is where the representation of a dove as the Holy Spirit comes from, so it does have some biblical credence.
It is important though to note, that we’re only told the Spirit descended like a Dove, and that we’re never told it is a Dove.
The scripture could easily have said it descended like an Eagle.
This is important, because the Holy Spirit is just what it’s name suggest, which is, a “Spirit” and we all have access to it.
Tongues Of Fire
Elsewhere we also see the Holy Spirit is also represent as fire:
Acts 2:1-4
1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
We see here that on the day of Pentecost, which is the fifty day yearly feast (we should all be remembering today, called the feast of weeks…And the “Pent” actually means fifty)…
That “cloven tongues like as of fire”, came down and rested on the observers of the feast.
When the tongues of fire rested on them they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Clearly these tongues were not real fire, otherwise they would have been burnt to cinders…
We also know that John said that the Messiah would Baptize with fire, which we see fulfilled here.
Matthew 3:11
11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:.
So you can now see that the Spirit is represent as Fire too, not just a Dove.
The Fruit Of The Holy Spirit?
When you recieve the Holy Spirit there are some beautiful characteristics that come with it. The scriptures call them “Fruit”.
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
In total we can count nine that are referenced from the scriptures above.
Love
Joy
Peace
Longsuffering
Gentleness
Goodness
Faith
Meekness
Temperance
So as well as relieving guidance and intercession from the Holy Spirit we also have some added benefits, resulting in true peace and peace of mind…
The Messiah referred to this gift as “rivers of living water”…
John 7:38
38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
The fruit of the Spirit are all things people search for their whole life and never find. But we’re given them when we believe in the Messiah’s death and resurrection.
James 4:5-6
5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
The scripture above explains this very point. Here we are told that the spirit the Most High gave us is naturally envious, i.e. “lusteth to envy”.
It is the Most High that gives us grace (James 4:6). This grace is the Holy Spirit.
The Seven Spirits Of God
When we delve deeper into scriptures we can find more abilities of the Spirit of God which were prophesied and were upon the Messiah, when he was here.
Isaiah 11:1-3
1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
2 And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;
3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
First things first, are there seven powers of the Spirits, or six described? Some say there are seven, but you have to actually read the scripture more closely to see the truth.
The verse begins with “and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him“…
Can this be included as one of the powers of the Spirit? The answer is no. So in fact there are actually six powers of the Spirit that the Messiah was prophesied to possess, which are:
Wisdom
Understanding
Counsel
Might
Knowledge
Fear of the Lord
The Spirit of the Lord here is basically one Spirit that gave the Messiah multiple abilities.
A Guide: How To Baptize
Here I will explain the steps of baptism, so you can do it, if you need to.
First Step
Firstly, You must believe the the Messiah died and resurrected…
Romans 10:8-10
8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Remember: You must believe in your heart (mind) that the Messiah was raised from the dead (Romans 10:9)…
And you must confess this with your mouth (Romans 10:10).
You should begin with these scriptures, and if you believe proceed to the next step, which will be the baptism where you confess this and your sins together.
Second Step
Now it’s time to be baptized. You can do this in a bath tub or a river etc.
John baptised the Messiah in the river Jordan, so you may be more inclined to find a similar setting, the choice is yours of course.
Here’s a scripture to consider when confessing your sins.
Proverbs 28:13
13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
At this point the person baptizing you can ask you if…
you believe the Messiah is the son of the Most high who died and resurrected (Keep in mind you also will be resurrected) for your sins.
Once you confess with your mouth that you believe who the Messiah is you should confess your sins…
Here’s an example of Philip baptising an Ethiopian man, to give you a clearer idea:
Acts 8:36-39
36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
And here is John baptizing people in the Jordan who confessed their sins…
Mark 1:4-5
4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
5 And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.
Now the person baptising you can baptize the way the Messiah commanded the Disciples:
Matthew 28:19
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
…It should be done in “the Name of the Father Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19)”…
Then you should be fully immersed in the water once and then brought up out of it.
Shalom! And rejoice you are now Baptized filled with the Holy Spirit of the Most High.
It’s now time to familiarize your self with the laws of the Most High. You can find them in the Books of the Law, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy.
You should know that there is rejoicing in heaven (Luke 15:10), and that the Most High is in your presence (Matthew 18:20).
Conclusion
In summary, What does the bible say about baptism? Why do we need the Holy Spirit? I’ll let the scriptures answer this:
Romans 8:14
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Simply said if we have the Spirit we are the sons of the Most High. What could be more rewarding than know that?
All the benefits of the Holy Spirit above, will let you know if you have the Spirit. Remember, all these attributes will be experienced when you receive the Spirit.
Also remember you can receive the Holy Spirit even without Baptism, but we are commanded to be Baptized also.
It is clear that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and water baptism are both distinct from each other, so there is no argument here…
But we also see that they are both to be carried out equally.
The Messiah gave this instruction to his disciples and so we should all get baptized, until his return.
Matthew 28:19
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
If you haven’t been baptized all that is required now, is that you be immersed in water.
It’s preferable if you can find a place outside, but your bath tub is also a sufficient substitute.
Hopefully this article has encouraged you to be baptized. You also now have the blueprint for a righteous scripture based baptism, so feel free to use it.
Let’s end on the reason for believing in the Most High and what we can expect in the kingdom to come.
Romans 6:3-5
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
As it is written above we also resurrect when the time comes, which should provide us with encouragement as believers.
So, What The bible Says About Baptism is that, we should do it…
Shalom! And share this with someone that needs it.