Question from a friend
A friend asked me what I thought of this statement:
Would you agree with this? I believe there are three “baptisms.” One, baptism of the soul into the body of Christ which happens at salvation; second, being physical in the flesh, by water after salvation; and the third (this one I hate using the word baptism for, some call it baptism of the Spirit) when the Spirit breathes into your spirit for works.
Let us look at baptism first of all. Originally, the word baptism had nothing to do with water or God. If you had some cloth that you wanted to be another color, you took it to the local baptist who would dye it for you, changing the identity of the cloth. Eventually baptism came to be a statement of identity with a certain creed or movement. This is why Jesus was baptized at the start of his ministry. Not to show his repentance from sin, but to identify with the repentant souls that were trying to follow God and get closer to him.
At the beginning of your salvation, when you ask Jesus to forgive your sins and be your lord, Jesus does indeed baptize you into the Church, the ecclesia, the body of Christ, the called out ones. Your identity is changed as he writes your name in the Lamb’s Book of Life. At the same time, as a pledge or seal, the Holy Spirit indwells you, just as it did Jesus, to empower you to walk like Jesus. This justification, this beginning of your salvation, is truly a baptism.
Your justification (first baptism) is usually followed in short order by a physical baptism. This is a public statement of identification with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, what my friend calls the second baptism. See Acts 8:26 – 40 “See, [here is] water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?”
The third baptism he calls “when the Spirit breathes into your spirit for works.” Before someone shouts “Legalism!”, the works he refers to are like the works that James refers to in his letter, the same type of works that the writer of Hebrews referred to in Hebrews 11. These are works that occurred as the Spirit moved believers, as a demonstration of their faith.
This “third baptism” is a process called sanctification, the present tense expression of salvation. Make no mistake: Jesus has fully justified you before the father. Nothing you can do can help or improve that. This baptism occurs as you move out of the way and let the floodlight of the Holy Spirit shine out of your heart. You could say the third baptism is where Jesus identifies himself with you, in that you become a conduit he can flow through to bless the world.
This sanctification is a choice to die to yourself. Jesus said “If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” Matt 16:24 . In John 12:24 Jesus said “Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” Paul said “I die daily” in 1 Cor 15:31 If these three statements do not qualify as baptism, nothing does.
It is through dying to self that we allow Jesus to shine out from us and do the works which we were ordained to do from before the creation. If we try to do these works by our own power they will get messed up. Jesus has to do them through us if they are to count toward our rewards.
The big question is how do we allow this baptism to occur? We can see this in the life of Jesus. He had two things in his life that we do not have as much as we need. He had an immense knowledge of the word of God, the bible. He always referred to scripture, he thought in scripture. We can have this if we follow the command he gave through Paul in Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Again he said in Eph 5:26 “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word”
Bathe yourself in scripture. Download the bible as mp3′s and just play it all the time. Get music that sets scripture to music, especially the Psalms. Get expositional bible studies on your mp3 player and just stuff them in your ears before bed. That way when you wake up in the middle of the night you have something to do as you fall back to sleep. I do this every night; you cannot imagine the dreams that come from this. If you want to grow a lot in a short time, let the Word of God wash the world out of your brain.
The other thing Jesus had in his life that we could have just like him is a dedication to prayer to and worship of the Father. Just think about it: Jesus was fully God, yet he was always getting up early to pray, staying up late to pray. If Jesus needed to “pray without ceasing”, how much more do we need to spend time praying? God is delighted when we talk to him, think about him, meditate on his word and pray it back to him. We were created for his pleasure, so please him by turning off the TV and spending time with him.
As we bathe in the third baptism we become more conformed to Jesus’ image, get further from the power of sin, walk in more wonderful works, shine forth Jesus for the whole world to see, become more pleasing to him, get more ready for the time when he comes back for us so he can finish history and return to reign on the earth for 1000 years. Are you ready for his return? Are you identified with Jesus, baptized with him?
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Are you sure of salvation?
Are you sure of your salvation? Can you be sure? What exactly is salvation again?
What is salvation again?
In an ealier post I described salvation in terms of the three tenses of salvation: past, present and future. Justification is the past tense (if you are saved that is) where you are removed from the penalty of sin. Glorification is the future tense where you are removed from the presence of sin. In between these is sanctification, the present tense, where you are removed from the power of sin. Sancification is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit and you agreeing with the Spirit to make choices to follow the Spirit in his quest to make you like Jesus. This is what goes on as a believer “works out his salvation with fear and trembling”, as Paul said in Philippians 2:12
Unlike santification the believer has very little to do with what happens in justification and glorification. As Paul says in Romans 8:30
Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
(I won’t get into the apparent paradoxes involved in predestination vs. freewill except to say what appears to be predestination is really freewill, depending on whether you are inside or outside the created universe. The Holy Spirit calls everyone with a soft voice. Eventually, you either listen to that voice and enter the transaction that triggers justification, or you ignore the voice until the Spirit stops calling you.)
The main point of the verse is that justification and glorification are up to God. Nothing you could do could possibly affect your justification or glorification. Once you make the decision to agree with God that you need to be saved, God takes care of justification, cleaning up your sin debt, sealing your spirit with the Holy Spirit, etc. see 2 Cor 1:21-22. Glorification takes place at the rapture or resurection, depending on which side of the grave you are on when Jesus comes back for us. see 1 Cor. 15:51-53 and 1 John 3:2 on glorification.
Can you be sure?
The big question, though, is can I be sure of my salvation? John 10:27-30 answers that pretty well.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave [them] me, is greater than all; and no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my Father’s hand.I and [my] Father are one.
If if no man is able to pluck me out of Jesus or his Father’s hands, and I am a man (human, that is) then nothing I can do will cause me to lose my salvation.
What is the point of sanctification?
Sanctification, as I said, is that process that goes on in a believers life between Justification in the past and Glorification in the future. Sanctification is the present you give back to Jesus for giving you eternal life. 
A lot of people do not get too far along with sanctification. It is a lot of bother, what with going to college or finding a job or working to support a family. They might go to church regularly or just Easter and Christmas, throw some money to charity, read the bible when they notice it. Except for Sundays and holidays, they probably do not think about God very much.
Mainly though, they just will not grow very much spiritually. How they they be more like Jesus when they do not set themselves apart from the world and draw close to God? How can they be transformed by the renewing of their minds (Romans 12:1-2) when they do not read the word of God?
You might say, “what difference will it make? I am going to heaven and all that, so who cares?” If you look at 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 you might change your mind:
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
The works you do to “get brownie points” by following rules or doing what people say “a Christian should do this” is what Paul calls wood hay and stubble. What you get out of following the lead of the Holy Spirit in the sanctification process is gold, silver and precious stones. So what? Romans 14:10 and 2 Corinthians 5:10 tell us that we shall all stand before the jusgement seat of Christ. This is where all believers will give an account of how they spent their lives, in good ways and not so good. As your life is reviewed you will probably be disappointed at time you wasted, not following the spirit, not living up to what you could have done. I say this to explain why God should have to wipe away our tears. (Rev 21:4) This also explains Paul’s paranoia about losing his rewards (1 Cor 9:27)
This judgment is not for saying you go to heaven or hell. That has been decided by your response to what Jesus did on Calvary. The “judgement scene” you see at the Judgement House dramas churches do is a bit misleading. Believers and non-believers do not stand at the same judgement seat. Non-believers are judged at the end of time, after the second resurection. This is called the great white throne judgement. Rev 20:11-15
Basically sanctification is a choice of hanging out as a hippy or refugee after Jesus judges our works on earth, or hearing him say “well done my faithful servant” and being rewarded with crowns for service to Him. I don’t know if you know this, but hippies and refugees stink. I would rather not have all my works burnt up. I would rather hang with the people who smell good. Still, being a hippy in heaven is better than being in hell.
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So what do we do?
The headlines are all about the decline of America and how the Globalists are winning.
Galloping Globalism ~ Bible Prophecy Today
Frank: “We Are Trying On Every Front To Increase The Role Of Government”
UN chief calls for ‘global governance structure’ to oversee greenhouse gasses
Does the Bible prophesy a one-world government and a one-world currency in the end times?
Dismantling America ~ Bible Prophecy Today
Social Conservatives Blast Hate-Crime Bill, Saying It Will Limit Free Speech
Progressives I talk to think all this activity is the bees knees. Continue reading »
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| Tags: choice, choose life, End Times, globalism, prayer, progressive, sanctification |
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What is salvation?
You hear a lot about salvation: are you saved?, John 3:16, sinner’s prayer, walk the aisle, whatever. Something to the effect that you say a prayer or something and you are going to heaven. They might hand you a bible or a pamphlet and tell you to get baptized or join a church or something, but what is really involved in this salvation thing?
The three tenses of salvation
I am saved, I am being saved, I will be saved! The past, present and future tenses of salvation. Interestingly, you have three parts that need to be saved: your spirit, your soul and your body.
Salvation is a 3 stage process. When you decide you want Jesus to be your lord and trust that He paid for your sins when He died on the cross, that is what most people call salvation, as if it is a destination in itself. John 3:16, Eph 2:8-9
Past tense of salvation: Justification
Actually it is a beginning. This is what the bible calls justification. (Romans 10:9-11) This fancy word word means that to God it is just-as-if you had never sinned. Justification is a complex process but all of the heavy lifting gets done in the spiritual realm. This is a transaction that takes place at one point in your life. You are sealed with the Holy Spirit and your spirit is made alive. (Eph 1:13) At this point you are free of the penalty of sin. (Rom 8:1-2) Continue reading »
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The Judgement Seat…
looking at the judgement seat.
1 cor 3:11-15 2 cor 5:10 rom 14:10-12 1 Thess. 4:14-18 Rom. 14:10-13
sanctified
col 3:24 matt 25:21
unsanctified
1 cor 3:15 matt 25:12
we will see where this leads
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Cross references:
1 Corinthians 9:24 : Phil 3:14; Col 2:18
1 Corinthians 9:24 : Gal 2:2; 5:7; Phil 2:16; Heb 12:1; 2 Tim 4:7
1 Corinthians 9:25 : 1 Tim 6:12; 2 Tim 2:5; 4:7; Jude 3
1 Corinthians 9:25 : James 1:12
1 Corinthians 9:26 : Heb 12:4
1 Corinthians 9:26 : 1 Corinthians 14:9
1 Corinthians 9:27 : Rom 6:19
1 Corinthians 9:27 : Song 1:6
1 Corinthians 9:27 : Jer 6:30; Rom 1:28; Heb 6:8
2 Timothy 2:5
Cross references:
2 Timothy 2:5 : 1 Cor 9:25
2 Timothy 2:5 : 2 Timothy 4:8
I Cor. 11:31, 32
Col. 3:4
Mark 8:34-38
To judge self is to lose the self-life, and find the Christ-life (Gal. 2:20).
· To judge self is to no longer be self-conscious, but become Christ-conscious (Matt. 28:20).
· To judge self is to no longer be self-controlled, but to become Christ-controlled (Acts 9:6).
· To judge self is to no longer practice self-esteem, but to esteem others better than self (Phil. 2:3). To judge self is to become selfless.
- It is a most humbling thought to know that some day the believer will face all of his works, “good or bad”. Some will be ashamed (1 John 2:28) and “suffer loss” not the loss of salvation, but the loss of rewards
(1 Cor. 3:11- 15). So whatever you do, do it to the glory of God (Col. 3:17).
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