I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” vs. 8.
Mark 1:5-8
Our scriptures indicate that there is a difference between water baptism and spirit baptism. The one is connected with John the Baptist and the other with Jesus. Jesus himself received both, being baptized in the Jordan River by John, and then anointed with the Holy Spirit when he came up out of the river. The early church adopted baptism with water as both a mark of a believer’s faith and a reminder of God’s grace. As doctrines began to emerge in the Church it was understood that when people were baptized with water they also received the Holy Spirit. Currently, in some denominations the baptismal ritual has two parts: baptism with water in the name of the Triune God, and baptism with the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands. The problem is that while water baptism is easily documented and dated, spirit baptism remains clothed with mystery. Some say that it should be distinguished from water baptism, and that people can be filled with the Holy Spirit without being baptized. Their argument is undoubtedly true, but it leaves us with a boatload of questions. What we can say is this: being baptized into Christ is more than a watery ritual, and will always include the marriage of our spirit with the Holy Spirit of God. We may not be able to adequately define that marriage, but the experience will change our lives.
Thought for the Day: Why was my baptism important?
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