Spiritual or Water Baptism?

This is my understanding.

Jesus called and taught with his disciples 3 yrs,he did the will of the Father before the Jewish ppl.
He explained and challenged his disciples to see the truth he shared in confidence.
Having explained to them who he was,they still lacked the understanding of HIS mission.

After his death,burial and resurrection, he spent 40 more days with them solidifying his testimony.
As the time for ascension drew near, he told them he would send them a comforter and he would be their teacher and bring POWER for their mission.
Then he breathed on them and said" RECEIVE YE THE HOLY GHOST". They were told to WAIT for this enduement of power by the HS.

When the HS came,it sat over each head as fire and they spoke in tongues.
THEY WERE SAT ON FIRE WITH AND FILLED WITH POWER.

Out they went to preach !
We must HEAR the word, then the Spirit brings CONVICTION of sin to the heart, then REPENTANCE with a godly sorrow happens. We then BELIEVE in our hearts and CONFESS with our mouth Jesus is Christ,Saviour and Lord.

As Brother Bob said Jesus told John the Baptist we must fulfill all RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Upon salvation and confession we seal our testimony to others that we have died to sin with Christ ( immersion) and risen as new creatures in accordance to his D,Band R. His testimony becomes our testimony.

I do believe that all 3000 souls saved that day were indeed water baptised. Spiritually born again as children of God from their hearts.

That chapter does not say the 3000 were filled with the Holy Ghost as the disciples,nor spoke in tongues.

Those whom received the power of the HS and spoke in tongues are in later chapters.
 
In Acts 2, after the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, Peter gives a beautiful sermon to the crowd in verses 14-41. Then, in verse 41, 41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. - KJV

We're talking 3000 persons were saved that day, so were these souls spiritually baptized, or immersed in water (water baptised) that day?

This is not a trick question, but a discussion that would be beneficial to all of us.

God bless you all and your families.
Both, as the Holy Spirit baptized the saved into Christ and His body, and then they were all water baptized!
 
That is an interesting bit of information ….I did not know that. I was raised Catholic …and I have my contentions with the catholic church, but I am thankful for any amount of biblical teaching no matter what the religion. I left the church at 15 because I decided to tell the truth in the confessional ….all other times I would lie….say stupid little thing like “I disobeyed my mom” “threw stones at my brother” actually I probably did that too. But the one time I opened up and told the truth…..he started screaming at me saying “there was no penance he could give me to redeem me”. I could have handled that, but my dad was in the other side of the penalty box, and he overheard much of what the priest said ……...that was a quit ride home. The following Saturday I went back to the church and waited until there was nobody else waiting for confession …..I lit a smoke bomb, threw it in with the priest and wedged the door shut……that was the last time I set foot in a Catholic church. When you are going to hell as many times as I was …what did it matter. The following 6 or so years…. I spiraled out of control…thank God for mercy and grace.

Hello sandman;

I overlooked your post and was shocked but am sorry by your experience in the confessional. I would not have condoned your bombing the confessional with the priest in it. I'm sure the priest didn't say anything because he was bound by the seal and cannot reveal what is heard or learned during a confessional.

I understand this was when you were 15 and after that you left the church. sandman, have you settled in the church with your family today?

In the church we have done the prayer of acceptance - spiritual baptism with young children and teens. They usually follow with an orientation of water baptism, what it means and the day they publicly repent and make a commitment to follow Jesus. This is the fun part for them because their friends (many who don't attend church) will witness their testimony for Christ and then go celebrate over pizza.

Sad, but these young children and teens will still go through the growing pains of growing up, make mistakes or fall into sin. Some had come forth to open up with their parents or meet with me to confess their wrongdoing and seek forgiveness. The Good News is the young man or woman will learn that through their salvation that they are saved and forgiven by God.

God bless you, sandman, and thank you for sharing.

Brothers and sisters;


I have a question. I have read in this topic that some posters will emphasize that water baptism is symbolic, ritual or tradition. Are we minimizing water baptism in this sense, when in fact it was important with Jesus; to emphasize to John that this was to fulfill all righteousness. Though Jesus didn't sin, He set the example by standing in the place of sinful man.
 
Then he breathed on them and said" RECEIVE YE THE HOLY GHOST". They were told to WAIT for this enduement of power by the HS.
When the HS came,it sat over each head as fire and they spoke in tongues. THEY WERE SAT ON FIRE WITH AND FILLED WITH POWER.
Out they went to preach !
I do believe that all 3000 souls saved that day were indeed water baptised. Spiritually born again as children of God from their hearts.
That chapter does not say the 3000 were filled with the Holy Ghost as the disciples,nor spoke in tongues. Those whom received the power of the HS and spoke in tongues are in later chapters.

Hello D3v;

Amen and thank you for sharing Acts 2. What I red-lighted has always turned to debate, some discussions fierce because verse 41, So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls, does not say whether 3000 were water baptised. But when we study beyond verse 41 we begin to see that those who received his word equates to the Holy Spirit were were spiritually and water baptized.

There is the question, how could so many get water baptised in Jerusalem? There were massive pools and reservoirs with plenty of water near the temple mount to accommodate 3000 new believers in water baptism.

God bless you, sister.
 
If watar washes away sin, then that's going to be quite a revelation to the Cross, and the Blood of Jesus, and to God who gave the blood of Jesus as the only way your sin is washed away.

Water gets you wet.
Water touches your body.
To be born again, you have to have a spiritual birth of your SPIRIT, and water cannot touch your Spirit, it can only get your body wet.
God has to touch your Spirit, and He does not do that with water.
He does that with the Holy Spirit.
Both are important:

1. Water baptism is an act of obedience by which we publicly declare our faith in Jesus Christ (which is the opposite of denying Christ); many Christians declare their love of Christ, and are even willing to die for Him, but they are not willing to be baptized. Is it really too much to ask?

2. We are indwelt by the Holy Spirit the moment we are reborn through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God and our Savior.

Can we be unbaptized, but saved? I believe so, yes.
Can we be baptized, but unsaved? Yes, definitely.

Blessings.
 
Possibly they were baptized by emersion in water. However, I think it more likely given the holy spirit presence as described in the beginning of the chapter they were spiritually baptized.

Interestingly for me in that Acts chapter 3 the last days are identified as the timeframe of the first person account of this occurrence.

Today, many of us cite this chapter as prophecy for the same thing. Evidence of the last days.
 
Possibly they were baptized by emersion in water. However, I think it more likely given the holy spirit presence as described in the beginning of the chapter they were spiritually baptized.

Interestingly for me in that Acts chapter 3 the last days are identified as the timeframe of the first person account of this occurrence.

Today, many of us cite this chapter as prophecy for the same thing. Evidence of the last days.

John 3:22-24

King James Version

22 After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.
23 And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.
24 For John was not yet cast into prison. let the word speak for itself
 
Back
Top