BAPTISM OF FIRE - (SPIRITUAL SANCTIFICATION AS A GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT)
REALLY, HELL
(Mat 3:10-12) And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. {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: {12} Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Luke 3:16-17) John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: {17} Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.

Even the casual reader can see that the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the baptism of fire are not the same thing. Judging from the context it becomes clear that being baptized (immersed) in fire is not something one should be desiring. The fire described in these verses brings a vivid picture of destruction, not blessing.

We may fall into a dangerous trap (like those who pray for a baptism of fire) of asking for something without fully understanding what we are asking to receive. James and John did this, (Mark 10:36-40) “And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? {37} They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory. {38} But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? {39} And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: {40} But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.” One of the stages of Jesus’ glory was the cross and without doubt the Sons of Thunder didn’t want to be on Jesus’ right and left for that. They were looking for honor, but Jesus reminded them that true honor comes with a price much higher than anyone wants to pay and higher than some are willing to pay.

The old adage is valid here, “be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.” When we pray we need to be sure we are not praying selfishly or without heed to God’s will. We often pray for God to keep a loved one who is suffering alive. If that individual is a faithful Christian, we may be praying for the wrong thing. It may be time for that saint to depart to be with the Lord. Let’s all strive to think of the consequences before we ask, and always be willing to submit to God’s will knowing that He knows best.

BAPTISM - A CEREMONIAL IMMERSION IN WATER, OR APPLICATION OF WATER, AS A RITE OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
There you have it, A dictionary definition. Obviously the Bible and we are wrong, baptism doesn’t have to be an immersion, but just any application of water will do. I guess this has to fall into the “don’t believe everything you read” category. The dictionary explains quite accurately how the word is used in religious circles today, but not the true meaning of the word. If just any application of water would do, why does the Bible always have examples of people going down into the water? I mean let’s face it water is not nearly as abundant in that part of the world as it is down here in Alabama where I live. Wouldn’t it have made more sense to just put a dab on the forehead, or maybe sprinkle a few drops or pour just a cup? It would have been much more logical by human standards, but not by God’s. Paul explains it admirably when he says “we are BURIED with Christ by baptism” and “we are PLANTED” Romans 6:4-5 (Emphasis mine). When was the last time you saw something buried or planted without being fully covered over with dirt or whatever substance was being used? I can honestly say I can’t remember ever experiencing that.

There are two other problems associated with baptism. One extreme says that it is not a necessary part of our salvation, and many brethren are falling for this one. The other extreme puts baptism forth as a cure all and focuses on this one step of God’s plan to the exclusion of other equally important aspects of salvation. We can realize without even turning to scripture that there is more to baptism than just being submerged in water. People do that when they go swimming or deep sea diving. Have these people been baptized? We can also understand that God does not command anything that isn’t necessary. Most obviously, we see that baptism alone is not enough. What does the Word of God say about it?

(Col 2:12) “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.” The effectiveness of baptism is in the operation of God and our faith in that operating ability.

(1 Pet 3:20-21) “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. {21} The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:” Baptism does save us contrary to what many teach. There is nothing special about the water or the process, other than the fact that baptism by immersion in water is what God expects and demands as a prerequisite to being his child. Jesus said concerning marriage, “What God hath joined let no man put asunder”. God has joined salvation, forgiveness, and adoption with baptism. Why does man try so hard to separate them?

Many scriptures point to other parts of God’s plan for salvation. Many of those scriptures that emphasize the essentiality of baptism also point to the fact that it can’t stand alone. “He believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” Mark 16:16; “repent and be baptized every one of you”. Some live as though they think baptism washed away past, present and future sins at the point of baptism, and so they make no attempt to even change their life. Baptism is a burial of the old, sinful man who has been put to death. The sad thing is that many never killed him. They just knocked him out for a little while, and they didn’t bury him deep enough to keep him buried. Don’t let the sinful man resurrect himself in your life.

What an odd question to ask. Acts chapter 8 is one of the richest chapters in the entire Bible. It contains so much teaching on so many topics that I could probably write an article a week for a year just on this chapter. But for now let’s just look at this question asked by the Ethiopian eunuch. Acts 8:36 reads, "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?" The answer Philip gives is in the next verse, but let’s look at a few other things before we get to that.

First, let’s consider the kind of response this question might get today. Some preachers would simply say, “There is no point in being baptized.” Others would say, “You don’t want to be baptized in water, but in the Holy Ghost. Still others would say, “You can, but you have to wait for baptizing Sunday.” There might even be some who would say, “If you want to get baptized you need to go to another church, we don’t allow your kind in our church.” Then, there would be some who would say, “We will have to wait for the church to vote on you.” You can probably imagine some other responses this question would get from our mixed up religious world today. None of these answers were the ones Philip gave. We’ll get to it in a minute.

Second, let’s look back to see what caused the eunuch to ask such an interesting question. How did he know what baptism was? How did he know water was necessary? Wasn’t the water bottle he had for drinking on a long journey enough? Why would he make mention of another water source? If we look back a few verses and use some reasoning, we can answer these questions. 

In Acts 8:32-35 we read, "The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: {33} In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. {34} And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? {35} Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus." Notice that Philip preached ‘Jesus’. We don’t know how long he preached, but it was long enough to tell the eunuch all about who Jesus was, how He had lived, what He had taught, how and why He had died, how He rose again, what instructions He left for His disciples, and how He had returned to Heaven. That could take a good while. But, why did the eunuch respond to all of this teaching about Jesus by asking about being baptized? There is only one logical explanation that fits with the text. Somewhere in Philip’s sermon about Jesus baptism had been taught, and with enough emphasis that the eunuch felt compelled to have this done to him. He also understood that the baptism he needed was not the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but baptism in water. Holy Spirit baptism was special and Philip may well have taught the eunuch about it, certainly he would have taught about the Spirit beginning with the virgin conception and birth; but which one did the eunuch understand was for him? Water baptism.

As for the amount of water and the necessity of water, that also must have been included given the response the eunuch has and the action in verses 37-38. The Greek word for baptize (baptizo) literally means “to make fully wet, to cover in a liquid, or to dip” according to Strong’s Greek Dictionary in the back of the Strong’s Concordance. Given this understanding of the word it no longer seems surprising that the eunuch knew he needed water and a large amount of it. Oh, if only translators had accurately translated how much less confusion there could be today.

Now let’s look at Philip’s answer. The question implies that the eunuch is not sure if he meets all of the qualifications. ‘Hinder’ indicates there may be something holding him back. Is there something else he must do first: some fee to pay, some committee to go before, or some religious experience? No, Philip simply says, “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest" (verse 37). He already knew what he had to believe from the preaching he had just heard. The eunuch did, so, they got out and went down into the water and Philip baptized him (verse 38). They did it right then and there with no delay. The eunuch went home rejoicing (verse 39). And why shouldn’t he? He had found the truth and obeyed what he had been taught: he was saved. Sounds just like what Jesus said in Mark 16:16,  "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." The eunuch believed and was baptized, and I hope to meet him in Heaven.