One Baptism

Paul wrote to the Church in Ephesus concerning the unity in the Body of Christ:

"There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all" (Ephesians 4:4 - 6, NKJV, emphasis added).

Most Bible believing Christians, including renowned Bible scholars, renowned Christian book writers, believe that there are two separate baptisms - baptism of water and the baptism in the Holy Spirit. They believe these are two separate experiences for Christians. To most of them baptism in the Holy Spirit is optional - only for those who want power in sharing the gospel to the unsaved.

In the context of the above passage of the Scripture "one baptism" can be interpreted in one of two ways depending on the Christian denomination. To the Baptist Christians it is water baptism by full immersion. To the Pentecostal, Charismatic and Full Gospel Christians it is baptism in the Holy Spirit and not water baptism. In fact they have a Scripture passage to support their view:

"For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free - and have all been made to drink into one Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:13, NKJV).

I feel extremely uncomfortable with these different view points. Even Bible Commentaries offer different view points. Why must it be so complicated? Surely the Body of Christ is divided by different denomination beliefs. If you want to know why there is no unity in truth in the Body of Christ, this is the major reason!

This message is written after much research work using the Scripture - both in the Old Testament and the New Testament.

There is only one Baptism - but with two elements

"Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come" (1 Cor. 10:1, 2, 11, NKJV, emphasis added).

Here are my observations:

1. Paul was writing to the Corinthian Christians. Clearly all those things collectively experienced by the children of Israel is a type or pattern for all Christians to follow. In other words, in general an Old Testament truth usually finds its parallel truth in the New Testament.

Someone had aptly said, "The New is in the Old contained, the Old is in the New explained; the New is in the Old concealed, the Old is in the New revealed; the New is in the Old enfolded, the Old is in the New unfolded".

2. You can say there were two baptisms - in the cloud and in the sea. But significant enough Paul did not say that. He did not say that the Israelites were baptized in the cloud and then baptized in the sea. The Israelites could not choose to experience one without also experiencing the other. The two baptisms are one collective provision of God.

3. The sea is a type of water baptism; the cloud is a type of baptism in the Holy Spirit.

4. Paul said that in effect there was only one baptism in two elements - the cloud from above and the sea down into which the children of Israel went. This is the complete provision of God as far as baptism is concerned. Almost in every place in the New Testament where one baptism is mentioned the other is also mentioned. All believers mentioned in the Book of Acts were baptized in water as well as in the Holy Spirit!

Deliverance of Israel from Egypt and of believers from the world

The Bible reveals a parallel truth concerning the deliverance of Israel from Egypt and the deliverance of believers from the world. We can trace three successive phases of their deliverance.

Faith in the Blood of the Passover lamb (Exodus 12:7 - 13).

The blood of the Passover lamb started the children of Israel on their redemptive route, but it did not get them out of Egypt. If there had been nothing more than their faith in the blood of the Passover lamb, the army of Egypt would have caught up with them and taken them back into bondage again.

Similarly believers are redeemed by the Blood of Jesus:

"Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us" (1 Cor. 5:7, emphasis added).

The Blood of Jesus started believers on their redemptive journey, but it does not get them out of the world system. In other words, they are still fleshly and worldly. Though I honor the Blood of the Jesus Christ and believe it to be the only basis for my redemption, yet as a way of deliverance from the dominion of this world system and of Satan, it is not the total provision of God.

The cloud and the sea

There are two more successive experiences that brought God's people out of the area of dominion of evil forces. This is the cloud and the sea. A type of water baptism and the baptism in the Holy Spirit have been accurately described as "in the sea" and "under or immersed in the cloud" respectively. Israel did not go down into the cloud. Instead they were immersed in the cloud. They went down into the sea. This is the clearest, most complete and accurate pattern or type from the Old Testament of the New Testament Baptism.

Final separation and deliverance

It is important to note that the final separation and deliverance from Egypt for Israel was not accomplished by the blood of the Passover lamb, nor even by the cloud, but by the sea. The sea was the the final cutoff point. The Egyptians could not follow Israel through the sea!

Therefore, the final cutoff point from the world and Satan's dominion for the New Testament believers is water baptism. It is the total provision of God to start the believers' walk in Christ in the salvation process.

Peter gave a beautiful picture of water baptism:

".... in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. There is also an antitype which now saves us - baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ ..." (1 Peter 3:20, 21).

Unless you are water baptized you have no legal right to have freedom from the oppression of demons in your Christian walk. Instead the demons have the legal right to oppress and trouble you!

In fact, in practice this is very true. You will find that when you have accepted Christ as your Savior and Lord and then water baptized, you would invariably experience some cutoffs. You will lose some of your non-Christian friends. You might even get cutoff from your family members. This is more so in the pagan world or non-Christian countries.

Old Testament Picture of the Cloud

The cloud was a type of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. By studying the nature of the cloud experienced by Israel in the wilderness we can directly apply it to our personal relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Below is a series of Scripture passages that will help us to understand the functions of the Holy Spirit:

1. Exodus 13:21, 22, "And the Lord went before them (the children of Israel) by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people".

Christians must be immersed in the Holy Spirit at all times just as the Israelites were immersed in the cloud. The Lord gave His people pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night to guide them.. The same is the Holy Spirit who gives light for Christians and shows them the way that they should go. They will know how to walk in the will of God.

2. Exodus 14:24, "Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians".

The Lord watched over the children of Israel just as the Holy Spirit watches over Christians and delivers and protects them from their enemies.

3. Exodus 33:7 - 11 described how Moses met with the Lord outside the main tabernacle. Moses had his own tent (tabernacle of meeting) where the Lord spoke to him in the cloud.

"All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshiped, each man in his tent door. So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend" (Exodus 33:10, 11).

The Lord was in the cloud when He spoke to Moses face to face. Similarly, the Holy Spirit often speaks to Christians with a "still small voice". The Holy Spirit is our friend.

4. Exodus 40:34 - 37, "Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey till the day that it was taken up".

Moses and the children of Israel were in total obedience and sensitive to the movement of the cloud. They got in step with the Lord and moved with the cloud. This is a vivid picture of our relationship with the Holy Spirit. God desires that we move with the Holy Spirit. We must be sensitive and get in step with the Holy Spirit in our every day life. Christians need to be as sensitive to the Holy Spirit as Israel to the cloud.

5. Psalm 78:21 - 24, ".... And anger also came up against Israel, because they did not believe in God, and did not trust in His salvation. Yet He had commanded the clouds above, and opened the doors of heaven, had rained down manna on them to eat, and given them of the bread of heaven".

Israel made their journey through the wilderness but they did not trust God for His total provision. And yet He had mercy upon them. We as Christians must do better and trust the Lord for His total provision in our salvation process.

"The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities" (Psalm 103:8 - 10, NKJV).