Baptism: By One Spirit into One Body1 Corinthians 12:13
For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Thoughts for Today:In Scripture we see many references to baptism. For example:
John's baptism -- which is the baptism of repentance. (Luke 7:29: " All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus' words, acknowledged that God's way was right, because they had been baptized by John.")
Jesus spoke of baptism with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:5: "For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.")
Paul speaks of baptism into Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:3: "Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?")
The baptism of Moses, which refers to those who followed him through the Red Sea and beyond. (1 Corinthians 10:2: "They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.")
So what is the baptism that Paul speaks about in our passage today? It is baptism by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ. Here's the sequence: Jesus baptized us into the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11); the Holy Spirit baptizes believers into one body.
Questions to Ponder:So often we get confused and caught up in our definitions. Paul clears things up for us in our passage today: "For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body." Are you in unity with other believers? Who does the baptizing, man or the Holy Spirit? Is there more than one Holy Spirit, or more than one Body? Read your Bible.
For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Thoughts for Today:In Scripture we see many references to baptism. For example:
John's baptism -- which is the baptism of repentance. (Luke 7:29: " All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus' words, acknowledged that God's way was right, because they had been baptized by John.")
Jesus spoke of baptism with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:5: "For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.")
Paul speaks of baptism into Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:3: "Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?")
The baptism of Moses, which refers to those who followed him through the Red Sea and beyond. (1 Corinthians 10:2: "They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.")
So what is the baptism that Paul speaks about in our passage today? It is baptism by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ. Here's the sequence: Jesus baptized us into the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11); the Holy Spirit baptizes believers into one body.
Questions to Ponder:So often we get confused and caught up in our definitions. Paul clears things up for us in our passage today: "For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body." Are you in unity with other believers? Who does the baptizing, man or the Holy Spirit? Is there more than one Holy Spirit, or more than one Body? Read your Bible.
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