Over the past several posts we have been talking about the three types of baptisms a follower of Jesus should go through. As I was diving into these and writing these posts, I started to wonder why we need to go through three different baptisms. So I asked the Lord about it. I felt like he said, “Well, it’s because you are a three part being. Each part of you needs to be fully immersed in me to work properly.” Of course! We are a body, a spirit, and a soul. So all three aspects of our being need to surrender and be fully committed to Jesus. 

My next question was: which baptism is for which part of us? Today we are going to look at how each baptism is for each part of our being. 

The Baptism Of Our Spirit

At salvation our spirit is made new. We see this in the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus in John chapter 3:

“Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”” ‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬-‭8‬ ‭(ESV‬‬)

At salvation our spirit is born again and renewed. It is then the Holy Spirit seals us for the day of redemption (‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭30). Remember salvation is when the Holy Spirit baptizes us into Jesus. We become a part of the body of Christ. 

The Baptism Of Our Flesh

When we are water baptized, we are renewing our flesh. We see this in ‭‭Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭1‬-‭9‬ ‭(ESV‬‬), “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.”

What Happens At Water Baptism

Do you recall what God showed me when I was at a friend’s baptism? I tell the story in the first post of this series. To summarize, I saw that as they went under the water, their old man died. As they came up, that old man was cut off and Jesus wrapped them in their new man. 

Remember, it is a disciple who water baptizes us in the flesh. This is the only baptism that the flesh feels. The other two baptisms occur in our spirit and soul and thus don’t need a physical element to them. Yes, you will feel different when your spirit or soul are baptized, but you don’t physically get immersed like you do when your flesh is water baptized.

The Baptism Of Our Soul

When we are baptized by Jesus into the Holy Spirit, our soul is baptized. 

‭‭Acts‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬ ‭(ESV‬) says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 

When we are immersed in the Holy Spirit, we receive power to change the way we think about things, and we change our will to comply with what the Holy Spirit wants us to do. We must renew our mind and will in order to live the powerful Christian life. 

We see this happen again right after Peter and John were arrested and told not to talk about Jesus in public. Peter and John were released and went back to their fellow believers. This is what they prayed: 

“And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭4‬:‭29‬-‭31‬ ‭(ESV)‬‬

These Guys Knew What To Do

These people were afraid for their lives. It is normal for them to want to hide out and just live their lives as a Christian in secret. However, they knew their mandate was to go out into all the world and tell everyone about Jesus. They couldn’t do that if they were afraid and hiding out. 

What did they do? They asked to be renewed in their soul by the Holy Spirit. They needed to make their mind and their will come into alignment with the moving of the Holy Spirit. We see that the Holy Spirit answered their prayers and gave them boldness to go out and fulfill their calling. We must do the exact same thing, my friend. 

Baptism In The Old Testament

Did you know that baptism isn’t just a New Testament thing? The priests in the Old Testament were required to go through baptisms in order to get to the presence of God. Guess how many baptisms they had to do? Yep, 3. Below is a diagram I made to help you see what I’m talking about. (Also, you can see Robert Morris discuss this in his sermon on the 3 Baptisms.)

First, the priests had to enter through the one and only door. For us, Jesus is the door. 

Second, they had to sacrifice an animal for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus paid the final price for forgiveness with his blood. 

Third, they had to clean off in water. We do this in the water baptism after our spirit is baptized. 

Finally, they had to get anointed with oil. Jesus anoints us in the Holy Spirit, which correlates to the anointing of oil. 

In order to get to the presence of God in the Old Testament, you must do all 3 acts. If you skipped one, you died. God took the process of going into his presence very seriously. 

Do You Want To Be In The Presence Of God

What does this mean for us? We must have all three baptisms if we truly want to experience the presence of God. In his presence we are made new in our mind, body, and spirit. We must cleanse all three to truly live the life God intends for us to live. 

Can you see why we need three baptisms? Our spirit needs to be cleansed and completely immersed in the body of Christ. Our bodies need to be cleansed and completely immersed in the new life we are given. Lastly, our souls need to be cleansed and completely immersed in the Holy Spirit to walk a life of power and do the things we are called to do. We must not skip a step lest we fail to live the complete life Jesus died to give us.  

“For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:3-7 (ESV)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3