The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Mark 1:8,
"I [John the Baptist] baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
The Jews practiced a variety of baptisms and ceremonial washings. We know the Essenes, the Jewish sect that left us the Dead Sea scrolls, were baptized daily. In Jesus day, when Gentiles wished to convert to Judaism the Jews baptized them. John was sent before the Lord as the great prophet who would fulfill prophecies in Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3. He practiced a baptism of repentance to set the stage for the coming Messiah. Here John tells us that although he baptized with water, the coming Messiah would baptize with the Holy Spirit.
To me this is such an incredible thing! All of us who have embraced Jesus Christ have been baptized with the Holy Spirit! As the apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 12:13, "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."
In Romans 8:9-11 Paul tells us, "You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you."
Having been placed into the body of Jesus Christ by being baptized with the Holy Spirit he now has impact in our lives! The Holy Spirit in whom we have been baptized resides right within each of us. In Ephesians 1:13-14 we read, "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory." The presence of the Holy Spirit within each of us is our guarantee that our inheritance is headed our way! We are sealed by the Holy Spirit as members of God's family!
Having been baptized by the Holy Spirit he is now a constant companion with us to whom we can take comfort from and be encouraged by. He intercedes for us with our Heavenly Father and produces fruit within our lives, wonderful things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
What a magnificent mysterious spiritual reality this is… our Lord has baptized us with the Holy Spirit!!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"I [John the Baptist] baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
The Jews practiced a variety of baptisms and ceremonial washings. We know the Essenes, the Jewish sect that left us the Dead Sea scrolls, were baptized daily. In Jesus day, when Gentiles wished to convert to Judaism the Jews baptized them. John was sent before the Lord as the great prophet who would fulfill prophecies in Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3. He practiced a baptism of repentance to set the stage for the coming Messiah. Here John tells us that although he baptized with water, the coming Messiah would baptize with the Holy Spirit.
To me this is such an incredible thing! All of us who have embraced Jesus Christ have been baptized with the Holy Spirit! As the apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 12:13, "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."
In Romans 8:9-11 Paul tells us, "You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you."
Having been placed into the body of Jesus Christ by being baptized with the Holy Spirit he now has impact in our lives! The Holy Spirit in whom we have been baptized resides right within each of us. In Ephesians 1:13-14 we read, "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory." The presence of the Holy Spirit within each of us is our guarantee that our inheritance is headed our way! We are sealed by the Holy Spirit as members of God's family!
Having been baptized by the Holy Spirit he is now a constant companion with us to whom we can take comfort from and be encouraged by. He intercedes for us with our Heavenly Father and produces fruit within our lives, wonderful things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
What a magnificent mysterious spiritual reality this is… our Lord has baptized us with the Holy Spirit!!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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