|
Re: born of water
I do believe a person is incomplete if they have not been baptized in Jesus name. They are missing something that is scriptural and part of God's plan, and it's very important that they be baptized in Jesus name. I believe repentance and even being filled with the Holy Ghost are incomplete without baptism, however I'm stating that the Spirit of Christ puts the life of Christ within a believer. Yes, a person still needs to bury the old man, but it is not the act of baptism itself that changes a person on the inside, that can only be done through the influence of the Holy Ghost converting a person's heart from the inside out. The work of the Holy Spirit / Spirit of Christ does the following:
- It transforms our nature
- It converts our heart
- It puts the LIFE OF CHRIST within us (the Spirit of Christ is the Life of
(Christ)
- It bears witness to the fact that we are accepted and forgiven by God. He has bore witness to our faith and confirmed it by filling us with His Spirit
This doesn't negate the necessity of baptism. It's still part of his new covenant plan, but neither does the fact that we must be baptized in Jesus name negate the fact that we receive the life of Christ when we are filled with his Spirit.
|