(4) Salvation is expressed through baptism

(4) Salvation is expressed through baptism

 

Today, there is a tendency within the church to take salvation too lightly. This is due to justification by faith alone, which implies that one is saved simply by believing in Jesus. However, salvation is not achieved merely by believing in Him. Hearing Jesus say, "I do not know you," would be a great disappointment.

I view baptism as having the same meaning as submitting a job application to get hired at a good company. To get a job, you must fill out the application and send it to the company; however, you are not automatically hired. Instead, the documents are reviewed, verified, and even an interview is conducted before a decision is made on whether to hire you. Similarly, baptism is also thought to undergo this same process.

Believers may dismiss this as nonsense, but this is the result of reasoning based on what is said in the Bible. Baptism is described in the Old Testament in a narrative form. Lambs died in place of the firstborn sons of the Israelites during the Exodus. The people believed that the lambs had died in their stead. However, as soon as they left Egypt, the Red Sea blocked their path. The Egyptian army pursued them, but there was no way to stop them. Then, miraculously, the Red Sea parted.

And while the Israelites crossed the sea, Pharaoh's army was drowned in the Red Sea. Although Pharaoh had released the Israelites, he had resolved to immediately pursue and kill them all; instead, it was they who were drowned. The Bible describes this as water baptism. It signifies that the Egyptian soldiers died in the water, while the Israelites crossed the Red Sea and advanced toward a new land. However, when the Israelites requested that twelve spies be sent ahead to verify the land of Canaan, God granted permission. The results of the reconnaissance reported to Moses that, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, anyone who entered would die. It is said that upon hearing this, the people wept and wailed all night long. Except for these two, no one believed God's word.

God was angry and caused them to wander in the wilderness for 38 years until they died. If we count from the beginning of the Exodus, this amounts to 40 years. Only children under the age of 19 at the time of the Exodus and those born in the wilderness were allowed to cross the Jordan River and enter Canaan. The Jordan River is the place where Jesus was baptized. Baptism at the Jordan River is likened to the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Crossing the Red Sea is likened to water baptism, while crossing the Jordan River is likened to the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Although they were called by God's sudden grace and received water baptism by crossing the Red Sea, it took a full 38 years for them to cross the Jordan River and receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit due to the people's lack of faith. Baptism is a form of immersion, involving a ritual of entering and emerging from water. However, this ritual carries the meaning of dying and being reborn. One participates in the ritual through faith. The question, however, is whether this ritual of faith is immediately fulfilled.

No one knows how much time elapses between the ritual of water baptism and the actual execution of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Since these rituals are performed by human hands, a procedure to verify the authenticity of this baptismal ceremony takes place, which is precisely Satan's verification.

Immediately after Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness, and Jesus was tempted by Satan after fasting for 40 days. Satan's temptations can be summarized into three categories, and upon examining their content, they are related to legalism, mysticism, and prosperity theology.

Although the believer seeking baptism has performed the ritual, no one knows the true nature of their heart of faith. Therefore, through Satan's temptation, God confirms their salvation and allows them to receive the seal of the Holy Spirit. However, Satan's temptation is directed by God. This means that Satan does not act of his own accord. A representative example is the scene in 1 Kings 22:22 where it is said, “A spirit came and stood before the LORD and said, ‘I will entice him.’”

Ahab of Northern Israel and Jehoshaphat of Southern Judah formed an alliance to fight against the Aramean army, and they decided to consult the prophets. Ahab consulted 400 false prophets, who told him that they would win if they fought; however, when he consulted Micah, a true prophet, he was told that they would suffer disaster if they fought. This is what is stated in 1 Kings 22:22.

The spirit is Satan. Satan plays the role of revealing the greed of the heart. Although it may appear as if he is deceiving, he ultimately causes the sinner to act on the greed within their heart, thereby revealing that the fault lies with him. Temptation is the act of manifesting greed and desire to the one being tempted.

Therefore, the fact that the temptation to drag Ahab to the battlefield to his death befell him suggests that his inner self was filled with greed for the expansion of military power. The reason the wicked reach the path of death is simply that they are driven by their own greed and manifest it in their actions. God is using Satan as a tool within His providence.

When the rite of baptism is proclaimed in this way, passes through Satan's temptation, and ascends to God, there may be cases where the Holy Spirit is given immediately, but there are also cases where it takes decades. The descent of the Holy Spirit is the same as when the Holy Spirit descended on Pentecost during Jesus' time. When the Holy Spirit comes, a temple is built within the heart of the believer, and Jesus comes to dwell in that temple as the Lord. Only then does He become the Lord of the believer, and a spiritual marriage relationship begins in which the believer serves Jesus as Lord.

1 Peter 3:21 accurately explains the meaning of water baptism. It means that water is not meant to wash away the filth of the flesh, but to lead one out with a good conscience. Baptism is the death of the old self with Jesus and the moving forward together into the resurrected life. Romans (6:3-5) expresses the same idea.