A Deeper Teaching for the Family of God by Kenton Cheek
In the Old Testament, Noah’s ark is a symbol of our salvation and its passage through the waters of the flood is a picture of baptism.[1] When the Israelites passed through the waters of the Red Sea, they were leaving behind their old way of life in idolatrous Egypt and pressing on toward new life in the Promised Land.[2] The priest in the Old Covenant days of the Tabernacle and the Temple were cleansed in the water of the bronze sea before, and hopefully after, they performed their work in the House of the Lord.[3] John the Baptist prepared the way of the Messiah by calling people to repentance, which is a change of mind about sin as well as a change of direction away from it and toward the Lord.[4] The baptism of John was a foreshadow of believer’s baptism in the Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.[5]
Water baptism by immersion is a powerfully symbolic outward sign of an inward work that has already occurred in the life of the believer. The Great Commission was given to all the members of the Church, and because every member is a minister,[6] we are all called to make disciples and baptize.[7] The Word of God affirms the priesthood of all believers,[8] but usually water baptism is officiated by a mentor of the one being baptized or a leader in the local congregation.
As the new believer goes down into the water, it is symbolic of them being buried with Christ and dying to their old way of life.[9] The cleansing of the water is a picture of their inward cleansing by the blood of Jesus. Romans 6:4 reveals that, “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” When a person chooses to believe and receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit cleanses them spiritually with the blood of Jesus.[10]
This spiritual baptism of rebirth and renewal is what unites all born again sons and daughters of God as part of His Church; Heavenly Father’s eternal family.[11] Titus 3:4-7 powerfully explains, “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”
This inner work in our hearts changes our identity from strangers and enemies to friends and children of God.[12] It also guarantees and guides us into our destiny with Heavenly Father in His celestial kingdom.[13] We are justified by His grace.[14] Justification means to have right standing with God. Grace is His undeserved favor lavished upon us because of our faith, which is the choice to believe, trust, and receive. Therefore, our position with God is not determined by our good works. Our standing with Him, and eventually our perfect unity with Him, is by grace through faith.[15]
I Peter 3:21-22 says, “And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.” It is the resurrection of Jesus that saves us and accept it with our pledge. Water baptism is a symbol of this. We aren’t saved by the removal of dirt from the body, we are saved by being baptized in the blood of Jesus. This can only happen spiritually through saving and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit within us.[16] As Peter wrote, water baptism performed by human beings is a symbol of spiritual baptism performed by the Holy Spirit in the blood of Jesus.
Being cleansed in the blood of the Lamb is the baptism that is referred to in Ephesians 4:5-6, “One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” This is a distinct experience from the baptism with the Holy Spirit predicted by John the Baptist and fulfilled in Acts 2. For the original disciples, their inward cleansing occurred after the Atonement in John 20:22 when Jesus breathed on them and they received the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit baptized them spiritually in the blood of Jesus and took up residence within them, and later on the Day of Pentecost, Jesus baptized them in the Holy Spirit and they received an endowment of power from on high.
These are two distinct spiritual baptisms. The first is a baptism to cleanse, the second is a baptism to empower. The first is done by the Spirit in the blood of Jesus, the second is done by Jesus in the Holy Spirit. The two can happen simultaneously in the life of the believer (sometimes, not always), but they are two unique experiences. For some, but not all, all three baptisms happen at once. Studying the sequence of events and the method used by God in the life of the original followers of Jesus is vital to help us understand this.
As the child of God is raised up out of the water, this is a powerful picture of them being raised up from spiritual death and into the newness of life by the power of the resurrection. Water baptism is also to be an honest pledge that this experience has already occurred within their hearts and they are willing to be recognized as a Christian and numbered among those that follow Jesus. For all of these reasons, it is a thrilling and deeply moving event, but the washing of water does not save the person from sin, rather it is symbolic of salvation and an act of obedience.[17] Inner baptism is what happens inside of us when we believe and receive Jesus and His Gospel, water baptism is the physical depiction of that. The Apostle Paul made this distinction in I Corinthians 1:17 when he wrote, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.”
We know from Ephesians 2:8-10 that, “it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” We cannot earn our salvation, it is a gift we believe and receive from the Lord. Nothing I can do can add to the finished work of God the Son on the cross. He is God, I am not. The redemption of the eternal family of God required the sacrifice of the perfect Lamb of God.[18]
The good works I do come from a heart of love that wants to please Him,[19] not an attempt to earn my way to Heaven or a better position there. Obedience to the Word of God is a supernatural outflow of love for Jesus. We are justified, we have right standing before God, by grace through faith. Water baptism is a good work, an act of obedience, that is done by a person who has already been cleansed and made whole spiritually by the precious blood of the Redeemer.[20] Faith produces works. John the Baptist exhorted to “bear fruit in keeping with repentance.”[21]
Even as we do those good works, we are to yield to the Holy Spirit who works through us and He bears good spiritual fruit in our lives. In Him we live and move and have our being. When Scripture says in Acts 2:38, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Peter is saying that if you will turn away from sin and toward the Savior, He will cleanse you, releasing you from the guilt of your sin, then you will receive the Holy Spirit and have access to His power. The inward cleansing and remission of sin is symbolized in water baptism.
Spiritual baptism in the blood of Jesus by the Holy Spirit is what unites us as the Church, the Bride and Body of Christ, the Eternal Family of God. The Apostle Paul wrote, “For we were all baptized byone Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”[22] Our sins are washed away by this inner baptism, we are adopted into the eternal family of God, we become part of the universal Church, and we are made a temple of the Holy Spirit, guaranteeing our future with Him. Through spiritual baptism, we receive our identity, community, and destiny in Jesus Christ.
[1] I Peter 3:20
[2] I Corinthians 10:1-4
[3] 1 Kings 7:23-26, II Chronicles 4:2-5
[4] Matthew 3:6
[5] John 1:27
[6] Exodus 19:6, Isaiah 61:6, I Peter 2:5, Revelation 20:6
[7] Matthew 28:16-20
[8] I Peter 2:5-9
[9] Ephesians 4:22
[10] I John 1:7
[11] Galatians 3:26-29
[12] Romans 5:10, Colossians 1:21-22
[13] II Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 2:6-7
[14] Romans 3:24
[15] Ephesians 2:8-10
[16] Galatians 3:1-5
[17] Matthew 3:15
[18] John 1:29, Revelation 21:27
[19] John 14:15, 14:21, I John 5:3
[20] Hebrews 9:14
[21] Matthew 3:8
[22] I Corinthians 12:13
Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God 
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