In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
At Galatians 2:20 Paul says, "it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." He had an encounter, and experience with the risen and living Christ. This encounter was not a mere memory for the apostle. The meeting permeated his soul, it affected every part of his life, it changed who he was. That encounter with the risen Christ was not a mere memory, it was life itself to him, so he could say that Christ lived in him. To encounter the risen Christ, the living God, is a transformative experience. It is like being given a new life, a new birth, a new way of living and looking at the world. The ceremony of baptism is meant to symbolize our encounter with Christ and our new life in the Church, his body. For this reason St. Paul says that we are ‘buried with Christ in baptism and raised with him to a new life.’ (Romans 6:1-7)
In the Law of Moses there are baptisms or washings (βαπτιζω) to cleanse the priests and the children of Israel of ceremonial impurity. (Lev. 14:5-7; Num. 8:6-7; 19:16-22; 31:21-23; Exod. 24:6-8) Therefore, when St. John the Baptist began baptizing in the Jordan River; the Pharisees did not ask him about the origin of the ceremony. They were already familiar with baptisms. They were curious about why St. John was baptizing rather than one of the priests. (St. John 1:19-23) These ceremonies for the Jewish people anticipated something greater. The prophets of the exile foretold that the Messiah will “sprinkle many nations,” not merely the Jewish nation. (Eze. 36:25-27; Isa. 52:15) When the apostles met the Risen Christ in Galilee, he gave them the commission to baptize the world in the very name of God himself.
“All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.” (St. Matthew 28:18-19)
When we speak of baptism in water, the ideal form is immersion in living water, as symbolized in Colossians 2:12. Immersion signifies burial with Christ, and rising from the water mirrors His resurrection, a profound declaration of new life. The water itself represents the cleansing of sin, just as the believer is washed and renewed through Christ's sacrifice. However, the mode of baptism—whether by immersion, pouring, or sprinkling—carries the same symbolism. (Didache 7:1-2; Ephesians 5:26; Titus 3:5-8; Hebrews 10:22) There is yet a deeper baptism, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Scripture tells us that all who believe that Christ is the Son of God are born again. (1 John 5:1, 18)
If a man is not born again then he is not a Christian. "unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (St. John 3:5) It marks our adoption as children of God, heirs with Christ and it is by this Spirit that we are incorporated into the body of Christ. (Romans 8:15-17; 1 Corinthians 12:13) Sometimes baptism with the Holy Ghost precedes water baptism, as was seen with St. Cornelius and his family. (Acts of apostles 10:44-48). This reminds us that God’s work in a person’s heart cannot be contained even by the mysteries. Finally, we must consider the baptism by fire. When John the Baptist spoke of this baptism, he was not referring to physical water or even the Spirit, but to the fiery trials that come upon every believer. To follow Christ is to carry your cross and follow him, to suffer as he suffered, and to live as he lived. “All who wish to live godly lives will face persecution.” (2 Timothy 3:12)
Fire purifies, and in the same way, the trials of life refine our faith, proving its genuineness. For this reason our Lord said that his followers must be “salted with fire.” Baptism with fire signifies the faithful endurance of trials, temptations and persecutions for the sake of Christ. (St. Matthew 3:11; 1 Peter 1:7) St. Paul says that “all who wish to live godly lives will face persecution.” (2 Timothy 3:12) It is a baptism with fire because fire signifies persecution and tribulation, all of the saints “will be salted with fire.” (Mk. 9:49) The visible manifestation of tongues of fire accompanied the baptisms at Pentecost and many of the saints who were baptized at this event were later martyred.
In these three baptisms, water, Spirit, and fire, our life in Christ is defined. We become members of the Church, his body, when we are born of water and the Spirit, and our faith is refined by the baptism of fire when we endure trials for the sake of Christ. Christ lives, and he is with us, even to the end of the age. Amen and Amen.
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