Baptism

penitence, we do not consider it a necessary baptism to undergo. Or do we? It
would have been a good way to die with Christ and be raised with him. In fact
I am told some Free Mason Cults do that as their initiation ceremony. Baptism
is a simpler picture of dying to self and rising with Christ. Nevertheless it is a
picture that can be painted in many ways. This is emphasized by Paul in I
Corinthians 10:2-4, Paul wrote of the Israelites:
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All were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all
ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual
drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed
them, and that Rock was Christ.
Evidently the baptism the Israelites took is said to be "Baptized into Moses"
What could this "into Moses" mean? Evidently it means that they took Moses
as their leader and were disciplined by Moses into the ways of the Lord.
How were they baptized? Through their common experience of the cloud, the
sea, the manna and the thirst. The fact that it is a symbol is emphasized by
saying that "The rock that followed Israelites through the dessert was Jesus. Is
Paul saying that the physical rock was indeed Jesus?
Paul’s theme of identification with Adam and with Second Adam runs
through Romans 5 through 7. Through this water baptism we have through
Adam (by the birth through the watery womb of a woman) we have inherited
all that Adam received. Through the water baptism death passed upon all men
(5:12); that the many are dead (5:15); all stand condemned (5:16); death
reigns over all men (5:17)); judgment came on all (5:18); many were made
sinners (5:19). With the birth in the Spirit, Spirit Baptism identifies us with
Christ; we are justified and made righteousness (5:18); we are buried with
Him and resurrected with him unto life (6: 4). For the death that He died, He
died to sin once for all, but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise
you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in
Christ Jesus our Lord (6: 10-11).
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