"Then Peter said unto them, 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."
Acts 2;38.
"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God... Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
John 3;3 & 5.
"And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one."
1 John 5;8.
God uses the earth itself in the Bible as an example of the new birth by blood, water, and fire. The earth representing man. Fire representing the Holy Spirit for us in salvation.
In the story of Noah, the earth was flooded with water, and the Bible says that this was symbolic of water baptism, where 8 souls were saved by water. And the earth itself was baptized, being completely covered in water. This is where water is applied to the earth.
In
Revelation 14;20, "And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs." This is where blood is applied to the earth.
And
2 Peter 3;10 - 13, says,
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Revelation 21;21, "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away."
Both the earth and heaven that exists now will be burned up, and there will be a new earth and a new heaven. The fire here represents the fire of the Holy Spirit for us in the new birth. In
Matthew 3;11, John the baptist says, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
And the earth doesn't become a new earth until all three elements are fulfilled in it, blood, water, and fire.
2 Corinthians 5;17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
This is a well known verse, but many professing Christians misunderstand the new birth, and misapply this verse. We are born again by following the message of
Acts 2;38. And just like the earth doesn't become a new earth, a new creation, until all three elements are fulfilled in it, we also aren't born again and become a new creation in Christ until we have all three elements fulfilled in us, blood, water, and Spirit. These are applied to our life by repentance, baptism in the name of Jesus, and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit.
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