Quote:
Originally Posted by mizpeh
Baptism for a believer is a likeness of the burial of Christ. I'd call that symbolism. BUT baptism is more than just a likeness of a Christ's burial, but there is an actual spiritual work that happens in baptism... Romans 6:6... knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, Baptism is a work of the Spirit in remitting sin AND it is done in symbolic likeness with Christ's burial.
http://www.answers.com/topic/symbolism?cat=health |
I feel that water baptism has been followed by too many folks as a ritual that was merely being cooperated with between some guy who is seen as 'should know' and some body else who doesn't know but wants to "do what they were told" by the guy who should know.
The causalty in this is a growing population of folks who have participated in this as a scriptural mandate, a ritual, rather than entering into it having already seen/heard its promise of deliverance in their spirit...i.e., by faith.
A new birth that IS FROM ABOVE (Pel, I agree with your assertion about the second birth) is coupled with a death and burial of some former thing, and this operation is ALSO from above.
None of us have any idea how "in the spirit" our old self is crucified with him. But hearing a witness in our spirit, our faith takes us into the waters of baptism to achieve the cutting away of the body of sin by the circumcision of Christ.
Too many folks have entered into the waters of baptism because somebody said, "hey, you need to get baptised!" Phillip knew there was a condition that was needed for the Enuch to enter the water, he must first believe on the work of the one that Phillip preached, that Jesus was the Son of God, Messiah, the Lamb of God.
Too many folks have their own experience with water baptism as a testimony of just doing what they were told to do, for them it is just a command in the bible. Check the box, get it done.
Death and burial are the precursors for a second birth.
Death and burial is a deliverance from the captivity of our old self.
My soul followeth hard after thee....Love one another with a pure heart fervently. 
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