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"Lord", "faith", "God" there is little, if any, difference among true believers. But when
we come to baptism, so many forget that the one baptism is mentioned in equal terms
with the above words. The emphasis in "one" is in opposition to corporate diversity in
the Body of Christ.
There are those who suggest water baptism can be blended with the Spirit's baptism
here and yet be looked upon as one baptism. We do not understand this kind of mental
jugglery, but it cannot be true, not only in view of the above arguments, but also because
water baptism did not form a necessary part of the commission Christ gave Paul. "Christ
sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel" (I Cor. 1: 17) he asserted. Even though
he did baptize a few, it should be quite evident from the clear command of the Lord that
ritual baptism was not essential to the ministry entrusted to him and therefore it is an
intruder in Eph. 4: 5 and Col. 2: as well as being quite foreign to the context. Each
member of the Body is "filled full (complete) in Christ" (Col. 2: 10). What can
"shadows" add to this glorious fullness? And is it not lack of appreciation of this fullness
that causes many to cling to these "shadows"?
We would sum up by saying that the real Spirit baptism identifies and unites a believer
with Christ eternally. There are three great unities in Scripture:
(1)
The unity between the members of the Godhead (John 17:).
(2)
The unity between Christ and the believers (Rom. 6:).
(3)
The unity between believers themselves (Eph. 4:).
No wonder we are not exhorted to make a unity, but to carefully guard one already
made by God.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit does not depend upon or wait for the action of man,
that is one man baptizing another in water, it is wholly the "operation or working of God"
(Col. 2: 12) and occurs at the moment of salvation. In just the same way being "planted
together in the likeness of His death" (Rom. 6: 5) does not depend upon ritual, but solely
upon the action of the Holy Spirit, thus effecting complete identification of the believer
with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.
"For if by means of the image of His death we have been joined with His death, then
we shall also be joined with His resurrection" (Rom. 6: 5, 100: K. Barrett).
The thought here is akin to grafting. Sumphutos "planted together" A.V. literally
means "grown together with" and explains how complete this wondrous identification is.
The work of God does not leave the believer in death; it puts him on resurrection ground,
a new outlook, a new life, here and now, although the literal resurrection representing our
hope is yet future. Note carefully how Paul puts this hope into the future "We shall be
also in the likeness of His resurrection" (verse 5) and "we believe that we shall also live
with Him" (verse 8).
Verse 6 continues: