Going to Jesus

Daily Thoughts

 Select a thought to read by choosing a collection, the month, and then the day:

• Collection

  Thoughts for the Morning Thoughts for the Evening Random Thoughts

• Month

  January February March April May June July August September October November December

• Day

  11-01 A Loner’s Experiences 11-02 God’s Answer for a Hopeless World 11-03 Being the Head 11-04 No Confusion in the Kingdom of God 11-05 The Power of Death 11-06 Getting Into the Kingdom 11-07 Just Keep These Two Commandments 11-08 Anointed to Hear 11-09 “By . . . With . . . Into” 11-10 Being Pruned 11-11 “Lord at Birth” 11-12 All Things John Said Were True 11-13 “Do You Really Love, or Just Think It” 11-14 “What’s Done is Done” 11-15 Leave Your Gift for God at the Altar, Part One 11-16 Leave Your Gift for God at the Altar, Part Two 11-17 Leave Your Gift for God at the Altar, Part Three 11-18 Do Not Pray for These Problems 11-19 While There is Time 11-20 Merciful without Sin 11-21 The Honorable Thing 11-22 The Son Did Not Glorify Himself 11-23 Your Vision or God’s? 11-24 Are You Persecuted or Persecuting Others? 11-25 In the Middle 11-26 “Much More” 11-27 Not “Us and Them”, Just Us 11-28 “Just You” 11-29 “My Father’s Greatest Achievement” 11-30 Comparing Your Strength to the Giants

 

Random Thought
11-9

“By . . . With . . . Into”

The language of baptism found in the Bible is simple and clear. People were baptized by John the Baptist with water, and later, people were baptized by Jesus with the Spirit:

Matthew 3

11. I indeed baptize you with water at repentance, but after me comes the one who is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to remove. He will baptize you with holy Spirit.

Mark 1

8. I indeed baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with holy Spirit.

Luke 3

16. John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but one is coming who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to loosen. He will baptize you with holy Spirit and fire!”

Jesus said the same thing:

Acts 1

5. John indeed baptized with water, but you will be baptized with holy Spirit not many days from now.

And so did Peter:

Acts 11

16. Then I remembered the saying of the Lord, how he used to say, “John indeed baptized with water, but you will be baptized with holy Spirit.”

The water that John baptized with and the Spirit that Jesus baptizes with are substances; they are both things. John used the thing God commanded him to baptize with, and Jesus uses the thing God commanded him to baptize with.

Finally, whenever people are baptized, they are baptized by someone with something into something. Paul said that the thing we are baptized into by Jesus is the body of Christ on earth:

1Corinthians 12

13. For with one spirit were we all baptized into one body . . .

It is obvious from the scriptures, then, that a person is not in the body of Christ unless he has been baptized by Jesus with the Spirit into that body. In other words, the new birth is the baptism of the Spirit that the resurrected Jesus ministers to those who repent and believe the gospel. And it is that baptism that gives us the hope of eternal life (1Pet. 3:21).