Welcome! In this past Sunday's sermon Pastor Sam extracted one of the "elementary things" listed in Hebrews 6: "instructions on baptisms". This week we'll review some of the things mentioned in the sermon.
In the Judeo-Christian tradition, baptism is a symbol of commitment. Water baptism was a common practice of proselytes who converted to Judaism, and who wanted to demonstrate their decision in a public display of allegiance.
John the Baptist put a new spin on the significance of water baptism, as he implored the Jews of his day to participate in a baptism signifying repentance. John specifically told them that this was a preview of the new wave of baptism that would come with the ministry of Jesus: not a baptism of water, but a baptism of the Holy Spirit's fire (Luke 3:16).
John the Baptist's statement helps us recognize that the use of the plural word "baptisms" found in Hebrews 6 is appropriate: water baptism for repentance and public identification with Jesus, and Spirit baptism- also a public indicator of our identification with Jesus, but one in which the Spirit of God determines how that identification is manifested. We'll take a closer look at these as the week unfolds.
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