Baptism of Fire

Baptism of Fire

 

Matthew 3:11-12『I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. But he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire..』Not many believers know about baptism of fire. It is related to the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. In fact, since believers do not even know about the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, how can they know about baptism of fire?

Luke 12:49-50 "I am coming to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished." Fire means baptism by fire, and the baptism that Jesus received was the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which means resurrection. Jesus' death on the cross was a death to atone for all the sins of the world. Whether it is original sin or worldly sin, all are forgiven when a believer enters into Christ. The Bible expressed the death on the cross as baptism by water and baptism by fire.

Water baptism means that if the believer lived in the time of Noah, they would have died in the flood. It means that God was angry because the Son of God married the daughters of men. This means that the spirit of an evil angel who claimed to be the Son of God combined with a body made of clay and became a human being. Water baptism means that the believer confesses that he died with Jesus.

The baptism of fire means that if a believer lived in Sodom and Gomorrah, they would all be burned to death by fire coming down from heaven. Those who have received the baptism of fire also confess that they died on the cross with Jesus. This is not a formal ceremony, but something that is engraved in the heart. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is widely cited as a theme of adultery. It refers to spiritual adultery rather than physical adultery. Spiritual adultery means believing in God but also following idols. In today's terms, it refers to believers who believe in Jesus but also follow superstitious beliefs, legalism, and gnosticism. These are typical examples of spiritual adultery. God hates spiritual adultery very much.

If you do not believe in Jesus, you cannot be saved. Biblically, this is a natural result. Because sinners cannot enter the kingdom of God. However, what happens if you believe in Jesus but do not believe the words Jesus spoke? This is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and spiritual adultery. Baptism by fire is a baptism given to those who believe in Jesus and believe that they are saved. When believers realize this in their hearts and repent to God, the grace of the Holy Spirit is given.

John 6:29-30 『Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?』 The Jews ask for a sign that they may believe in the one sent by God. Since Jesus performed many miracles, such as the miracle of the five loaves and two fish, the Jews wanted to do the amazing work of God like Jesus, but they asked Jesus about the work of God, "How can we do it?" They already realized that Jesus was the one sent by God. Jesus tells them to believe in the work he has done, but the Jews want a sign. Believing in the work he has sent does not mean believing that Jesus is the Son of God, but believing in the work that Jesus does.

What Jesus does is what God does. In John 6:38-40, “For I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me.” And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.』

Here too, the statement that we see the Son and believe in Him does not mean that we will be saved if we believe in Jesus, but that we should believe in what the Son does. That is, “Of all those whom He has given me I shall lose none, but raise them up at the last day.” Therefore, Jesus said that those who see the Son and believe in Him will have eternal life. “Pistuion eis auton” (πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν) means those who enter into Him (the Son) and believe. Therefore, they do not simply look to Jesus and believe in Him, but those who enter into Jesus Christ and have faith that is united with Him.

Faith that is united with Jesus Christ means being united with the death and resurrection of the cross. The death of the cross means being baptized in water and baptized in fire. Water baptism is confessing and repenting that the believer himself was a person who had left God, and confessing that he died on the cross, and fire baptism is repenting of the sin of not accepting the word sent by God as it is, and becoming a person who died on the cross. Repentance symbolizes the death of the old man, which is sin and the body of sin. Water baptism is death to sin, and fire baptism is death to the body of sin. And resurrection means the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

However, those who call themselves saints today believe that they have become citizens of heaven by being baptized in water without even knowing the meaning of baptism by fire. Nevertheless, they seek another Jesus. The other Jesus is the Jesus who gives blessings to the world and solves problems. These are the ones who commit the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and are not saved.

Salvation begins with being free from sin. Jesus took away the original sin and the sins of the world. However, if believers repent of their sins of the world every day and demand the blood of Jesus, they do not believe in the work of Jesus. This is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Those who believe in Jesus but are caught up in legalism are the same as not believing in the coming of Jesus. Those who are caught up in legalism can cite examples such as insisting on tithing, deceiving the church community building into calling it a temple, saying that only pastors have received the holy priesthood, enforcing the observance of the Sabbath or the Sabbath, or making people observe the holidays or creating similar holidays to observe.

These are the ones who must receive the baptism of fire. Those who are living in this world but have not received the baptism of fire will receive the baptism of fire in the second death after the death of the body. Believers must repent and receive the baptism of fire. Only then can they receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.