Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. (Romans 6:3-7)
Good evening! I want to pass on to you the truth of the Holy Spirit. Please read my blog concerning the Holy Spirit when you have time. This passage helps us to understand what is happening when we’re baptized by the Holy Spirit. 1) We repent. “Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” 2) Christ was made sin for us so we can get rid of our sin. “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) 3) Christ dies and our sins (our old selves) die with Him. ‘“He himself bore our sins’ in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; ‘by His wounds you have been healed.’” (1 Peter 2:24) 4) Christ was buried and our old selves (our sins) were covered (buried) with Him. “Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.” (Romans 4:7) 5) Christ rises from the dead, and we rise with Him. “Because I live, you also will live. (John 14:19).
We became separated from Adam and joined to Christ in the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Water baptism cannot do that. But water baptism helps us understand what the Spirit has already done. “I indeed baptize you with water, but there comes One after me, greater than I, who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (John 1:33) After our union with Christ, everything is different in our lives. When we mature as Christians, we will hate sin and want to get rid of anger, anxiousness, and our bad habits. We will want only to possess the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. At that time the Holy Spirit will give us more grace and power to have the self-control we need to completely bury our old lives. The proof that we have been through the crucifixion and resurrection with Christ is that we become more and more like Him.