Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.When you were born again, you were baptized into Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit and became a member of the body of Christ. Your spirit was regenerated by the Holy Spirit, and that is why it is called the baptism of regeneration. It is amazing how many believers don't know that when they were saved, they were baptized or immersed into Christ.
(Rom. 6:3-4)
The baptism of regeneration says that our old man of sin died with Him. This is called "identification." We identify with Jesus in His death. When we are baptized into Christ by the Holy Spirit, our old man dies. But that's not all.
For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection.Our baptism into Christ also means we were raised into newness of life, and the Bible says, "if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature" (2 Cor. 5:17). We were born again "in the likeness of His resurrection." The Holy Spirit regenerates our spirit.
(Rom. 6:5)
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.Underscore "one Spirit." The Holy Spirit immerses us into "one body," which is the body of Christ. We become a part of the universal and eternal Church. The baptism of regeneration is a miracle, and the agent of that spiritual transformation is the Holy Spirit. It is His work that causes us to be born again and spiritually made new or regenerated.
(1 Cor. 12:13)
First Corinthians 12:13 says that it doesn't matter whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, slave or free, rich or poor. Every true child of God is baptized into Christ by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the very first baptism for believers is the baptism of regeneration, or salvation, which is spiritual.
Source: Water, Wind & Fire, The Next Steps by Mac Hammond
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Mac Hammond is the senior pastor of Living Word, a large and growing church in Brooklyn Park (a suburb of Minneapolis), Minnesota. He is the host of the Winner’s Minute, which is seen locally in the Minneapolis area on KMSP Channel 9 at 6:44 a.m. and 11:11 a.m. He is also the host of the Winner's Way broadcast and author of several internationally distributed books. Mac is broadly acclaimed for his ability to apply the principles of the Bible to practical situations and the challenges of daily living.
