A Brief Review

At this point it would be good to recap what has been explained so far: To escape the perversity of this evil age of man, a person must believe in Christ and his Gospel and all that it means; and one must also repent of the breaking of God’s commandments, and must commit to striving to live according to all of God’s laws. Once this point is reached, it is critical to be baptized by full immersion in water. There should be no delay if at all possible.

How does this bring salvation? Upon coming up out of the water, the baptized person is cleansed of sin, completely renewed. Then he or she is ready to receive the Holy Spirit of God; and as shown, the Holy Spirit is given to the individual, much in the same way the ‘white dove’ descended upon Christ.

Something More Is Still Required

To complete the baptismal ordinance that starts the person on the road to a new life in Christ, there is yet one more symbolic act that must be performed. This final act is most easily described by the example recounted in Acts 8:14-18:

Acts 8:14-18: Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For as yet He (better translated it) had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. NKJV.

The laying on of hands and praying over the person following their total immersion in water is symbolic of setting the person apart . What is meant by the laying on of hands? It is simply the placing of the baptizer’s hands upon the head of the individual being baptized as a symbolic act. By this act, the person is set apart from the “unbaptized”, and is presented before God with a short prayer for the purpose of receiving God’s Holy Spirit. The receiving of the Holy Spirit is the receipt of the “earnest payment” of the gift of eternal life.

Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. NKJV

Ephesians 1:13-14: …..after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his (Christ’s) glory. KJV

As shown earlier, without the Holy Spirit you are not Christ’s (Romans 8:9). And as explained in the scripture above, the Holy Spirit is the earnest or down payment of eternal life that will be given to us in full when we are resurrected into the Kingdom of God. Without having received the gift of the Holy Spirit, a person cannot enter the Kingdom of God!

An Unbreakable Promise

The receiving of God’s Spirit by the laying on of hands is conditional. God’s Spirit will only be given if you repent, believe, and are baptized—fully immersed—then experience the laying on of hands (upon your head) by the one who is baptizing. If these prerequisites are met, the gift of the Holy Spirit is a literal, unbreakable promise from God:

Acts 2:38-39: Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." NKJV

Upon receiving the Holy Spirit, the convert is on the road to the Kingdom of God.

After Baptism, Then What?

Receiving the Holy Spirit at baptism is only the beginning for a Christian. Once baptized, the Christian is set upon a path that takes him or her through the conversion process. Conversion means becoming Christ-like: growing in grace and knowledge over your lifetime, overcoming sin, and remaining faithful and obedient to God, until the end of your natural life. Those who are to receive eternal life in the Kingdom of God must overcome the evils of this world now, in this life. They must overcome the rebelliousness of their human nature within, and the influence of the perverse generation without, and the temptations of Satan, the god of this world, who preys upon our weaknesses. These three enemies of righteousness are weak in comparison to God’s powerful Spirit, delivered to us at baptism. They can all be overcome, and we can receive eternal life. To him who overcomes, God promises eternal life in the kingdom and an inheritance of “all” things (Revelation 21:7, Revelation 3:5, Revelation 3:12, and Revelation 3:21). And our salvation all begins with baptism when the Holy Spirit is received.

As mentioned earlier, at baptism the Bible states you are sealed with the Holy Spirit, which is an earnest payment or down payment towards eternal life.

The Holy Spirit actually dwells in the new Christian to give him or her the strength to be like Christ—the strength needed to overcome. It is a gift of power, and in some ways is similar to the energy we have from our human bodies that gives us the strength to live our physical lives. Receipt of the Holy Spirit provides us with spiritual power that develops in us a spirit-led mind that others cannot possess. It works in us to root out evil and build up a sound mind within us—a mind that has the strength to turn away from the former ways and live according to God’s commandments, which are the way of love (2Timothy 1:7). God’s Holy Spirit imparts the very nature of God to us, developing in us a mind centered on living a way that produces spiritual fruit, not the fruit of this perverted, rebellious age:

Galatians 5:19-23: Now the works of the flesh (without God’s Spirit) are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the (Holy) Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control (the very nature of God and Christ). Against such there is no law. NKJV

Only by living a spirit-led life can one expect to receive immortality in the Kingdom of God. Christ will only recognize those who have received the Holy Spirit when he returns. All those who have not received it in this age, will have an opportunity to do so in the Kingdom of God when they turn to Christ. All those who have already died without knowing Christ will be resurrected to life and given an opportunity for eternal salvation. Eventually all mankind will have an opportunity for salvation! Paul attests to this resurrection in the book of Acts when he says:

Acts 24:15: I have hope in God,….that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. NKJV

A description of this resurrection is found in the Book of Ezekiel, chapter 37.

Counting The Cost

Some of this world’s churches teach that children should be baptized. But can a child truly repent? Can an infant know about sin? Would it be possible for a child to understand his or her human nature is contrary to the laws of God? Also, Christ tells us to count the cost when we consider baptism. A child cannot “count the cost.” What does it mean to count the cost? Christ used the following illustration:

Luke 14:28-33: For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it — 29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' 31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. NKJV

Everyone who seeks to be baptized must count the cost of following Christ. It is not easy for a mature person to do so, let alone a child. A child cannot take on such a heavy responsibility.

Baptized Into The Body

When considering baptism, a person may mistakenly think they are being baptized into a certain Christian denomination. But this is not correct. Rather than being baptized in order to become a member of a certain physical congregation or denomination, the Bible tells us we are baptized into and thus put into the spiritual Body of Christ:

1 Corinthians 12:13 and 27: For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free — and have all been made to drink into one Spirit………27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. NKJV

Once a person has repented of his or her sins and determined to live a life of overcoming—keeping God’s laws—being guided by the Holy Spirit, baptism can occur. Then, and only then, the individual becomes a member of God’s household; and in the Bible that household is referred to as the Church of God—it is God’s church, not the church of any person or organization:

Ephesians 2:19: Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, NKJV

God’s household bears his name:

Ephesians 3:14-15: For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, KJV

Acts 20:28: Therefore (you ministers) take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. NKJV

The Church of God—that is God’s own church—is where God has placed His true ministers to feed his children so that they may grow in grace and knowledge about spiritual matters and God’s way of life. The ministry of the church is admonished to give great diligence as being overseers of the church of God, which is God’s own household.

Yes, there is a Church of God—a body of believers who are organized and taught by those chosen by God to be ministers. They are called by God’s own name, and the individual members are admonished to congregate together when and where they can on a regular basis for fellowship and instruction. God’s message about His household is clear. He personally adds members to it and then provides instruction for them through His ministers so that they can continue to grow in His ways. A baptized member needs the teaching, fellowship, and strengthening that comes with being part of the Church of God:

Hebrews 10:24-25: …let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. NKJV

In 2 Peter 3:18 the Christian is admonished to continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the ongoing lifetime work of a Christian, and it is enhanced by the assembling together with the household of God—the Church of God—wherever possible, to be taught and guided in spiritual matters by a chosen minister of Jesus Christ. (For more information about the Church of God, please request our free re-print article, GOD’S TRUE CHURCH – What is it, Where is it? We offer the article in both hard copy and as an email attachment.)

Not all churches, however, that call themselves the Church of God are in fact God’s church. Some have usurped that name, masquerading as God’s church. They are counterfeit. Because of that, it is important to understand God’s church bears a direct resemblance to the way Christ showed Christians they were to walk. They will follow his example. The true Church will keep God’s laws, they will be obedient, humble people demonstrating sound-mindedness; and will, above all else, demonstrate the fruits of God’s Holy Spirit in their lives. They will meet together in a decent, orderly fashion to learn quietly from the ministry God has given to them for their edification.

Are You Ready?

Isn’t it amazing that the process by which mankind may receive the gift of the Holy Spirit is COMMANDED by God. Mankind is commanded to receive eternal life! God desires that for every human being, past and present. Christ commanded his disciples to preach the gospel of the coming Kingdom of God and to baptize those who believed. Believed what? The message of the coming Kingdom of God. Those who didn’t believe were to be condemned to a later resurrection (Mark 16:15 and 16). Those who were baptized were to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

In one unusual circumstance, Peter saw that the household of a gentile named Cornelius had received the Holy Spirit before being baptized. However, once Peter arrived, the Spirit of God led them to be baptized as well (Acts 10: 48). Such exceptions to the normal order are very rare.

It is amazing that much of the professing Christian world teaches the meaningless exercise of “giving your heart to the Lord” as opposed to repenting and being baptized in the manner already discussed. They teach sprinkling a little water over one’s head is sufficient for baptism, missing the entire point of the symbolism that is so rich and important. It is imperative to understand God does not recognize such baptism ceremonies, nor does He promise to give His Holy Spirit to those who do anything other than what the Bible teaches us. Following His ordnance of baptism is the only way to truly become a disciple of Christ—one in whom Christ is living his life through the power of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 2:20).

After reading this booklet and understanding the ordinance of baptism, you may ask, “When should I be baptized?” The answer is obvious. A person should be baptized when he or she has come to true repentance and desires with a whole heart to turn to Christ. When a person truly repents and believes in Jesus Christ as their personal savior, and believes the message of the Kingdom, which Christ preached, they should be baptized as soon as a true servant of God is available to baptize them. In Acts 16 there is an account of Paul being jailed in Philippi. In this account, the jailer and his household were brought to repentance after witnessing certain miraculous events. Upon explaining God’s word to the jailer and his family, they were baptized in the middle of the night. It is an amazing and inspiring story that should be read by one who is considering baptism.

It should also be understood that a person is not ready for baptism simply because he or she has experienced a temporary human sorrow over something they have done wrong that evokes an emotional reaction. Emotion should accompany repentance, but a temporary or fleeting emotion that is drummed up or is merely a reaction to some situation is not a manifestation of true repentance. As discussed earlier, repentance is a deep and abiding awareness of sin that generates a commitment to turn away from the past sinful life one has led in this perverted evil age. It is a real change in the mind and the heart toward obeying God’s Word. It is not just sorrow over having an awareness you have been sinful. However, when one has come to repentance and a true representative of God is contacted who can perform the baptism, there is no further reason to wait.

Seeking Counsel

Having read through this booklet, if you believe God has led you to repentance, and you feel you are now ready to be baptized, you should seek counseling from a minister of God in preparation for your baptism. If you would like to counsel for baptism with one of our ministers please e-mail us at: webmaster@wonderfulworldtomorrow.org

Or you may write us at:

The church of God
P.O. Box 3332
Modesto, CA 95353

You may also leave your telephone number with our answering service and we will return your call. Our telephone number is a toll free call—1-877-449-6753.