In this verse, Christ says that the twelve disciples will baptize with water, and He himself will baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost. Why does He specify that the disciples will baptize the people by water and that Christ will baptize the people by the Holy Ghost?
The physical baptism by water could be performed by any person with the right authority. Perhaps this is why Christ specifies that "they" will baptize the people with water. Baptism by fire and the Holy Ghost is more of a spiritual and symbolic cleansing, so perhaps this is why Christ says that He himself "will baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost." He literally cleanses our spirit by sending the Holy Ghost to abide with us.
Christ calls apostles to help Him spread His church on the earth by teaching and baptizing. They need authority given to them from God in order to baptize people into His church. People cannot be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints without the correct authority, and that authority comes from Jesus Christ. So in order to be baptized, there is a physical baptism by water, and a spiritual baptism of the Holy Ghost through Jesus Christ.
Your post made brought Moses 6:59-60 to mind. Baptism by water provides a way to keep a "physical" commandment. Being baptized by the Spirit, we are made "right," being aligned with Christ. It is the baptism by blood - the Savior's blood - that sanctifies us, making us whole.
ReplyDeleteAnd the neat thing is, we can be reminded of that every week by taking the sacrament. We drink the water to remind us of the Savior's blood which is how we are cleansed. Baptism happens once, but we can be renewed every single week with that weekly covenant.
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