there is a lot here, praying for you to take the time to reaqd it might be worth it your choice it is free.
Before the cross, John the Baptist said these things and no public water Baptism had ever occurred prior to the testament about Christ's coming. and more than one witness to what John said
Matthew 3:11 “I
baptize you
with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will
baptize you
with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Mark 1:8 I
baptize you
with water, but he will
baptize you
with the Holy Spirit.”
Luke 3:16 John answered them all, “I
baptize you
with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will
baptize you
with the Holy Spirit and fire.
John 1:26 “I
baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know.
John 1:33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to
baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will
baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
Then after Christ had gotten Baptist and the Spirit of God the Father came upon him, he went out and was tested by Satan, then the ministry began of the kingdom of heaven is near things like:
[h=3]Matthew 5[/h]King James Version (KJV)
5 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
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2 [/SUP]And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
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3 [/SUP]Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
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4 [/SUP]Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
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5 [/SUP]Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
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6 [/SUP]
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
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7 [/SUP]Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
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8 [/SUP]Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
He did all sorts of miracles, even raising the dead back to life as Lazarus.
He did the Job that he was manifested to do and that was to bring us a new covenant of Love to all, not sects, not I am right and you are wrong, to bring us all together through love in respecting each others free will as God does. The only time I ever seen God get angry is when others take away others free will.
Okay Christ did all he came to do and proof in who he is were in the miracles and love he extolled to all the downtrodden people in his day. Never once did he claim self-righteousness.
So after the death and resurrection of the cross we are in a new Covenant being Baptized by God without water as was John did for repentance, after the resurrection lets see what new is taken place
Acts 1:5
For John
baptized
with water, but in a few days you will be
baptized
with the Holy Spirit.”
Then came Pentecost, so it scripture stating the new is coming before Pentecost took place?
Then even though Peter insisted on water Baptism in many a scripture shown see what is said after Acts 10 when they received the Spirit Baptism before water baptism
Acts 10:47 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being
baptized
with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have
Acts 11:16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John
baptized
with water, but you will be
baptized
with the Holy Spirit.’
So it does not matter if one gets water Baptized to me, and is a good conscience towards God if that is the motive of the person getting this done in whatever denomination they choose.
The reason I say this is because unless God by the free gift of God does the Baptism, which God does, and has done as shown in Pentecost did, yet this does not mean one has to speak in an unknown tongue, because to tell the truth at Pentecost they did not speak in unknown tongues, the tongues were known of the others their that Peter did not know, and the Holy Spirit spoke through Peter to them of the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of the Holy Spirit, and they believed and were saved, then they were water Baptized as what had become a tradition of the disciples when they knew Christ in the flesh, yet now after ascension known only in the Spirit, not flesh any more.
Now man has adopte4d many traditions calling them new and is a commandment to do. When anything that is a commandment that one has to do, negates free will, and God will never negate free will, yet people do.
I hope and prey you choose God to believe in as when Christ went to the cross he died for the sin of the whole world in order to bring us to his Father made perfect before him by belief:
John 1:29 [
John Testifies About Jesus ] The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the
Lamb of God, who takes away the sin
of the world!
Hebrews 5:9 and,
once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation
for all who obey him
How is it possible to obey him? Born again of the Spirit of God by God by the cross
Hebrews 10:10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ
once for all.
[h=3]Colossians 1:22-23[/h]New International Version (NIV)
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22 [/SUP]But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— [SUP]
23 [/SUP]if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
[h=3]John 16:9[/h]New International Version (NIV)
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9 [/SUP]about sin, because people do not believe in me;
So if one is convicted of sin and seeks to find truth that he took it all away at the cross and one believes this then God by the operation of has born you again in his Spirit the same as God did for Christ
Rom 6 a good chapter to see what God did but here is this, by belief in God you are baptized into the death of Christ and thus made alive to God by the resurrection of Christ
[h=3]Romans 6:4[/h]New International Version (NIV)
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4 [/SUP]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.
This is all God's doing and man has had nothing to do with it, yet still looks to take credit for what God has done, by all kinds of self will worshipping when in fact God can only today be worshipped in Spirit and truth
John 4:23
Yet a time is coming
and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the
Spirit and in
truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
John 4:24 God is
spirit,
and his worshipers must worship in the
Spirit and in
truth.”
So one has to be born again a free gift from God to you. So are you willing to die to self and any self effort, and ask God to take up residence in you and be born again? Then do it and be. Then read and trust for all to be revealed to you what is needed to be revealed to you, by God as God is now your teacher in all things