I.e. the newbirth is before water baptism. But, it's just not made real, until your baptismal hands make it real.
1Jo 5:21
Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
There is no newbirth near-reality by recieving the Spirit Himself, until the Spirit's newbirth can be made really real with the baptism of men's hands.
There is no making the newbirth of the Spirit real, by the water idols of men's hands.
Here's a great example of a newbirth reality only made real, by rising up with men's baptismal hands.
Rev 13:1
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
There is a striking
thematic parallel between the "straight" way associated with John the Baptist and the "street which is called Straight" to which Saul was sent.
John the Baptist's ministry was described this way: The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias." — John 1:23, KJV
Then, in Saul's conversion: "Arise, and go into the
street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth." — Acts 9:11, KJV
The parallel:
John's mission was to
prepare people for the coming of Jesus. His message was repentance, and he administered "the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins" (Mark 1:4).
The crooked way of man had to be made straight in preparation for receiving Christ.
Paul's experience follows that pattern personally. He was sincerely religious, but he was traveling in the
wrong direction—literally on a road to Damascus for the purpose of persecuting those who called upon Jesus' name (Acts 9:1-2). Jesus stopped him, humbled him, and then sent him into Damascus. Remarkably, the place where Saul awaited God's further instruction was
"the street which is called Straight."
There is an especially interesting connection when we follow the story through
Acts 19.
John prepared the way by preaching repentance and baptism while pointing people
forward to Jesus: "John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is,
on Christ Jesus." — Acts 19:4
Paul then took people who had stopped at John's baptism and brought them into what John had been preparing them to receive: "When they heard this, they were
baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus." — Acts 19:5
So there is a progression:
John: "Make straight the way of the Lord" →
repentance → points people toward Jesus.
Saul: Jesus stops him on his way → sends him to
Straight Street → Ananias gives him God's command concerning Jesus' name.
Paul: later preaches the same truth to John's disciples → they believe John's testimony concerning Jesus → are
baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus → receive the Holy Ghost (Acts 19:4-6).
Another connection. When Ananias found Saul on Straight Street, he eventually gave him the command Paul later recounted: "And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and
wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." — Acts 22:16
That means
"make straight the way of the Lord" and
"the street which is called Straight" both occur in contexts involving
repentance, baptism, and coming into proper relationship with Jesus.
John was preparing a
straight way for people to come to Christ. Saul was placed on
Straight Street as Christ brought him from his own way into obedience to God's way. Then Saul became Paul and spent the remainder of his ministry directing others down that same path toward Jesus.
So, J
ohn was sent to make the Lord's way straight; Saul was sent to a street called Straight so that he could learn the Lord's way. The man who had been traveling the wrong road to persecute those who called upon Jesus' name was stopped by Jesus, redirected to Straight Street, and commanded to wash away his sins calling upon that very name. He then became an apostle who spent his life directing others to the same Jesus.
The geographical name in Acts 9:11 was literal. But within the larger biblical narrative, its placement at precisely this turning point in Saul's life creates a powerful picture:
Jesus took a man headed the wrong way and put him on "Straight."