"I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit"(1:8)
When I was in the 8th grade, I took preview test for baptism which is not used anymore these days, and when I was a 9th grader on Christmas, I was baptized. On those days if you reach to a certain age, you could be easily baptized without any difficulties. Because there was no pastor at the church I was attending, on the baptism day there came a visiting pastor. How strange it was. How was it possible for a pastor to visit our church on such a busy time like Christmas? Probably I did not remember the exact date or the exact season of my baptism. It seems to prove that I was not prepared well for the baptism. I think I've finished preparation as memorizing the Lord's prayer, the Apostle's creed, and Ten Commandments, and studying some biblical commonsense for several questions and answers. On those days I used to go to the church for fun with my friends, and without any special motive, I was baptized randomly I think.
You don't have to get baptism again even though you had not been well-prepared. Through the church history, there was a group of rebaptism, and we cannot totally deny some of their assertions, but if we understand the true meaning of baptism, it is meaningless to talk about practical effect of baptism. Fairness of baptism could be established by who has the initiative for baptism, not by the person who is doing baptism or is being baptized. Of course the sovereignty of baptism is on triune God. I don't want to develop a deeper theological discussion of baptism in here, so let's get back to the topic of John's 'baptism with water'.
John explains he baptized with water. As a matter of a fact, baptism would be done with water anywhere. The reason why John describes baptism with water is because that it should differentiate from Jesus' baptism with the Holy Spirit. When we consider that baptism basically means to emerge from water as a new person, John's baptism with water could mean a change of personality. In more precise view, baptism with water could stand for that kind of personality change. Such change of both personality and ethics is the epic center of John's message.
This society asks for that kind of change to the religion. Religious people are asked to be respected from others in this world. If we understand the experience of God could not be separated from reality itself, the change of personality is one of the most important factors for Christian faith. If Korean Christians could show their changed moral and ethical personality, the viewpoint of this world towards the church might be much different. This kind of change for personality and ethics does not stay only in a personal level, but it should include a systematic social change too. The church should fight for realization of justice and peace in the society. Liberation theology, Minjung(the people) theology, Feminist Theology and etc could be some kinds of devotional religious attitudes towards change of the world, which could be more decent with humanity. Personal changes emphasized by conservative position as well as social changes by liberal position could be regarded as baptism with water. Both of them could be understood like that because of their viewpoints of change of the way of living.
However, Christian faith is not satisfied with the change of living pattern on personal or social level. It requests more fundamental change. Johns' baptism with water is very real and desperate, but it is still provisional and limited because John could see that clearly, he confessed that he could baptize only with water. Baptism with water should be made a room for baptism with the Holy Spirit, definitely being in a different level in quality, as soon as possible.
Lord, are we lingering on the stage of John's baptism with water? Or maybe aren't we the people even not being baptized with water? Please help us to live in the deep inside of core baptism. Amen.
When I was in the 8th grade, I took preview test for baptism which is not used anymore these days, and when I was a 9th grader on Christmas, I was baptized. On those days if you reach to a certain age, you could be easily baptized without any difficulties. Because there was no pastor at the church I was attending, on the baptism day there came a visiting pastor. How strange it was. How was it possible for a pastor to visit our church on such a busy time like Christmas? Probably I did not remember the exact date or the exact season of my baptism. It seems to prove that I was not prepared well for the baptism. I think I've finished preparation as memorizing the Lord's prayer, the Apostle's creed, and Ten Commandments, and studying some biblical commonsense for several questions and answers. On those days I used to go to the church for fun with my friends, and without any special motive, I was baptized randomly I think.
You don't have to get baptism again even though you had not been well-prepared. Through the church history, there was a group of rebaptism, and we cannot totally deny some of their assertions, but if we understand the true meaning of baptism, it is meaningless to talk about practical effect of baptism. Fairness of baptism could be established by who has the initiative for baptism, not by the person who is doing baptism or is being baptized. Of course the sovereignty of baptism is on triune God. I don't want to develop a deeper theological discussion of baptism in here, so let's get back to the topic of John's 'baptism with water'.
John explains he baptized with water. As a matter of a fact, baptism would be done with water anywhere. The reason why John describes baptism with water is because that it should differentiate from Jesus' baptism with the Holy Spirit. When we consider that baptism basically means to emerge from water as a new person, John's baptism with water could mean a change of personality. In more precise view, baptism with water could stand for that kind of personality change. Such change of both personality and ethics is the epic center of John's message.
This society asks for that kind of change to the religion. Religious people are asked to be respected from others in this world. If we understand the experience of God could not be separated from reality itself, the change of personality is one of the most important factors for Christian faith. If Korean Christians could show their changed moral and ethical personality, the viewpoint of this world towards the church might be much different. This kind of change for personality and ethics does not stay only in a personal level, but it should include a systematic social change too. The church should fight for realization of justice and peace in the society. Liberation theology, Minjung(the people) theology, Feminist Theology and etc could be some kinds of devotional religious attitudes towards change of the world, which could be more decent with humanity. Personal changes emphasized by conservative position as well as social changes by liberal position could be regarded as baptism with water. Both of them could be understood like that because of their viewpoints of change of the way of living.
However, Christian faith is not satisfied with the change of living pattern on personal or social level. It requests more fundamental change. Johns' baptism with water is very real and desperate, but it is still provisional and limited because John could see that clearly, he confessed that he could baptize only with water. Baptism with water should be made a room for baptism with the Holy Spirit, definitely being in a different level in quality, as soon as possible.
Lord, are we lingering on the stage of John's baptism with water? Or maybe aren't we the people even not being baptized with water? Please help us to live in the deep inside of core baptism. Amen.
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