Clearing Up Some Misconceptions About Baptism by Water and by the Holy Spirit

The Original Meanings of Water and Holy Spirit Baptism

(John chapter 3, verses 1–8, 16–18) by Rev. Paul J. Bern

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It has been my observation for quite some time now that there seems to be a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding about water and Holy Spirit baptism. The reason this concerns me so much is that the topic of baptism seems to be getting misinterpreted in many modern churches and the various denominations thereof. Each denomination continues to insist that their methods of worship and their sets of beliefs are the only correct way to interpret the Scriptures. The problem I have with this train of thought is that if everybody thinks everyone else is wrong, then no one is truly correct in any of their custom made interpretations. So to get started with this explanation, here are the original verses from which water and Holy Spirit baptism are derived.

Some Pertinent Bible Verses Spoken By Jesus Himself

1) “Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2) He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” 3) Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” 4) “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” 5) Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6) Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7) You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8) The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3:1–8)

The Two Definitions of Baptism

First, we have water baptism. This is usually done as a condition of being a Christ follower. Normally, water baptism comes…