How to receive baptism

We have all heard about baptism, but not everyone is aware that there are three types of baptism mentioned in the Bible. These are baptism in water, in the Spirit, and in fire. There is much to be said about these three types of baptism, but in this study, we will stick to the basics. However, if you want to know more, we encourage you to study the Word of God for yourself and to ask God to reveal His wisdom to you, which He gladly gives to everyone who searches with a sincere heart.

Baptism in water

The first and most well-known type of baptism is water baptism. This is the only type of baptism that takes place externally, yet it represents what has already taken place internally. It is an act that demonstrates that you have changed your thinking regarding Jesus Christ, from a state of unawareness or ignorance to:

• Accepting Jesus Christ as the Son of God
• Accepting His sacrifice for you (and the necessity of it)
• Surrendering your life to Him

The word “baptize” comes from the Greek word “baptizo.” This word has several meanings. Sprinkling, however, is not one of them. That was invented by the church over the centuries. What it does mean is to “dip,” “immerse,” or “submerge.” In other words, all possible meanings indicate that someone disappears into the water, only to come back up out of it again.

The moment you accepted Jesus Christ as your Messiah and as the Son of God, you received a new life. That new life does not begin when your life here on earth is over; it began at that very moment and will continue when you leave your earthly body to receive a new eternal body in heaven. The moment you decided to follow Jesus, your own life ended to make room for the life of Jesus. Baptism symbolizes that. When you go into the water and disappear completely, it symbolizes that your old life is buried. The moment you come up out of the water, it symbolizes that you have risen from the dead with Christ.

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 walk in newness of life.
Romans 6:4

“…having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through your faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.”
Colossians 2:12

Your baptism is a public testimony of the change that has taken place in your life. More than that, it is part of the Great Commission that Jesus gave to His disciples. He told them to go into all the world and tell the gospel to all people. Then He added:

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Mark 16:16

Perhaps you have received the desire to be baptized before, during, or after reading this study, and perhaps you are wondering what the requirements are to be baptized. That same question was also asked of Philip. His answer was simple, and that answer still stands today.

As they were traveling along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?” And he said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
Acts 8:36-37

When you truly believe with all your heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, you have met the only requirement for being baptized. If you are part of a church, ask your pastor to baptize you. If you are not yet part of a congregation (or home group), then we encourage you to look for a community of believers.

Baptism in the Spirit

Although the first type of baptism (water baptism) is a physical baptism, the other two types of baptism are not physical. The other two types of baptism are spiritual. When Jesus was still walking on earth, just before His public ministry began, it was John the Baptist who spoke of these two types of baptism.

I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who comes after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Matthew 3:11

The first thing to note is that no one can baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire except Jesus. At one point, Jesus spoke to His disciples about the fact that He would return to His Father in heaven. In this conversation, He spoke about the baptism in the Holy Spirit when He promised to send the Helper to His disciples and to all His followers.

If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
John 14:15-18

These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
John 14:25-26

Here it becomes clear that this precious Holy Spirit is our Companion, our Teacher, and that He will bring back to our remembrance all the things that Jesus said to us. But later, Jesus indicated that He is even more than that.

And when He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see Me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is Mine; therefore I said that He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
John 16:8-15

It is the Holy Spirit who makes us aware of sin. Without Him, we are not even able to see it. He must open our eyes to it. He is the One who helps us toward repentance (change of mind) regarding Jesus Christ and regarding sin, righteousness, and judgment. Not for the purpose of getting us condemned, but for the purpose of bringing every area of our lives into line with the Word of God. He does not just convince us that that needs to happen; He is also the One who helps us to achieve it, for in our own strength we can never reach that state. In other words: we truly need Him! He is our connection to Jesus Christ and to the Father. If you want to know what Jesus has to say to you, you need the Holy Spirit. For it is the Holy Spirit who can and will tell you what Jesus is saying. It is the Holy Spirit who releases the power of God in us. It is the Holy Spirit who works together with the Word of God to change us from the inside out. We need Him! He is the (only) Substitute for Jesus on earth.

As John the Baptist said, it is Jesus Christ who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. No one else can do that for you. So when you want to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, ask Jesus to do this for you and to baptize you in His Holy Spirit. It does not always happen immediately. Sometimes you have to wait for it. But if you know a godly man in your area who serves the Lord in true humility, you can ask him to lay hands on you and pray that you may receive that baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Baptism in fire

John the Baptist mentioned not only the baptism in the Holy Spirit but also the baptism in fire. This, too, is a type of baptism that can only be performed by Jesus Christ. But when we speak of fire, it often causes fear. The idea of going through fire, or even being baptized in it, sounds painful and not like something anyone would want. And, of course, there is also the thought of the fire of hell. But let me assure you that this type of fire is not designed to harm you.

Water baptism stands for laying down your life and rising with Jesus. Baptism in the Holy Spirit stands for the power of God in you, the power to change and grow in faith. Baptism in fire stands for holiness, cleansing, and purification. This type of fire is not a literal fire as we know it on earth. It is not the type of fire that harms us.

To God, we are so incredibly valuable and cherished. If you were to compare that to something on this earth, you could say that you are more precious than gold. Still, I want to use the example of gold here. When a goldsmith receives his “new gold,” he always starts with the purification process first. And there is only one way to get that gold purified: through fire. Not just ordinary fire, but extremely hot fire. The gold is heated to extremely high temperatures until it becomes liquid and weak. When that happens, a remarkable process takes place. The gold sinks to the bottom, while all the impurities that were inside rise to the surface. At that moment, the goldsmith only needs to carefully remove the dross from the surface until there is no dross left. The most beautiful part is that the goldsmith knows he is finished when he can see a clear image of himself in the gold.

The fire of God works in the same way. Although it cannot and will not harm us, it is designed to cleanse and purify us. When the fire of God comes, it brings all the dirt of our lives to the surface. And I must be honest, that is not a pleasant feeling or sensation. As I said, it will not harm us, but it will harm and destroy everything that does not belong in our lives. If we respond to this in a good way, and move with the process, it will completely cleanse and purify us. The Holy Spirit knows He is finished when He can see a clear image of Jesus in you. Yes, this process can be painful. And by painful, I mean that we reach a point where we realize how far we were living from God and how many areas in our lives have remained unchanged, while God wanted nothing less than our whole life. That is the moment we realize how we have neglected His love in various areas of our lives without being aware of it. But this is not a pain that is permanent; it is only temporary. It is, in fact, the Holy Spirit's goal to bring us out of that position to our destination. It is not His goal to rub it in; He wants nothing but the best for us. So you go through it, in order to come out cleansed and purified.

If you also want this, you can ask Jesus to baptize you in His river of liquid Holy Fire. He is the Only One who can do that. When you sincerely long for that, He will do it. Perhaps not always immediately, and sometimes it is a slow process, but if you ask, seek, and wait for the Lord, He will certainly not disappoint you.