Water baptism is an outward sign of repentance, a cleansing away, and for those who are baptized as Christians, representative of the washing away of our sins by the blood of Jesus. To come to this repentance is a work of God. Being therefore cleansed we can be baptized into the body of Christ as his Spirit comes to reside within us. One should not confuse the outward sign, which we should do, with the reality of God’s work that happens in a moment of time. We are born again, through the water (repentance) into the body of Christ (by his Spirit). These are the two essentials.
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