NLM Christian Blog

Today’s post comes from a believer who, after reading Rev. Paul C. Jong’s “Matthew seen from the perspective of the gospel of the water and the Spirit (I),” sent us a review of the book along with the testimony of his own faith. In this testimony, he shares what he came to realize about the baptism of Jesus and the cross, and about how someone who has received the remission of sins ought to live from now on.

Because now I know that Jesus took my sins away forever, as far as the east is from the west. I am free from sin. According to the Bible which I believe, I have no sin because Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River to take away my sins — past, present and future sins.

The Incarnation, the baptism, the blood of the Cross, the death and the Resurrection are not separate events, but one connected work of God’s salvation to save sinners.

Jesus’ baptism is an indispensable and essential truth of salvation in our redemption. 1 Peter 3:21 states, “And this water, the antitype, now saves you through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” It says that Jesus’ baptism is the antitype that saves us.

When He reached the age of 30 for His public ministry, He received baptism from John the Baptist, taking all the sins of the world upon Himself, and after preaching the gospel for 3 years, He shed His blood on the cross to eliminate all the sins of the world.

Just as a sacrifice without laying on of hands was invalid in the Old Testament, believing only in the blood of Jesus on the cross without His baptism by John the Baptist in the Jordan River as the Lamb of God who came in the New Testament is unlawful and an incomplete faith.

Just as Paul also sternly said, “As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:9), there is a gospel that the church must absolutely keep.

Before being born again, I used to cry every time asking God for forgiveness, but now I can live with joy thanking Him for saving us completely from sin through the gospel of the water and the Spirit.

Though I had read the Bible all my life without being born again, this book showed me how to become God’s sinless child according to that same Bible. However, until then, I had never understood anything about “the gospel of the water and the Spirit” in John 3:5.

We are born as corrupted sinners with 12 kinds of sins in our hearts, and therefore our destiny is to go to hell without any resistance. O Lord, if you call us sinners we are definitely sinners, and if you call us righteous, then we are certainly righteous.