The cross of Christ draws us to realize we can have forgiveness and renewal, "Now is the time of judgement on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself."  "All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."  When someone asks Christ to forgive him of sin then a new birth takes place. "Yet to all who receive him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God."  Scripture also says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone the new has come!"  Water baptism symbolizes that new birth because as the new believer goes under the water she symbolically shares in death of Christ. When she comes out of the water she public ally proclaims her new life in Christ and the washing away of her sins.

The job of the Holy Spirit is to point us to God, "So, as the Holy Spirit says: 'Today, if you hear his voice do not harden your hearts..." which is not the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

There are passages in scripture that demonstrate to us that the experience of the baptism of that symbolizes the new birth is a separate experience from the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The order of experience is not as important as the experiences of both.  What is important is that the rebirth experience takes place before either.

For an example of receiving forgiveness and the subsequent rebirth baptism is seen in the ministry of a man named Philip.  Philip went to the people of Samaria and preached Jesus to them, "...when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and in the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women."  "When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they simply had been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus."

This is in contrast to the experience Peter, one of Christ's disciples, had while he was preaching at a Roman Centurion's house when, "the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message." Once this happened, "...Peter said, 'Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.' So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ."

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