Have you been baptized in the name of Paul?

 

Have you been baptized in the name of Paul?

 

1 Corinthians 1:13-16 "Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Have you been baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one may say that he was baptized in my name. I also baptized the household of Stephanas, and I do not know of anyone else besides them."

Paul emphasizes that he has baptized only a few people. This is because the believers in the Corinthian church think that the one who administers baptism is like the head of a denomination. Although the act of baptism is performed by a human being, because it is done in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—that is, in Jesus—the one administering the baptism is Jesus, and the human hand is merely an agent.

Jesus also received baptism from John the Baptist. However, it was God who baptized Jesus, and it was done merely through the hand of John the Baptist. Matthew 3:16-17: "When Jesus was baptized, he immediately came up out of the water, and behold, the heavens were opened, and the Spirit of God descended like a dove upon him. And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'"

Baptism is an expression of the covenant. Romans 6:3-4: "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death? So we were buried with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will also be united with him in a resurrection like his."

When viewed through the lens of Jesus, He was baptized and immediately led by the Holy Spirit to face Satan's temptation. It was only after passing Satan's temptation that He was able to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Today, most believers in the church community are baptized and, just as Jesus did, pass through Satan's temptations to preach the gospel. The key points of Satan's three temptations are legalism, prosperity theology, and mysticism.

Legalism means turning stones (the law) into bread (eternal life); it is the belief that one can obtain eternal life by strictly keeping the law. Most people in the church believe that Jesus died on the cross in obedience to the law. However, Jesus died on the cross in obedience to the will of God.

Prosperity theology holds that God will give believers worldly blessings. Believers often face temptation when suddenly experiencing worldly economic hardships. They frequently feel skeptical, wondering why God is giving them such difficulties. However, when material blessings suddenly come, they give thanks and praise, attributing this to God's grace. Jesus said not to tempt God, but to obey His word. God's word tells us to look toward the spiritual Canaan.

Mysticism is when people earnestly pursue something because they want to become like God. It is Satan placing Jesus in God's place. Luke 4:5-6 states, "Then the devil led Jesus up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment, and said to him, 'I will give you all this authority and glory, for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.'" Jesus was originally God, but He is the One who voluntarily became the Son by predestining the Christ. Therefore, Satan exploits this relationship. Satan causes Jesus to sit in God's place.

Today, all those who create the theory of the Trinity and claim to be God the Son are just like Satan tempting Jesus. Jesus said to worship only God. Although Paul administered baptism, Paul is not the object of worship; the object of worship is God.

Once you pass Satan's three temptations, the Gospel of the Kingdom begins. If you have been baptized yet have no interest in the Gospel of the Kingdom, it is highly likely that you remain stuck in Satan's temptations. The Gospel of the Kingdom is the work of planting the Kingdom of Heaven in your neighbors. It is making the Kingdom of God come into your heart.

Viewed through the Garden of Eden, what is seen with physical eyes is the world, but when viewed with spiritual eyes, it becomes the Kingdom of God. It is said that God created the first man in the world, established the Garden of Eden, and placed him there. Genesis 2:7-8 states, "The LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. The LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and placed the man he had formed there."

The Garden of Eden is the Kingdom of God viewed with spiritual eyes, the Kingdom of God within the heart. Believers believe that God designated a specific area and placed the first man there, much like a city of refuge, but caused him to leave because he sinned. There are also those who search for the location of the Garden of Eden.

The Garden of Eden signifies a temple established within the heart. The priest of the temple is the first man, and the One who dwells there is God; the priest is to eat the fruit of the tree of life within the temple. However, suddenly, the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, resembling a poisonous mushroom, appeared in the temple courtyard. Furthermore, after the creation of man and woman separated from the first man, the woman ate the fruit and gave some to her husband, who also ate it. Consequently, receiving God's wrath, they were expelled from that temple.

The temple within the heart has become the old temple because even priests cannot enter it and God does not dwell there. People try to rebuild that old temple through their own efforts. Believers must recall the affairs of the Kingdom of God before the creation of the world through this Kingdom of God, this temple within the heart. The story of an angel who sinned in the Kingdom of God appears in Jude 1:6 and 2 Peter 2:4. The question may arise: Do even holy angels sin?

God desires that humanity in the world repent and that a new temple be built within the heart through Jesus Christ. Revelation 21:1-2: "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. Then I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."