Bruce,
My first question is not the mode of baptism in 1 Corinthians 12:13. I know very well what it says. But for the
purpose of this thread I asked you what type of baptism Paul was writing about. Why? Bob's OP was about water baptism. I assume this because he referred to it as a sacrament. Randy asked the following question:
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I would like a citation from Scripture that signifies that we belong to God's people because we are baptised. Just asking.....
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You responded with:
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Here's a prooftext from the original WCF: 1Co 12:13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
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Because of that exchange I wanted to clarify what type of baptism you were referencing. That was my only intent.
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It isn't "simple" for our side to talk about baptism. Because, in passages like 1 Cor. 12, our first question is NOT "what kind of baptism is this--is it Spirit baptism, or is it water baptism?" As if getting that right, will then help us then to interpret the passage properly. That's what I would call the "simple" approach, and its simply inadequate.
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Bruce, what are you going on about? The passage is about spiritual gifts; where they come from, their purpose and how they are to function in the body. Baptism is not an issue, except (v. 13) to remind the saints that it is by the Spirit that we are part of the body. IMHO the rest of your post is slanted to respond to an argument of what type of baptism is being taught in 1 Cor. 12:13. As I stated previously, I am quite at peace with what the passage teaches.
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So, to answer Bill, I disagree that v13 is only relevant to the mystical body. It also describes that body in its visible, earthly expression.
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Bruce, if you're describing the physical outworking of spiritual gifts (which is what the chapter, and following, is about), I concur. But Spirit baptism is "mystical", or better, invisible as displayed in regeneration.