The Gospel of the Water and the Spirit That the Apostle Paul Believed, Kept, and Preached
The Gospel of the Water and the Spirit That the Apostle Paul Believed, Kept, and Preached
What is the gospel that the church must absolutely keep? A summary of Rev. Paul C. Jong’s Bible study on the Epistle to the Ephesians.
The gospel that the church must keep is the gospel of the water and the Spirit — the baptism Jesus received from John, His Cross, and His resurrection, bound together as one.
What I am sharing with you today is a summary of the book “EPHESIANS, Seen from the Perspective of the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit,” one of the Bible study series written by Rev. Paul C. Jong, a servant of God at The New Life Mission.
The Epistle to the Ephesians is a letter that the Apostle Paul sent to the saints in the church of Ephesus, and its purpose was to lead the saints to deeply realize the great administration of salvation that God had planned from before eternity and fulfilled in Jesus Christ—that is, the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
The Apostle Paul preached one gospel: the baptism of Jesus, the Cross, and the resurrection.
Then, what is the gospel that the church must keep?
Since Ephesians is a book that speaks about the Church of God, what that church must hold on to and keep is a very important question.
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. Based on the written Word, let us examine what kind of gospel it is.
The One Gospel the Apostles Kept and Preached
First of all, the conclusion must be made clear: The gospel that the church must keep is the gospel of the water and the Spirit. In other words, it is the gospel by which Jesus took upon Himself the sins of all mankind by receiving baptism from John the Baptist in the Jordan River, paid all the wages of sin by bleeding and dying on the Cross while bearing those sins, and saved us by rising again from the dead on the third day.
This is the gospel that the Apostle Paul preached, and it is one and the same truth as the gospel that Peter and John preached.
“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Galatians 3:27)
“This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth.” (1 John 5:6)
“There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 3:21)
In other words, the gospel that the apostles consistently kept and preached in the days of the Early Church was the gospel of the water and the Spirit, in which the baptism Jesus received from John, the Cross, and the resurrection are bound together as one.
The Complete Gospel, with Nothing Missing
The gospel that the church must keep is the complete gospel, from which not even a single part is missing. The part in which Jesus took our sins upon Himself through His baptism, the part in which He paid the wages of those sins on the Cross, and the part in which He rose again must all be present together.
If we take out the truth that sins were passed on through the baptism and hold on only to the death on the Cross, we cannot explain how the sins of sinners were transferred to Jesus. Just as in the sacrificial system of the Old Testament the sacrificial offering shed its blood and died only after the sinner had laid his hands on the head of the offering and passed his sins onto it, so also Jesus died on the Cross only after taking over the sins of all mankind through His baptism. Therefore, the church must completely keep not only the blood of the Cross, but also the baptism of Jesus, which is the very foundation of that blood.
Keeping the Right Gospel Means Rejecting Any Other Gospel
For the church to keep the right gospel in this way also means, at the same time, to sternly reject any other gospel. When strange people came into the churches of Galatia and made absurd claims, Paul clearly said:
“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:8)
The Jews who had come into the churches of Galatia at that time insisted that in order to become God’s people, one had to be circumcised, keep the Law, and distinguish between what may be eaten and what may not be eaten. However, when such claims come in, the gospel of the water and the Spirit becomes blurred and disappears. In other words, teachings that try to add works, rituals, or the Law to salvation are another gospel, and they are things the church must never accept.
The Gospel Is the Mystery of God
The gospel is “the mystery of God.” It cannot be known by human wisdom. It cannot be grasped by the learning of this world. It cannot be discovered by religious zeal. It can be known only when God makes it known, and it can be believed only when the Holy Spirit makes us realize it.
Why do so many people, even while saying that they believe in Jesus, still have sin in their hearts? It is because they do not know the mystery of God’s will. They know the Cross of Jesus, but they do not know the baptism of Jesus. They speak of the blood, but they do not know the water. They try to have their sins blotted out by holding on to the Cross alone, but because they do not know when and how their sins were passed on to Jesus, sin remains in their hearts just as it was.
However, God has made known to us the mystery of His will. He has made us know why Jesus was baptized, why He was crucified, and why He rose again. This is grace. He has made us see what countless people fail to see even though they read the Bible, and He has made us realize what countless people fail to realize even though they hear.
Therefore, we must not take knowing the gospel lightly. To know and believe the gospel of the water and the Spirit is a great grace that lies within the administration God established before the foundation of the world. We must treasure this truth and preach this gospel.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the gospel of the water and the Spirit?
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📖 Read the Full Bible Study — Ephesians
Would you like to go deeper into the Epistle to the Ephesians? Read the complete exposition, verse by verse, seen from the perspective of the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
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