Question: At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, and he received the spirit of God in the form of a dove.

Christ said, in John 3:3-5, “Truly, truly I say to you unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”… “One must be born anew to enter the kingdom.”

What is the function of baptism in these two substances—water and the spirit—today?

Answer: Let’s look at the symbolic meaning of baptism by water and spirit.

Water represents eternally changing truth that remains essentially unaltered over time. It also reflects the ever-flowing nature of our feelings.

Spirit symbolizes the active principle of our thoughts and our will. We must give these human faculties over to Christ who symbolized what love means through his life and his death.

But before a spirit can be reborn, it must repent.

For if we can’t recognize our own Lower Self, how can we know the harmful effects we have on others?

What will motivate us to change the error of our ways?

When we decide to do this—to change our ways—our feelings will change. Our thoughts and the direction of our will are going to shift.

Then we will truly be reborn of water and spirit, in the name of Jesus Christ.

In the name of Jesus

When we use the expression “in the spirit of Jesus Christ,” or “in the name of Jesus Christ,” we are saying that we take this action the way Jesus would.

We do it with the same attitude, thoughts, loving nature, willingness to forgive, abiding positive intention, devotion to God, and sacrificing of the little ego—all for the greater good.

We’re not just saying we have a simple belief in this historical person named Jesus Christ who gives us salvation—although this is often just what’s meant.

It really doesn’t matter whether an actual immersion in water takes place. If it does, it is a ritual. And the purpose of a ritual is to express the inner meaning.

Later, such rituals may become empty gestures. Then people blindly believe that the act creates the transformation.

And, of course, that can never be the case.

It doesn’t matter how much we praise the Lord and pronounce our undying devotion to him.  

True inner transformation takes hard work—and it takes a long time.

We also cannot do this work without the help of the Lord. But with his help, all things are possible.

When an inner baptism takes place, an inner transformation happens. We also make a total commitment to aligning with the will of God.

Then a magnificent light springs up in the Spirit World.

This light adds to the great eternal reservoir of all that is good, glorified and truly wonderful.

Question: Paul also emphasized baptism in Acts 19:4-6, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance telling people to believe in Jesus who was to come, and on hearing this they were baptized and then Paul laid his hands upon them and the Holy Spirit came on them and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.”

Is it true that baptism in the spirit manifests as speaking in tongues?

Answer: There is great confusion about speaking in tongues.

Many understand that on the path of spiritual development, psychic powers wake up. These can be dedicated to God and then integrated in a meaningful and harmonious way into a person’s life.

But at times, people become so fascinated by psychic powers that more emphasis is put on them than is helpful or good. Then the whole spirit of this inner journey can get lost.

There are many different kinds of mediumistic manifestations, one of which is speaking in languages that the medium doesn’t know. This can be very convincing for onlookers.

It might even help people let go of their convictions that the only real things are the material things we touch and see. At other times, it can become sensationalized, leading to psychic phenomena that are not determined by spirits from the world of God.

In biblical times, there was a great surge of inner awakenings and new, deeper understandings, so many kinds of psychic phenomena appeared. There were healings, speaking in tongues, and other events that weren’t mentioned because they couldn’t be explained or understood.

But it’s a mistake to make these phenomena—even the healings—an end goal in themselves. They are byproducts and should always be considered just that.

Question: Acts 2 describes the experience of the disciples at Pentecost when they received the manifestation of the comforter that Jesus had promised them. “And there appeared to them tongues of fire resting upon their heads, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.”

What is the deeper meaning here?

Answer: Regarding prophecy, this is something that could be used by certain divine spirits—on occasion and for a specific purpose. But more often than not, it is used by very unreliable sources—even by evil spirits.

The “comforter” is something we all experience when we no longer defend ourselves. When instead, we commit ourselves to being in truth. Then we become filled with goodwill and an intention to follow God’s will in everything we do.

When we do this—no matter how much we’re hurting or still in fear—we will be comforted.

The “tongues of fire resting on their heads” refers to the manifestation of this power on the energetic level. Clairvoyant people may be able to see the aura light up with bright, surging light that appears like fiery tongues arising from the head.

This is, of course, also a symbolic expression of the fire of love and the strength of spirit that is more powerful than anything else.

Such gifts of the spirit are poured out onto the heads of those who walk a spiritual path such as this one.