5.4 The Holy Spirit Gives Us New Life By Washing Us

(Titus 3:4-8)

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior was revealed, he saved us. It was not because of any good deeds that we ourselves had done, but because of his own mercy that he saved us, through the Holy Spirit, who gives us new birth and new life by washing us. God poured out the Holy Spirit abundantly on us through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that by his grace we might be put right with God and come into possession of the eternal life we hope for. This is a true saying.

I want you to give special emphasis to these matters, so that those who believe in God may be concerned with giving their time to doing good deeds, which are good and useful for everyone.

5.3 We Are Baptized Into One Body

(1 Corinthians 12:12-26)

Christ is like a single body, which has many parts; it is still one body, even though it is made up of different parts. In the same way, all of us, whether Jews or Gentiles, whether slaves or free, have been baptized into the one body by the same spirit, and we have all been given the one Spirit to drink.

For the body itself is not made up of only one part, but of many parts. If the foot were to say, “Because I am not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,” that would not keep it from being a part of the body. And if the ear were to say, “Because I am not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,” that would not keep it from being a part of the body. If the whole body were just an eye, how could it hear? And if it were only an ear, how could it smell? As it is, however, God put every different part in the body just as he wanted it to be. There would not be a body if it were all only one part! As it is, there are many parts but one body.

So then, the eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” Nor can the head say to the feet, “Well, I don’t need you!” On the contrary, we cannot do without the parts of the body that seem to be weaker; and those parts that we think aren’t worth very much are the ones which don’t look very nice are treated with special modesty, which the more beautiful parts do not need. God himself has put the body together in such a way as to give greater honor to those parts that need it. And so there is no division in the body, but all its different parts have the same concern for one another. If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts suffer with it; if one part is praised, all the other parts share its happiness.

5.2 Baptism On The Feast Of Pentecost

(Acts 2:36-41)

“All the people of Israel, then, are to know for sure that this Jesus, whom you crucified, is the one that God has made Lord and Messiah!”

When the people heard this, they were deeply troubled and said to Peter and the other apostles, “What shall we do, brothers?”

Peter said to them, “Each one of you must turn away from his sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven; and you will receive God’s gift, the Holy Spirit. For God’s promise was made to you and your children, and to all who are far away- all whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

Peter made his appeal to them and with many other words he urged them, saying, “Save yourselves from the punishment coming on his wicked people!” many of them believed his message and were baptized, and about three thousand people were added to the group that day.

5.1 Baptism of Jesus

(Matthew 3:13-17)

At the time Jesus arrived from Galilee and came to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. But John tried to make him change his mind. “I ought to be baptized by you,” John said, “And yet you have came to me!”

But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so for now. For in this way we shall do all that God requires.” So John agreed.

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he came up out of the water. Then heaven was open to him, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and lighting on him. Then a voice said from heaven, “This is my own dear Son, with whom I am pleased.”

4.4 Wealth Will Disappear. God Will Help Those Who Trust In Him

(Psalm 49)

Hear this, everyone!
Listen, all people everywhere,
Great and small alike,
rich and poor together.
My thoughts will be deep;
I will speak words of wisdom.
I will turn my attention to proverbs
and explain their meaning as I play the harp.

I am not afraid in times of danger
when I am surrounded by enemies,
by evil men who trust in their riches
and boast of their great wealth.
A person can never redeem himself;
he cannot pay God the price for his life,
because the payment for a human life is too great.
What he could pay would never be enough
to keep him from the grave,
to let him live forever.

Anyone can see that even wise men die,
as well as foolish and stupid men.
They all leave their riches to their descendants.
Their graves are their homes forever;
there they stay for all time,
though they once had lands of their own.
A man’s greatness cannot keep him from death;
he will still die like the animals.

See what happens to those trust in themselves,
the fate of those who are satisfied
with their wealth-
they are doomed to die like sheep,
and death will be their shepherd.
The righteous will triumph over them,
As their bodies quickly decay
in the world of the dead far from their homes.
But God will rescue me;
He will save me from the power of death

Don’t be upset when a man becomes rich,
when his wealth grows even greater;
he cannot take it with him when he dies;
his wealth will not go with him
to the grave.
Even if a man is satisfied with this life
and is praised because he is successful,
he will join all his ancestors in death,
where the darkness lasts forever.
A man’s greatness cannot keep him from death;
He will still die like the animals.