True Christianity #668

By Emanuel Swedenborg

Study this Passage

  
/ 853  
  

668. The fact that baptism has been commanded is abundantly clear from John's baptizing in the river Jordan - all Judea and Jerusalem came there to be baptized (Matthew 3:5-6; Mark 1:4-5). Even the Lord our Savior himself was baptized by John (Matthew 3:13-17). The Lord also commanded his disciples to baptize all the nations (Matthew 28:19).

Surely everyone who is willing to can see that there was some divine purpose in the establishment of this practice - a purpose that has been hidden until now because the Word's spiritual meaning has not been revealed before. Today, however, this spiritual meaning is being revealed because the Christian church in its true essence is now getting underway for the first time. The former church was Christian not in essence or in reality but in name only.

  
/ 853  
  

Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for the permission to use this translation.