The Great Gospel of John
Volume 4
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi (cont.)
- Chapter 110 -
Baptism. The Trinity in God and man.
Ask Cyrenius: "Lord, I believe everything, what You, o Lord, teaches; am I therefore also already baptized?"
2
Says I: "No, indeed, your not baptized as yet; but this doesn't matter! Since who believes like you, friend, is virtually baptized in the spirit, and with all blessings of the baptism.
3
The Jews have the circumcision, which is a pre-baptism and by itself like before Me has no value, if the circumcised does not at the same time has a circumcised heart. Under a circumcised heart I understand a purely swept and with all love filled heart, which is more valuable than the circumcision of Moses right down to us. After the circumcision, for some came the water baptism of Johannes, which is continued by his disciples. However, this baptism is in itself also nothing, if the required penance is not already preempted or with great certainty will follow.
4
Who lets himself baptize with the serious intention of betterment, does not commit a mistake; but he should not believe, that the water purifies his heart and strengthen his soul. This is only effected by the own, completely free will; the water causes only a sign which indicates, that the will, as the living water of the spirit, has now cleansed the soul of all sins, just as the natural water cleanses the head and the rest of the body from dust and other types of dirt.
5
Who has taken the water baptism in the true actual sense, is perfectly baptized, if during or already before the baptismal action, the will in the heart of the baptized has become active. If this is not present, the pure water baptism does not have the slightest value and does not produces any blessing of matter and even less so any holiness thereof.
6
In the same manner also the water baptism of children has absolutely no value, except as a purely outer sign for the admission in a better community, and that the child gets a name, which obviously does not have the slightest value for the soul whatsoever, but only an outer political. Because of this reason one could give the child a name without circumcision and without the water baptism of Johannes, and it would be before Me just the same; since no name brings holiness to the soul of a person, but only the free, good will, to act rightly according to the best recognition for his whole life. Every name can become holy by the will and by the action; but vice versa it is forever impossible the case.
7
When Johannes was baptizing, they brought to him as well as to his disciples children to be baptized, and he in fact baptized them, if conscientious substitutes presented themselves for the child and sanctimoniously promised, to most keenly provide for the spiritual upbringing. Now, in this case also a child can be baptized with water for the sake of a name; but the baptism sanctifies the soul and body of the child only for as long as the child has reached the true recognition of God and himself and gets to the use of his free will. Until then the substitute has most conscientiously make sure, that the child in everything is in the best way looked after, regarding whatever is necessary for reaching the true sanctification, - otherwise the substitute gets alle responsibility loaded on his soul.
8
Therefore it is better, to perform the water baptism only then, if a person by himself is able to fulfill all requirements for the sanctification of his soul and his body based on his recognition and by the voluntary self-determination. By the way, the water baptism is not necessary for the soul and the body at all, but only the recognition and the action according to the right recognition of the truth out of God. But if baptized with water, it does not require only the water from the Jordan, since Johannes has baptized in the Jordan, but every fresh water is good, although spring water is better than cistern water, because it promotes bodily health more than decayed cistern water.
9
The true and with Me only valid baptism is the one with the fire of love for Me and for the neighbour and with the living zeal of the will and with the holy spirit of the eternal truth out of God. These are the three pieces which give a valid testimony in heaven for everyone; these are: Love, as the true Father; the will, as the living and actual word or the Son of the Father; and finally the holy spirit, as the right understanding of the eternal and living truth out of God, but as vividly active in a person and only in a person! Since what is not in a person and does not takes place out of the very own will's impulse, does not carry any value for a person, and since it does not and cannot have any value for a person, it cannot have any value for God.
10
Since God in His Self does not mean anything for a person for as long as the person does not recognizes God by His teachings and makes His will his very own through love and arranges all his actions through the most living zeal of his will according to the recognized most highest will. Only then does the image of God in man becomes alive and grows and soon penetrates the person's whole being. If so, it then happens, that man penetrates in all depths of the Godhead, since the image of God in man is the most perfect symmetry of one and the same God in eternity.
11
When this takes place in man, then everything in him is sanctified and the true baptism of rebirth of the spirit has been reached. Through such baptism a person makes himself a true friend of God and is in himself just as perfect as the Father in heaven is perfect. And I say to you all explicitly, that you all must strive for it with all your strength, to become equally perfect as perfect is the Father in heaven! Who is not that perfect, does not get to the Son of the Father.
12
But who is the Son? The Son is the Father's love. He is the love of the love, He is the fire and the light, He is the Son of the love or the Father's wisdom. But if the image of the Father is in you, it must be in all as perfect as the primordial Father Himself, otherwise it could not be the image of the Father; but if the image is not perfect, from where will man obtain wisdom, or how should man get to true wisdom?
13
Just as the Father always finds Himself in Me, I also find Myself in the Father, and in the same way you must find yourself in yourself, then you also will find yourself in God, and God will find Himself in you. Like I and the Father are one, you also must first become one with the image of the Father in you. If so, then you have become one with Me and with the eternal Father in Me, while I and the Father in Me are perfectly one from eternity!"
14
Here the disciples said: "Lord, we do not understand this! You are becoming hard with Your teaching! We ask You most imploringly, that You explain Yourself in this regard more clearly!"
15
Says I: "Are you then also still imprudent?! For how long I still have to endure you like that?! O you still strongly blind type! But to you it will be given, to understand the secret of the kingdom of God on earth!
16
Where do you have the thoughts of your hearts?! Several times I already have explained it to you who is the Father and who is the Son, that Father and Son relate to each other like the relationship between love and wisdom, or like warmth and light. I have shown to you, how the light is of no use without the warmth, but also a warmth without light cannot ripen the ears on the field. I have shown to you how from warmth always a light originates, because the warmth is the first expression of any given activity; but the appearance of an activity is the light, which increases as any orderly activity increases, and still you don't understand the 'unity' of the Father and the Son, and the 'unity' between you and Me!"
17
Say the disciples: "Lord, do not become cross with us! We now understand it, and any shortcomings we will be able to fill in and catch up according to what is right and to our ability!"
18
Says I: "I certainly know this, that this will be the case; but I said this to you, because I noticed that asking was more important to you than the knowledge."