690. As to the baptism of John; it represented this cleansing of the external man; while the baptism of Christians at the present day represents the cleansing of the internal man, which is regeneration. It is therefore written that John baptized with water, but that the Lord baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire, and therefore John's baptism is called the baptism of repentance (Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:4, 5; Luke 3:3, 16; John 1:25, 26, 33; Acts 1:22; 10:37; 18:25). The Jews who were baptized were merely external men, and without faith in Christ the external man cannot become internal. That those who were baptized with the baptism of John, became internal men when they received the faith in Christ, and were then baptized in the name of Jesus, may be seen in Acts (19:3-6).
