Clothed by the Spirit, Not Just Water

You’ve been “plugged in” to Christ through the Spirit—not as an accessory but as a living member of His body.

Devotional Credit:
Excerpt from In Christ by E. Stanley Jones

Photo Credit:
Image by Unsplash

E. Stanley Jones invites us to reconsider what it truly means to be baptized “into Christ.” He begins by challenging the common assumption that Paul was referring to water baptism in Galatians 3:27 when he wrote, “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” While water baptism is a meaningful outward symbol, Jones points out that this cannot be the baptism that actually places us into Christ. After all, many have been baptized with water and yet show no evidence of union with Christ—Simon Magus being a notable example from Acts 8.

Instead, Jones identifies the real source of this life-changing baptism: the Holy Spirit. Quoting 1 Corinthians 12:13, he explains that it is “by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.” The “one baptism” referenced in Ephesians 4:5 is the spiritual reality enacted by Christ Himself—the baptism of the Spirit that unites believers into His body and makes them partakers of His very life.

John the Baptist foresaw this distinction. He baptized with water, but he announced that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit. Jesus never baptized with water during His ministry. Instead, He waited until His ascension to pour out the Spirit at Pentecost, fulfilling the Father’s promise and making spiritual baptism available to all who trust in Him.

In the end, Jones reminds us: water may place us into the fellowship of a local church, but only Spirit-baptism places us into Christ. And once we are in Christ, we are not left naked—we are clothed with Him, having “put on Christ.” What a beautiful mystery and a completed reality for every born-again believer!

Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture

You are not merely part of a religious tradition; you have been placed into Me by the very breath of God. The moment you believed, the Spirit baptized you into My body—joined to Me, sealed in Me, alive with Me. I am not far from you. I am your life.

This union wasn’t achieved through ritual, ceremony, or human effort. No amount of water could wash you into Me. It was My Spirit who immersed you fully into My death, burial, and resurrection. You were buried with Me and raised to walk in newness of life—not in theory, but in truth.

You have put Me on as your clothing, your covering, your identity. Where once sin stained you, now righteousness adorns you. You are not trying to become Mine—you already are. There is no part of you I’ve left untouched. You belong fully, completely, eternally.

And now, clothed with Me, you walk in this world not as one who imitates from afar, but as one who participates in My very life. You no longer ask, “What would Jesus do?” but abide in Me and trust Me to do what I will through you. You rest as I live My life in you and through you.

So today, do not worry about appearances or performance. You are in Me, and I am in you. That is your baptism, your reality, your rest.

Scripture References:
Galatians 3:27; Acts 8:23; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 4:5; John 1:31–33; John 4:2; Acts 2:33; Romans 6:3–4; Colossians 2:12; Galatians 2:20; 1 Corinthians 6:17; Romans 8:9–10; Colossians 3:3–4

Real-Life Analogy

Think of how a USB drive, once plugged in, becomes part of the computer’s system. It doesn’t need to strive or prove anything to be used. As long as it’s connected, the computer accesses it and works through it.

In the same way, you’ve been “plugged in” to Christ through the Spirit—not as an accessory but as a living member of His body. There’s no need to strive to appear “baptized into Christ.” Trust that you already are. When tension arises at work, when you feel inadequate at home, or when fear creeps in—pause. Acknowledge His presence and say, “Lord, I trust You to live Your life through me in this moment.” In that trust, He operates in you and through you.

Prayer of Confidence

Father, thank You that I don’t need to question whether I’m in Christ. Your Spirit has already placed me there. I am not waiting for another baptism—I’ve already received the one that matters most. Thank You that I’ve been clothed with Christ, covered in His righteousness, and united with His life. I rest in that truth today. I walk forward not in uncertainty, but in the settled assurance that I am in Him and He is in me. Amen.