Continuing in our verse-by-verse study of Mark, last time we stopped in the book of Hebrews that shows us how the ritual of the Old Testament dispensations is replaced with reality in the Church Age. Jesus Christ is that reality because he fulfilled every aspect of the ritual plan. Rom 10:4;

This is the message of the entire book of Hebrews. Heb 10:1; the law had a shadow of good things to come but was not the reality. In the Church Age we no longer deal with shadows we deal with reality. Heb 10:11-13;

Mark 1:7-8; And he kept on preaching, saying "After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals. I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

"But" is transitional because he begins to talk about the One who is to come. Remember, John is a herald and the herald announces the coming of the King; "After me One is coming" referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. The word translated "coming" is a dramatic present tense.

The coming of Christ is a dramatic moment. "After me" is a technical idiom for the herald saying: "After me the King is coming."

Who is (who keeps on being) mightier than I" adjective of comparison. He keeps on being mightier than I, there never will be a time when He isn't mightier than I; "he will baptize," future tense. It must be understood that the future tense is very important because the baptism of the Holy Spirit at this point is still a future event.

There was no baptism of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. Active voice: Jesus does the baptizing in this case. The indicative mood is the reality of the baptism.

"with the Holy Spirit" is an instrumental case. He shall baptize through the instrumentality of or by means of the Holy Spirit. This refers to the doctrine of the baptism of the Holy Spirit that is a real baptism that we will now review.

The word translated "Spirit" is the Greek word pneuma" The Greek word pneuma originally meant air or invisible. It eventually came to mean spirit or what is invisible. Spirit simply means something that is real but is also invisible.

"Spirit" is used three ways in scripture: for the Holy Spirit, for the human spirit or the invisible part of man that has a relationship with God, and it is also to describe the angels.

We know that the baptism of the Holy Spirit did not occur in the Old Testament because Jesus prophesied of it being a future event during His ministry in unglorified humanity. John 14:20; Acts 1:5;

The mechanics of the baptism of the Spirit are given in 1Cor 12:13;"by means of the Spirit we were (aorist tense passive voice…once and for all) baptized ( received identification) into one body (Christ's body)." 1Cor 12:27;

We see from this that the baptism of the Spirit is not felt. It is not an experience or a function of emotion.

Unification of believers is achieved by means of the baptism of the Spirit. Eph 4:5;.

The unification of believers is based upon the fact that we have the same Lord, we are all saved exactly the same way, and we all enter into union with Christ by means of the baptism of the Spirit.

The baptism of the Spirit is the only place of equality in the human race. Gal 3:26-28;

The baptism of the Spirit provides retroactive identification with Christ. Rom 6:3-4;

The baptism of the Spirit launches the Church Age. Acts 1:5; Acts 2:3; Acts 11:15-17;

The baptism of the Spirit is the basis of current positional truth or our identity as being "in Christ" It establishes who we are from God's perspective. Positional truth belongs to all believers regardless of how much they sin or how much evil or how much divine good they perform during their lifetime. 1Cor 1:2,30;

Positional truth protects the believer from divine judgment in eternity. Being in union with Christ means that we share His eternal life , His perfect righteousness that means it is impossible for us to be judged at the great white throne. Rom 8:1;

The sanctification that occurs with positional truth qualifies the believer to live with God forever. If you are going to live with God forever you must have: eternal life, and perfect righteousness. 1John 5:11,12; 2Cor 5:21;

When the baptism of the Holy Spirit enters the believer into union with Christ, he shares the life of Christ, the righteousness of Christ, and is therefore qualified to live with God forever, he has the same kind of life that God has, and the same kind of righteousness that God has.

Positional truth also explains both election and predestination. The principle is that in eternity past Jesus Christ was elected by God the Father and given a destiny.

When we enter into union with Christ we share the election of Christ, we share the destiny of Christ; therefore we are foreordained and predestined by virtue of our union with Christ. Eph 1:3-14;

Remember that Christianity is not a religion it is a relationship with God that is established by means of our union with Jesus Christ. Everything we have is based on our identity in union with Jesus Christ.

Positional truth produces a new creature (spiritual species) in Christ 2Cor 5:17;

Positional truth guarantees the eternal security of the believer. Rom 8:38,39;

Positional truth exists in two categories: retroactive and current. When Jesus Christ died on the cross the sins of the old sin nature were poured out on Him and judged, and human good was rejected.

When we accept Christ as savior we enter into union with Christ as He is seated at the right hand of the Father. But we also enter into union with Christ as He was upon the cross.

We are identified with Christ in His death, simultaneously we are identified with Christ in His resurrection and ascension. Retroactive positional truth is identification with Christ in His death. Rom6; Col 2:12; Col 3:3. This is why believers are "dead to sin" even though they still sin.

Current positional truth is identification with Christ in His resurrection where believers are irrevocably placed into union with Christ with the result that they irrevocably share in everything that Christ has and is in his position in session at the right hand of the Father so along with Christ every believer has:

Eternal life 1John 5:11,12;
Perfect righteousness 2Cor 5:21;
Election Eph 1:4;
Destiny Eph 1:5;
Sonship 2 Tim 2:1;
Heirship Rom 8:16,17;
Sanctification 1Cor 1:2;
Kingdom 2Peter 1:11;
Priesthood Heb 10:10-14;

Positional truth is not an experience, it is neither emotional nor ecstatics. It is not progressive so it cannot be improved upon in time or eternity. It is not related to human merit or human good works and is not diminished by human sin or evil. Grace promotes divine good and excludes human good and evil.

Positional truth is eternal so it will last forever. It is exclusively based on and disclosed by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God and it is completely accomplished and irrevocably conveyed to every believer at the moment of salvation.

It is accomplished by means of the baptism of the Spirit as one of the 40 grace gifts every believer receives at the point of salvation by Grace through Faith Alone in Christ Alone.

This is why after salvation every believer is commanded to parlay their position into their experience during their life on this earth in the devil's world. 2Pet 3:18; Gal 5:16;

Mark 1:9-11; describes the commissioning and investiture of Jesus into the office of Messiah by baptism.

An appointment to the Levitical priesthood required that candidates be between the ages of 30 and 50. In Israel a Levitical priest did not enter into service until he was at least 30 years old.

However, Jesus was not in the tribe of Levi but the tribe of Judah and therefore unqualified to function as a Levitical priest under the Mosaic Law.

Jesus is prophesied by David in Psa 110:4; that is confirmed by the writer of Hebrews in Heb 5:6-10; to be a priest after the order of Melchizedek, a commission that would not become functional until after His resurrection. Heb 7:23-28;