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In this seventh scene we see the young woman with dark brown hair & a blue dress standing under a waterfall, in a grassy landscape. The scene is set in the spring time.

The young woman has taken the next step in her journey of Christian faith, and is being baptised in water.

The significance of water baptism for a Christian.
The word baptism means to plunge or immerse. Baptism in water is important to Christians because it is an act of obedience to Jesus Christ, a symbol of spiritual rebirth, and a public declaration of faith.

Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. For this reason alone Christians follow this example and are baptised in the same way.

In Matthew 28:18–20 [1] we read that Jesus commanded his disciples to baptize new believers, in doing so we are following this direct instruction from God.

Going under the water in baptism represents dying to an old, sinful way of life, and coming out of the water represents rising to a new life with Christ. The water acts as a visible symbol that sins are washed away through faith in Jesus. This act serves as an outward testimony of an inward change in one’s life direction.

Baptism is a public declaration of a personal decision: it lets other people know about a person’s personal commitment to God. It also acts as an initiation rite that unites believers into the wider community of the Church. Since it is a public declaration of allegiance to Jesus I have drawn a crowd of fellow Christians clapping & celebrating with the woman.

The significance of baptism in the Holy Spirit for a Christian.
Notice that there is a pale dove-like glow descending on the woman. This is a visual representation of the Holy Spirit.

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a spiritual empowering experience where a believer is immersed in the presence and power of God for bold witness and effective service.

Some Christians believe that the Holy Spirit is given when someone first becomes a Christian, while others believe the Holy Spirit is given on a different occasion. I have incorporated both water and Holy Spirit baptism into the same image.

Different views on when the Holy Spirit is given.
1.The Evangelical and Reformed View is that the Holy Spirit is given at the moment of salvation, when a person becomes a Christian. Many mainstream and evangelical Christians believe Spirit baptism happens to every believer instantly when they accept Jesus. It is the spiritual act where the Holy Spirit unites a person to the body of Christ (the Church) and grants new birth. According to this view, all Christians already possess the Holy Spirit; they do not need to seek a separate, later event.

2. The Pentecostal and Charismatic View is that the Holy Spirit is given at a separate, second experience/time. Pentecostal and Charismatic traditions teach that baptism in the Holy Spirit is a distinct, subsequent experience that happens after a person is already saved. This experience is viewed as a special empowerment for Christian witness, bold preaching, and spiritual gifts (such as speaking in tongues or healing). Believers are encouraged to pray, surrender, and actively seek this ongoing or subsequent infilling of the Holy Spirit.

When we read the book of Acts, chapter 1 [2], we read Jesus directing his apostles to wait for the Holy Spirit to baptise them, which occurred dramatically for them at Pentecost. Certainly for these first Christian believers there is no Biblical record of them being water baptised. However, we know that Peter and Andrew (who were first disciples of John the Baptist) are likely to have been water baptised by John the Baptist, since that was his ministry. It is reasonable to assume that the other apostles might also have been water baptised.

Examples of water baptism in the Bible.
After Peter preached the gospel in Acts 2:38–41, about 3,000 people believed his message, repented, and were baptized in water on the same day.

In Acts 8:26–39, Philip shared the gospel with an Ethiopian official travelling in a chariot. When they came across some water, the eunuch asked to be baptized, and Philip immersed him.

The Apostle Paul’s water baptism is explicitly recorded in the Bible. Acts 9:18 and Acts 22:16 describes Saul/Paul being baptized by Ananias in Damascus to wash away his sins after his conversion on the road to Damascus.

In Acts 16:14–15, the Lord opened Lydia’s heart to accept Paul’s message, and she was baptized along with the members of her household.

In Acts 16:31–34, Paul and Silas spoke the word of the Lord to the jailer and his family, and he and all his household were baptized immediately at midnight.

Examples of Holy Spirit baptism in the Bible.
The Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4): The 120 disciples gathered in Jerusalem were filled with the Holy Spirit, manifested by the sound of a violent wind, tongues of fire, and speaking in other languages, serving as the initial outpouring on Jewish believers.

The Samaritans (Acts 8:14-17): Believers in Samaria had accepted the gospel and been baptized in water, but the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen on them until Peter and John laid hands on them.

Cornelius’s Household (Acts 10:44-48): While Peter was preaching to the Gentile household, the Holy Spirit fell directly on all who heard the word, evidenced by them speaking in tongues and praising God before they received water baptism.

The Ephesians Disciples (Acts 19:1-6): Paul met disciples in Ephesus who only knew of John’s baptism; after Paul baptized them in the name of Jesus and laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.

Visual representation that we always have choices.
Notice that there are two red daemons, hiding in the darkness of a cave, off to the left of the scene. They are beckoning to the woman, trying to persuade her not to be baptised, and to come back to the kingdom of darkness. By illustrating the daemons I am showing that even in the most spiritually uplifting times of a Christian’s life, when all seems to be going well, there is always present a choice to make: to go on with Jesus or to turn away from Him & return to our old way of life, which leads to physical & spiritual decay & death.

Here’s the rough pencil sketch I drew for this scene.

The Christian journey – Scene 07 – Waterfall baptism (Female) – Greyscale Pencil

[1]
Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

[2]
Acts 1:4-5 (NIV)
On one occasion, while he [the resurrected Jesus] was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with/in water, but in a few days you will be baptized with/in the Holy Spirit.”