Many people have never heard of a baptism of love. Christians have talked a lot about a baptism of repentance and baptism in water. Over the last century, the idea of a baptism in the Spirit has reemerged and become increasingly recognized.

But a baptism of love? Where is that in Scripture?

It is there. The seed of a woman, the Word who became flesh and tabernacled among us, the perfect image of God who grew up as a Son, experienced a baptism of love.

I think one reason many people have not recognized this baptism is that it is part of the story of Jesus’s baptism where water and the Spirit are easier to see. So let’s go back to that story of how the seed of love was revealed together with His whole heavenly family one day.

At the beginning of His public ministry, Jesus came to John the Baptist to be baptized in the Jordan River. This is a familiar story, and right away we recognize the baptism in water. It is plain to see because that was what John had been doing—baptizing people in the waters of the Jordan River.

It is just as easy to recognize the baptism in the Spirit there, even if not everyone describes it that way. The Spirit appeared right after Jesus came out of the water when the dove came down and rested on Him, and He comes in on different occasions in Acts in the experience of many people who received Him.

As far as most people think about it, the baptism of Jesus has just those two elements—the water and the Spirit. Many Christians even debate whether a simultaneous baptism of water and the Spirit, as Jesus experienced, is normal for everyone who comes to faith in Him. How these things happen in sequence can be a little controversial, but a water baptism and a Spirit baptism are both biblical (Mt. 3:11; Acts 1:5, 11:16). Not many people would disagree with that.

But another aspect of baptism comes right after Jesus came out of the water and the Spirit descended upon Him. We see the water and the dove as part of the baptism, but many people consider the Father’s words to be a commentary on what was happening—something spoken about the event rather than as a third aspect of the event itself.

When the Father spoke over Jesus, He was not just commenting on what happened. He was continuing the baptism experience. He was immersing the Son in the Father’s love.

This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Matthew 3:17).

This is an identity statement. It is the ultimate assurance that the Son would never need to build a tower for His own purposes and try to make a name for Himself.

Look at all that this statement includes:

• My—belonging to the Father
• Beloved—fully accepted, affirmed, loved
• Son—a member of the divine family, where love flourished before time began

These were the words I heard from the Father as I lay on the floor being washed in waves and waves of his love. I had already been baptized in water many years before. A few years after that, I had a dramatic baptism in the Spirit and had ministered in His power, seeing people saved, healed, and delivered in many places around the world. These were both part of my experience. But my baptism in love did something different.

Something deep inside me changed when love moved in. I knew my Papa delighted in me. I knew I was His happy thought. I felt His pleasure. I could look into His face and see Him smile. I could call out to Him, “Papa!”

I began seeing myself the way this loving Father saw me. I began seeing other people the way the Father saw them.

Papa God’s perfect love took away all my fear. I was no longer afraid of rejection and no longer felt insecure. I did not feel as if I needed to strive for approval or affirmation anymore. I did not have a need to make a name for myself.

I come from a very stoic people. Norwegians typically do not go around hugging people. But I started to hug people everywhere—all over the world.

I had received love. I wanted to become love. And I wanted to release love any way I could.

This was not the end of my journey of love, of course. In many ways, this was just the beginning. Everything began to change. My wife and family noticed the change. They asked me what happened to me. My wife told me that even though I had been baptized in the Spirit and seen signs and wonders, this was very different. “This has changed you more than anything I have ever seen in your life, ” she told me. I think she was very happy about it. The Father’s love completely transformed me.

This blog is an excerpt from Leif Hetland’s latest book, The Love Awakening. Grab your copy today!