Baptism and Trial

Scito quoniam qui filii Dei sunt, hi tantummodo in tentationis baptizantur igne. Veniat tibi mentem quod te docuit apostolus Paulus dicens: Et omnes, volentes pie vivere in Christo, persequutionem patiuntur. Mali autem homines et seductores proficient in pejus, errantes, et in errorem mittentes. Nunc videamus quando baptizantur in igne. Postquem fuerit homo baptizatus in verbo, instructus in fide, et postquam fuerit baptizatus in aqua, et postquam fuerit in spiritu: in quarto loco baptizatur in igne. Multi autem et cum in aqua baptizati fuerint, non baptizantur in spiritu. Nisi enim quis ante baptismum aquae sic deposuerit a se totum peccandi propositum, ut dignus sit Spiritum sanctum in templum sui cordis suscipere, non baptizatur in spiritu: quia Spiritus sanctu fugit hominem fictum, et non habitat in corpore subdito peccatis: et ideo non fit filius Dei. Et hi sunt qui, cum tentati fuerint, superantur et pereunt: videntur quidem filii Dei facti, propter aquam baptismatis; revera autem non sunt filii Dei, quia non sunt in spiritu baptizati. Nam corpore quidem baptizati sunt, animo autem catechumeni sunt: quia aqua corpus baptizat, spiritus autem animam. Ergo non solum Christus ductus est in desertum a Spiritu, sed et omnes filii Dei habentes Spiritum sanctum ducuntur a Spiritu in desertum, ut et ipsi tententur a diabolo. Qui enim habent spiritum Dei. Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia V Source: Migne PG 56.662

Know that they who are sons of God, they alone are baptised in the fire of trial. Let it come to your mind what the Apostle Paul taught you, saying, 'And all who wish to live piously in Christ will suffer persecution.' 1 But evil men and seducers go forward into what is worse, wandering about and casting into error. Now let us see when it is that they are baptised in fire. After a man has been baptised in the word, being instructed in the faith, after he is baptised in water, even after he will be in the Spirit, and in that fourth place he is baptised with fire. But many when they have been baptised in water are not baptised in the Spirit. For unless before the baptism of water a man resolves to make himself free of all sin, so that he may be worthy to receive the Spirit in the temple of his heart, he is not baptised in the Spirit, because the Spirit flees every deluded man, and does not dwell in a body subject to sins, 2 and therefore he is not a son of God. These are they who when they are tested, are overcome and perish. They seem to have been made sons of God on account of the water of baptism, but in truth they are not sons of God because they are not baptised in the Spirit. Certainly the body has been baptised, but in soul they are still catechumens, because water baptises the body, the Spirit the soul. Therefore not only was Christ led into the desert by the Spirit, but even all the sons of God, having the Holy Spirit, by that same Spirit are led into the desert that they be tested by the devil. Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from Homily 5 1 2 Tim 3.11 2 Wisd 1.4-5