I agree. And it is Christ Who is offering the Eucharist, and absolving sins at confession, and annointing at confirmation.
At issue here is the typical Protestant either/or thinking. If it is the Holy Ghost then, you reason, it cannot be also the water, or the priest. The fact is that Christ did not come as a pure spirit but He came incarnate. All his miracles had a material aspect to them: rub the spit, touch the garment, use the washwater to make wine, etc. We straddle two worlds, the material world and the spiritual world and the sacraments join the two together.
Christ did indeed baptize.
"I (John the Baptist speaking) indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he (Christ) shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:" (Matt. 3:11).
There are 3 baptisms in that one verse. One with water unto repentance, BY a man (John the Baptist), one BY CHRIST, baptizing a person WITH the Holy Ghost, and one BY CHRIST, baptizing a person WITH fire.
On the day of Pentecost, Christ did indeed baptize those who had already been baptized in water for remission of sins, with the Holy Spirit and fire. So, three baptisms for believers. Not ONE. AND NOT ONE of those were performed BY the Holy Spirit.
Until Paul. NOW, he says there is ONE baptism, BY the Holy Spirit, whereby HE baptizes us INTO the Body of Christ. Obviously, a spiritual baptism, which was NEVER mentioned before Paul, by the way. Christ does NOT perform this baptism for today.
Now there you go again...These threads are full of Catholics who claim that the Catholic religion offers the Eucharist to the Father...
It is the non Catholic position because it is the bible position...
All his miracles had a material aspect to them: rub the spit,
That is unabashedly untrue, according to the scriptures...