By: Gen. Jim – 7/22/26
Pt. 1
“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, & said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the SIN of the world!” – Jn. 1:29, NKJV
“In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, & saying, ‘REPENT, for the kingdom of heaven in at hand!’” – Mt. 3:1, 2, NKJV
“And John tried to prevent Him (Jesus), saying, ‘I need to be baptized by You, & are You coming to me?’ But Jesus answered & said to him, ‘Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he allowed Him.” – Mt. 3:14, 15,NKJV
Verse 16 tells us that Jesus was baptized by John in the river Jordan.
“John came baptizing in the wilderness & preaching a baptism of REPENTANCE for the REMISSION of SINS.” – Mk. 1:4, NKJV
“And he (John) went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of REPENTANCE for the REMISSION of SINS.” – Lk. 3:3, NKJV.
Luke writes: “To give knowledge of salvation to His people by the REMISSION of their SINS,” Lk. 1:77, NKJV.
So, John’s water baptism (WB) was for the remission of sins. Let me explain what “remission” means.
Noun: (1) Aphesis = a dismissal, release (from GK. aphiēmi), is used of the forgiveness of sins & translated “remission” in Mt. 26:28; Mk. 1:4; Lk. 1:77; 3:3; 24:47; Acts 2:38; 5:31 (A.V., “forgiveness”); 10:43; 13:38; R.V. (A.V., “forgiveness”); 26:18 ditto); Heb. 9:22; 10:18.
(2) Paresis = a passing by a debt or sin, Rom. 3:25, A.V., “remission” (R.V. & A.V. marg., “passing over”)
Verb: Aphiēmi = to send away, is translated to “remit” in Jn. 20:23 (twice), A.V. (R.V., “to forgive”).
Scripture makes clear that the Lord’s words could not have been intended to bestow the exercise of “absolution”, which Scripture declares is the prerogative of God alone. There is no instance in the N.T. of this act on the part of the Apostles. The words are to understood in a “declarative” sense; the statement has regard to the effects of their ministry of the gospel, with its 2-fold effects of “remission” or “retention”. They could not, nor could anyone subsequently, forgive sins, only more than that Joseph actually restored the butler to his office & hanged the baker, as some scholars point out (see Gen. 41:3), or any more than the prophets actually accomplished things when they declared that they were about to be done (see Jer. 1:10; Ezek. 43:3).
So, Why Did Jesus Need Water Baptism?
FACT: The Scriptures tell us that Jesus was SINLESS!
In order to understand this, we need to find out what a “sinner” was/is.
Sinner: Greek, Hamartōlos, (lit.), one who misses the mark, is an adj., most frequently used as a noun (see sinful); it is the most usual term to describe the fallen condition of humankind; it is applicable to ALL human beings (only Jesus, the man, was sinless!) Romans 5:8 & 19 tells us, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still SINNERS, Christ died for us…. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.” NKJV/KJV
Some get confused by the word “many”, meaning “not all”, as we usually understand the word. But the Bible says “all” sinned (Rom. 5:12). If one does a Gk. word study, one will find 6 Gk. words for “many”:
1 – Polus
2 – Pleiōn
3 – Hikanos
4 – Hosos
5 – Posos
6 – Tosoutos
The Gk. word Paul uses in Rom. 5:15 & 19 is #1 – Polus or Pollos. There are lots of words one can find that define that Gk. word “many” = much, plenteous, a great age, altogether etc. (note: some mss. follow the word by “ochlia” = “multitudes”, “not a few”, great.
Back to the Word, “SINNER”
We’ve seen that Romans 5:8 & 19 use the word “sinners” – Gk. ἁμαρτωλός – one who misses the mark. Are we to believe that Jesus needed to be baptized because He had “missed the mark”?
In the Synoptic Gospels the word hamartōlos is used not infrequently, by the Pharisees, of publicans (tax-collectors) & women of ill repute, e.g., “a woman which was in the city, a sinner…”, Lk. 7:37; “a man that is a sinner”, 19:7. In Gal. 2:15, in the clause “not sinners of the Gentiles”, the Apostles is taking the Judaizers on their own ground, ironically reminding them of their claim of moral superiority over Gentiles; he proceeds to show that the Jews are equally sinners with Gentiles!
[note: In Lk. 13:4, A.V./KJV, opeiletēs, a debtor, is translated “sinners” (the R.V., “offenders”; R.V. & KJV marg., “debtors”]
John & Jesus
“In those days John the Baptist came preaching…. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” – Mt. 3:1, 2, NKJV;
“From that time Jesus began to preach & to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (i.e. “has drawn near”).” – Mt. 4:17, NKJV
Both preached repentance. But Jesus had no need to be baptized for He was without sin (1 Pet. 2:22; He. 4:15; “Sin” (Gk. “hamartia” / “hamartanō) = “trespass”).
Jesus Gets Baptized
Mt. 3:13-17 describes this event. This began Jesus’ ministry – being baptized & receiving the Holy Spirit (v. 16).
Unlike Mark, Matthew states that Jesus’ purpose in leaving Galilee was to be baptized, 3:13. Not much is written WHY Jesus needed baptism. The Gospel According to the Ebionites quotes John, after the voice (Father) has spoken, as asking Jesus to baptize Him. The Gospel According to the Nazarenes reads: “Behold, the Lord’s mother & His brothers said to Him: ‘John the Baptist baptizes for the remission of sins; let us go & be baptized by him.’ But he said to them: ‘In what have I sinned, that I should go and be baptized by him? Unless perhaps this very word which I have just spoken is [a sin of?] ignorance.’” Matthew’s addition to the story is also a conjecture (some believe), but a happier one:
“It is fitting for us to perform every righteous act.” Ign. Smryn. 1:2 makes a similar statement. None of the gospel material suggests that Jesus had any consciousness of personal SIN!; but Israel as a whole needed to REPENT, & Jesus no doubt assumed that any right-minded man would associate himself with John’s movement (spiritual revolution?).
Through the impartation of the “Spirit” (Heb. Ruach; Gk. Pneuma) God the Father turns the repentance-baptism into an ordination of Jesus for His revolutionary ministry, for the “Messiah” must be “anointed” before He enters on His earthly work.
Justin Martry (Dialogue with Trypho 8:4) quotes Trypho, the Jew, as saying: Messiah, even supposing He has been born & exists anywhere, is unknown. He does not even recognize His own identity & He has no power at all until Elijah comes to anoint Him & make Him manifest to all.” The dove was & is the usual rabbinical symbol for the people of Israel, & only occasionally it is identified with the Spirit.
So, Why Was Jesus Baptized?
I’ve looked into this question; little to be found. Scholars have & are still debating this. To an expositor, even if he or she is not a scholar perse, it seems that the 3 main answers given are not antagonistic: far from excluding one another, they may add up to the real reason. John the Baptist’s rite of baptism was not merely a copy of that baptism by which proselytes became Jews. One scholar says it is not even certain that the baptism of proselytes was then practiced.
John regarded his ritual as being almost like a mark on the forehead, another scholar wrote. It sealed a man against the day of imminent judgment. Then WHY did Christ being the Christ, seek & submit to water baptism? As said, 3 reasons have been proposed, & each has a portion of truth:
1 – Jesus was not renouncing any personal guiltiness/sin; He was presenting Himself for the new priesthood;
2 – Jesus at baptism took upon Himself the common sin. Thus, it became Him “to fulfill all righteousness;
3 – Jesus sought baptism because, in a deepening sense of destiny, He knew that God had some commission to lay upon Him.
These have been suggested.
The Meaning:
Let’s find out just what water baptism means. It is a Christian rite of passage symbolizing spiritual death to the old man (person), spiritual rebirth & union with Christ. By being fully submerged (the whole body) in & raised from water, a new believer publicly declares their faith, marking the BURIAL of their old sinful life & their new resurrected life in Christ. Rooted in the orig. Gk. word “baptizo” – which means to “immerse or submerge” – Water Baptism mirrors the death, burial, & resurrection of Christ – old sins of the “old self” are washed away.
Shadows – Pt. 2 – symbols-types-signs
Jesus Didn’t Need It!
John’s Water Baptism was for the forgiveness of sins – Jesus was sinless. But why?
Hidden in plain sight in the priestly Law of Moses. To grasp the “why”, we have to go back to the first Century in Judea. The Priesthood was corrupt, the people sinful. The High Priesthood of Annas & Caiaphas was corrupt.
Jesus, on the other hand, was “the Lamb of God who takes away the SIN of the world!” – Jn. 1:29.
Again, we find John calling Jesus “the Lamb of God” in v. 36. To take away SIN one has to be SINLESS! Mt. 3:15 records this: “But Jesus answered (John) & said to him, ‘Permit it (WB) to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he allowed Him (to be baptized).” NKJV.
“Fulfill ALL Righteousness”!!?? This will take us back to the Law of Moses says about the beginning of a priest’s ministry: Jesus on this day is not being forgiven/cleansed, He is being ORDAINED!!!
Go Back 1400 years
It happened in the Wilderness of Sinai – Moses descends from Mt. Sinai with the Law – the priesthood is about to be inaugurated. Numbers 4:3 says: “From 30 years old & above, even to 50 years old, all who enter the service to do the work…”: 30 is the age of ordination. 30 is when a Levite steps into the full priestly walk of the Sanctuary. That number is NOT ARBITRARY, it also appears in the genre of Joseph – who is 30 when Pharoah frees him from prison to become the ruler of Egypt – a miracle! Then we find, in the story of David, who is also 30 when he becomes king over all Israel! (see 2 Sam. 5). We can now know that 30 years old is the age of adult authority.
Jesus – 30 years old
“Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about 30 years of age…” – Lk. 3:23
The Jews knew about that number.
The Torah?
At the moment of His ordination, the priest was required to do certain things – read Ex. 29 & Lev. 8: there are 3 things:
(1) “You shall WASH them with water” – 29:4. This washing is a FULL IMMERSION, not a sprinkling. In Jerusalem there were/are pools for this act – the priest goes UNDER the water. After coming out of the water, he is set apart for the service of God.
(2) “And you shall take the anointing oil, pour it on his head, & anoint him.” – Ex. 29:7. In Lev. 8:6 speaks of “washing”; 8:10 speaks of the oil:“And he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head & anointed him, to consecrate him,” v. 12. He becomes the “anointed one”. The ancient Anointed One is what the word “Messiah” means in Hebrew. In Greek it means “Christ”, Anointed for what & by whom?
(3) “And there I will meet with the Children of Israel…” 29:43.
The priest is presented before the people after the “washing”, after the “anointing”, the priest steps out from the tent & stands in front of Israel as their rep. before God. He is now the “mediator”, the one who brings the sacrifices, the one who stands between God (who is HOLY!) & the sinful people.
Wash the priest with water; anoint him with oil; present him before the people = ordination sequence in Exodus & Leviticus.
The Baptism
Jesus walks into the Jordan. John, who by ancestry is a priest of the line of Aaron puts Jesus under the water – full immersion. [note: the verb the gospels uses, the meaning is not “to sprinkle” (as the Roman Catholic Church does), but “to plunge”. Jesus went totally under the water, covering the WHOLE body, not just a part, but the WHOLE:
“And immediately, coming up from (lit., “out of”) the water, He saw the heavens parting (lit., “torn open”) & the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.” – Mk. 1:10, NKJV.
The Greek word Mark uses is “schizo”, the same root the Eng. word “schism” comes from, not opened gently, scholars say, but “ripped”.
The dove hovering over Jesus echos Genesis 1:2: “… and the Spriit of God was hovering over the face of the waters,” & echoing the Ark genre (Noah & the Great Flood); a dove sent out over the flood waters, returns with an olive leaf, a SIGN of a NEW BEGINNING!!!
The Voice
“And suddenly a VOICE came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’” – Mt. 3:17, NKJV.
The voice at the WB at Jordan is not “Batkol”. The 400 years silence in this moment is over (between Malachi & Jesus). In a crowd that had memorized the Psalms as children, scholars say that both halves of that sentence would have landed, “You are My beloved Son”, is a quote from Ps. 2:7: “I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ‘you are My Son, today I have begotten You.” -NKJV.
Ps. 2 is a coronation Ps., It is the Ps. sung at the crowning of a king in the Davidic Line. Isaiah 42 speaks of “My Servant”, “My Elect One” (lit., “Chosen One”) (v. 1). Isa. 42:1 goes on to say, “I have put My Spirit upon Him…” This is called “The Servant Songs prophesies” about a suffering servant who will carry the sins of others. They also point out that the “voice” fuses 2 passages together: a king, a servant in the same person, in the same moment
Voice = Father
Dove = Spirit
Man = Son
The Christian doctrine of the Tri-Unity came several centuries later.
Not in the Temple
All this took place, not in the temple, but in a muddy river! We would say, not in an organized 501C3 Church, but outside the Church: True Christianity vs. false Churchianity. The corrupt snakes, fakes, & flakes, Sadducean priesthood was bypassed by John & Jesus. The prophet John baptized Jesus for service.
We are called FALSE by the Church because we are not ordained by the Church (at one time we were though). We were called out, washed, anointed, & presented to take Jesus to all the world. Jesus did away with the Aaronic priesthood. The Levitic priesthood was no longer needed.
The Problem! Pt. 3
For 2,000 years the priesthood Jesus in entering is NOT the priesthood of Aaron, it cannot be. That priesthood of Aaron was hereditary & Jesus by His Tribal lineage is from Judah = “… Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David…” – Rev. 5:5, NKJV
Jesus is from Judah not Levi. The Aaronic priesthood was passed from father to son thru the line of Aaron, hence, Jesus DOES NOT QUALIFY!!! The N.T. esp. Hebrews addresses this problem: It points back to Melchizedek (read Heb. 5:10). “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek,” -Heb. 5:6. Research this priest. He appears in the story of Abraham, Gen. 14:18. After this event this Priest disappears from the story. He was called “King of Righteousness”.
A revelation of revolution has taken place – Jesus = Melchizedek, i.e. “according to the order of Melchizedek”, not the “order of Aaron”, an older order altogether, one that predates the Law of Moses, going all the way back to Abraham, before Sinai, before the Tabernacle was constructed, before the priestly system of Israel existed.
Hebrew Letters 5-7
These chapters connects the dots for us in ref. to Jesus as a Priest; not by Aaronic descent; He is a Priest after the Order of Melchizedek. The Jews had been waiting for such a Priest.
So…
The Priesthood of Jesus lives FOREVER. It does not nor will not pass to another. Jesus ONLY!!! John baptized the TRUE PRIEST, anointed, not into the FAILING, CORRUPT Order of Aaron, but into the PREVAILING ETERNAL ORDER of Melchizedek.
Remember This?
“… for thus it is fitting for us (John & Jesus) to fulfill all righteousness,” –Mt. 3:15.
What is meant is every righteous ordinance was to be fulfilled. Justin Martyr quotes: “Christ was circumcised, & observed all the other ordinances of the Law of Moses, not with a view to His own justification; but to fulfil the dispensation committed to Him by the LORD, the God & Creator of all things.” We read in Mt. 5:18 this:
“For assuredly, I say to you, until heaven & earth pass away, one jot (Gk. iota, Heb. yod, the smallest letter) or one tittle (the smallest stroke in a Heb. letter) will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” –
Paul wrote: “Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus, were baptized into His death? Therefore, we were buried (all the way under) with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” – Rom. 6:3, 4, 5.
By what name? There is an ongoing debate as to what name or names we are baptized into. This is for another time, another day. As it stands some prefer “Jesus”; others “Father – Son – Holy Ghost.”
Believers
Jesus made the WAY for us to become “… a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people” – 1 Pet. 2:9
Pt. 4:
To Be Baptized
We’ve learned that Christ’s baptism was not for the remission of sins but for His anointed word & work among those who needed to be cleansed; for those who would make up God’s New World Order, His chosen generation, His royal priesthood, His holy nation (consisting of converted Jews & Gentiles), His special people that will proclaim the praises of Him who called them out of darkness into His marvelous light.
As said, in those early days the “name” or “names” had not been established. To be baptized “into the name of” someone means that the baptizand has turned over allegiance, has given himself/herself, to the one named in the rite. There were in the beginning contentions among the Corinthians. In Paul’s epistle (first), he addresses this issue of contentions/divisions (1:11-17). In v. 13 Paul writes: “… were you baptized in the name of Paul?” So, baptism was an ongoing rite of the Church. It seems probable, on the basis of Paul’s arguments in both 10:1-6 & 15:29 (where he brings up baptism), that the Corinthians held a somewhat “magical” view of water baptism. Paul, in his epistle, is not trying to work out a “theology” of WB, nor is he in effect negating it. He said that he personally did not baptize many (vv. 14-17). We wonder what “name” he used, what “names” he used?: “Jesus” or “Father, Son Holy Ghost”?
Here Is What I Found
Jesus’ name: Acts 2:38: “… Repent, & let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…”;
“For as yet He had fallen upon none of them (the Holy Spirit). They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” – Acts 8:16 (see v. 12 also);
“Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit…. And he (Peter) commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord…” – 10:47, 48; “When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” – 19:5.
Naturally, the “name of Jesus”, was THE NAME that the early Church used but it had not become “law”.
1 Cor. 6
In this chapter Paul deals with his “vice” list, vv. 9, 10. In v. 11 Paul writes “…. you were WASHED (i.e. baptized), you were sanctified (i.e. set apart), you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus & by the Spirit of our God.”
The author of Hebrews mentions, “our bodies washed with pure water,” Heb. 10:22.
Let’s Go Greek
Gk. scholars tell us that the verb, “you were washed”, is an allusion to baptism. Paul does not say “you were baptized”, the verb, according to them, is not used elsewhere in the N.T. to denote baptism (it is joined to baptism in Acts 22:16, but is not the actual verb for WB itself).
The use of (Gk.) “en” with “baptism”, with “baptize” refers to the element into which one has been baptized (see 1 Cor. 12:13); with “baptize” the Apostle uses the preposition “eis”: one is “baptized into the name” (see 1:13-15; this is standard usage in the N.T., except for Acts 2:38, which has έπί; one wonders, therfore, whether the έντω όνόματι ‘τησον χοιστον of Acts 10:48 goes with Βαπτισθηναι or, as elsewhere in the N.T., with the verb “command”, Gk. scholar Gordan D. Fee). Paul made it clear that “you are all one in Christ Jesus.” – Gal. 3:28 The 2 prepositions & 3 verbs all go together – “baptized into the name” or “into Christ”. Fee points out, it should perhaps also be pointed out that the callocation of “the name of Jesus” with WB does not occur in Paul. In the name of Jesus one “commands” (2 Thes. 3:6), “appeals” (1 Cor. 1:10), “judges” (1 Cor. 5:3), “does all things” (Col. 3:17), “gives thanks” (Eph. 5:20), & “is washed, sanctified, justified”; but nowhere is one “baptized of Jesus”. One is baptized in His name.
Getting Wet!
Paul, here in 1 Cor. 6:7-11 is not here concerned with the Christian initiatory rite, but with the spiritual transformation made possible thru Christ & effected by the Spirit, not mere water. The 3 metaphors – regeneration, sanctification, justification – emphasize the aspects of Christian conversion – the work of the Spirit, not water.
What About Mt. 28:19?
Yes, of course. Here we find the Trinitarian formula: “Go therefore & make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name (not names) of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit.” -NKJV.
So, do we have two modes of WB? Where else do we find the Tri-Unity mentioned? “Jesus”, the Son vs. the “Holy Trinity” The theologian/scholar Adam Clarke, LL.D., F.S.A (A Commentary & Critical Notes, 1830’s) has plenty to say concerning Mt. 28:19 (vol. 5, Matthew, pp. 284, 285, 286). He writes about infant WB as well as adult WB on p. 284 he writes:
“Baptism, properly speaking, whether administered by dipping or sprinkling, signifies a full & eternal consecration of the person…” I hardly believe “sprinkling” is what Jesus, John, Peter, Paul, Matthew et al. had in mind.
“… therefore the Father, & the Son, & the Holy Spirit, are not creatures. Again, baptism is not made in the name of a quality or attribute of the Divine nature; therefore the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, are not qualities or attributes of the Divine nature.” He continues “…. Do They not direct every reader to consider the Father, the Son, & the Holy Spirit, as three (3) distinct persons?” There are others that disagree altogether.
Pt. 5
Some Thoughts:
1 – Christ commands them (us) to GO & baptize the nations…. The Gospel was first to be preached to Judea, Samaria, & Galilee;
2 – Christ commands the disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit; but among the Jews, they baptized ONLY in the name of Jesus (I’ve cited the texts. So, the name “Jesus” was for the converted Jews; the name “Father – Son – Holy Ghost” was for the Gentiles. This is what we find.
On the other hand the apostolic blessing, Grace & peace from God the Father, & from our Lord Jesus Christ.” Where is the H.S.?
The Jews did more easily consent to the “Spirit” of the “Messias”, which they very much celebrate, than the person of the Messias/Messiah. Above all others they deny and abjure Jesus of Nazareth. It belonged to the apostles, therefore, the more earnestly to assert Jesus (to be the Messiah) but how much more vehemently they opposed Him.
3 – The apostles, for the present, baptized in the name of “Jesus”… to establish His name (for doctrine);
4 – Among the Jews, the controversy was about the Messiah – who was He?; among the Gentiles, about the true God – who was He? It was therefore among the Jews it was in the name of Jesus. Among the Gentiles, the name Father, Son, Holy Ghost was used that they might be hereby instructed in the doctrine of the One True God;
5 – The Jews baptized converts/proselytes into the name of the Father, that is, into the profession of God, whom they called by the name “Father”. The apostles baptize the Jews into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost;
6 – The Father had revealed Himself in the old covenant; the son in the new; in human flesh by miracles, doctrine, resurrection /ascension; the Holy Ghost in His “gift” & “miracles”. So the doctrine of the Tri-Unity/Trinity grew to full maturity. So it is even today: “In the name of Jesus” / “In the name of the Father, Son, & Holy Ghost.
When I was in a Pentecostal Church (1972-1977), there were other Pentecostal churches that accused us of being “fake” because we baptized in Jesus’ name; they in the Tri-Unity. Deborah & I were baptized in the name of “Jesus” in Montana in the winter of ‘71; we were baptized, not in a church but in the Bitterroot River – It was below freezing outside. Chunks of ice were floating down the swift-running river.
Remember Jesus’ Baptism?
He, the Son, the voice from Heaven = Father, & the Dove = Holy Ghost, all 3 were there in the river Jordan.
Really, I don’t see the need to fight over what name/names to use. It was Jesus that died for our sins. It was Jesus that was resurrected from the dead. It was Jesus that ascended into Heaven, at the right hand of God to make intercession for us (see Rom. 8:26; Heb. 7:25). But, as the Word declares, the 3 are 1, meaning the 3 are unified, in total agreement.
The apostle Paul had frequently linked Christ (Son) with God & the Holy S. or Holy Ghost. (e.g., 2 Cor. 13:14: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, & the love of God, & the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”; see also 1 Cor. 12:4-6).
Pt. 6
FIN
Baptizing “into” has a profound meaning. All 4 Gospels & the book of Acts describe John (the Baptist) “preaching a baptism or repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mk. 1:4; Lk. 3:3 etc.). In the Hebrew Bible, cleansing with water is an important part of purification rites, esp. after sexual activity or contact with the dead (see Lev. 15:18; Num. 19:13). John calls for a more general repentance symbolized by Water Baptism.
Baptism in Acts takes place immediately after conversion, not before. It is the Blood of Jesus that washes away one’s sins. Water merely demonstrates that the old person of sin has died, buried (in water), & resurrects into the new life.
Paul equates Water Baptism symbolically with the death of Jesus (Rom. 6:3, 4; Col. 2:12), & he insists the rituals such as Water Baptism are not spiritual guarantees, since God was not pleased with the Hebrews even though they went thru a proto-baptism with Moses at the Red Sea (1 Cor. 10:1-5). This latter point, dear readers, is also made in the letter to the Hebrews (9:9-10). In vs. 10 we find the word “washings”, Greek, βαπτισμός/baptismos = “baptisms”, from baptizō = “fully wet”.
Peter wrote “There is also an antitype which now saves us -baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” He speaks of the ark of Noah (1 Pet. 3:20, 21).
Water Saves?
Some think so. But isn’t Peter saying that water saves? “… eight souls were saved by water,” 1 Pet. 3:20. We’ve got the disobedient being “not saved”, & the obedient “being saved by water”. The same “water” that purged the world of sin/sinners, was the same “water” that kept Noah & family.
The NKJV reads: “… were saved through water.” Other versions have “were saved by water,” “were brought safely through by means of water,” “found refuge as they passed through the waves.”
Those who suffer death with Him thru the symbolism of Water Baptism are brought to new life. The saving power is not in the water, but in the power of Christ’s atonement & resurrection. WB involves both the offer of God’s forgiveness & man’s repentance & faith. WB does not wash away sin – the blood does this – it gives us a “good conscience toward God,” 1 Pet 3:21.
One scholar puts it this way: “By which (water) the antitype baptism (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience towards God) now saveth us also, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” He remarks that the relative ώ being in the neuter gender, its antecedent cannot be κιβωτος, the ark, which is feminine, but ύδωρ, water, which is neuter.
The “ark” was the means of salvation from the deluge. Baptism implies a consecration & dedication of the soul & body to God, the Father, the Son, & the Holy Spirit. You see, if it had not been for the “ark”, not the “waters”, Noah & family would have perished in the waters – the waters saved no one, but as it is the means of his getting his/her heart purified by the H.S., & typifying to him/her that purification. The ark was not immersed in the water; had it been so they must all have perished! It was borne up on the water. They, as it were, in God (ark). The waters were judgment.
The meaning of Water Baptism in 1 Pet. 3 is not the external cleansing of the flesh with water; it is the appeal to God for a cleansed conscience. Its power is not found in the water but in the resurrection of Christ Jesus. Water Baptism may be said to save only “through the resurrection”.
The outward act of Water Baptism has an inner significance: the saving gift of God is there met by the resolve of faith. The term “appeal” or “pledge” appears to be contractual language & may refer to the baptizand’s ethical commitment (see Justin’s Apology 1:61: the candidates “undertake to live accordingly”) or the “response”, to the questions put in baptism (Tertullian’s De Resur. 48; De. Cor. 3).
The Didache
This doc., which may encode Syrian practice around the turn of the 1st cent., presents in its first 6 chapters what looks like catechetical material as it expounds the “Two Ways” of “life” & “death”. In cpt. 7 the doc prescribes: Baptize in the name of Father, & of the Son & of the H.S., in running water.” (see also The Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus: there are dozens & dozens of quotes from the Early Church Fathers on WB).
There is, as some scholars say, no evidence before the 4th century of a declaratory pronouncement “I baptize you in the name of”. “Running water” is lit. “living water” (Gk. hydōrzōn), which had Biblical associations with divine grace, (e.g., Jer. 2:13; 17:13). While “Running Water” is preferred, it is not indispensable: “If you do not have running water, baptize in other water; & if you cannot in cold, then in warm.” “If you do not have either, pour water 3 times on the head.” (see Didache 9:5). There is just too much to record (Early Church) on Water Baptism.
What Does the Qur’an Say?
There is one quote from the Islamic Qur’an on “Baptism”:
“(Our religion is) the Baptism of God: And who can baptize better than God? And it is He whom we worship.”
Q. 2:138 (The Holy Qur’an, by Abdullah Yusuf Ali).
Ali cites the footnote #137:
“Sibgat: baptism: the root-meaning implies a dye or color: apparently the Arab Christians mixed a dye or color in the baptismal water, signifying that the baptized person got a new color in life. We do not believe that is necessary to be baptized to be saved.” (We Christians are saved by the blood atonement of Christ Jesus: Water Baptism is for a clean conscience towards God: we go down into waters of death & come up into newness of life for service).
Ali continues: “Our high baptism is the ‘Baptism’ of God (Allah in Arabic), by which we take on a color (symbolically) of God, & absorb His goodness in us.”
[note: the accusative case of Sibgat puts it in opposition to millat (“religion”) in 2:35 = “They say: ‘Become Jews or Christians if ye would be guided (to salvation).’ Say thou: ‘Nay! (I would rather) the Religion of Abraham the True, & he joined not gods with God.”
What does Ali mean? He means the right opinion, orthodox, firm in faith, sound & well-balance, true. Perhaps the last word – True – sums up most of the other shades of meaning. Ali (Muslims in general) believes the Jews taught unity; went after false gods, & the Christians invented the Trinity or borrowed it from Paganism (see all my articles on Islam – Posted).
We know Abram (later, Abraham) came out of an idol-worshipping family. He came to believe in the One True God, Muslims believe we Christians are idol-worshippers – we worship the “Son” (God has no Son they say) & “Mary”. (the Catholics do this, not the true Christian Ekklesia). Muslims believe in Jesus as a true prophet but not as the “Son of God” (see Q. 2:36 also).
Fin
When we are baptized as Paul writes in Gal. 3:27, we have been baptized into Christ, we have put on Christ. Water Baptism, in this sense, is equivalent to a marriage; the wife takes her husband’s name & enters her husband’s possessions & has legal rights to his home etc. We, at baptism, do the same. We have become, by that baptism, a joint heir with Jesus/God; We are baptized into the finished work of the Lord Jesus.
“We are buried with Him by baptism into death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Fathers, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” – Rom. 6:4. Note the words “…so we also SHOULD walk in newness of life.” Why don’t we see more of this in today’s Church?
Burial! Resurrection! Union!
There is Water Baptism & there is Spirit baptism. To be baptized into the Holy Spirit means that we have died to our past life of sin, hence, we walk in the Spirit, not in the flesh (i.e., carnal nature), Read Gal. 5 where the “works” of the flesh are recorded, vss. 19-21 as opposed to the “fruit of the Spirit”, vss. 22, 23.