It is a Christian act of obedience and a public testimony of a believer’s willingness to identify with and follow Christ. Jesus gave us his example and his command to teach us about baptism. John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the Jordan River, leaving us an example to do the same as a public statement of our faith. Likewise, Jesus commanded his disciples to baptize other believers (Matthew 28:19).
It is an outward picture of a person’s inward change. The believer leaves behind the old way of life in exchange for new life in Christ. Baptism is a symbol of salvation-not a requirement for eternal life. However, as an act of obedience, it also is not optional for Christians. Baptism indicates our willingness to tell our church and the world that we are committed to the person of Christ and his teachings. THE BAPTISM OF JOHN The term for baptism generally means, “to dip” or “immerse.” However, it represents a group of words used to signify a religious rite for ritual cleansing. In the New Testament, it became the rite of initiation into the Christian community, and it was interpreted as a dying and rising with Christ. John the Baptist preached a “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3). The Gospel accounts agree that John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance (Matthew 3:6-10; Mark 1:4-5; Luke 3:3-14). We recognize baptism as a picture of our redirection in life. We repent from our old way of living in sin and disobedience. We change course and get a fresh start.
Some have claimed that his baptism modeled that practiced by those at Qumran; others have urged that his baptism modeled that practiced by Jews when initiating non-Jewish converts to Judaism. The members of the Qumran community viewed themselves as the covenant community of the last days and so dwelt in the desert, living a reclusive life and immersing themselves daily in acts of ceremonial cleansing. At the same time they taught that internal repentance must accompany the external act, as seen in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Its sacramental nature is seen in the fact that only a full member of the community could practice it, and then only after two probationary years (Rule of the Congregation 5:6). Converts from pagan religions were admitted to Judaism only after fulfilling certain obligations, which included the study of the Torah, circumcision, and a ritual bath to wash away the impurities of the Gentile background. John’s baptism both parallels and differs with these forms of baptism. John’s baptism practice had the following results: 1. It was intimately connected with radical repentance, not only of the Gentile but also of the Jew. 2. It pointed to being prepared for the Messiah, who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and bring the baptism of fire (Matthew 3:11). 3. It symbolized moral purification and so prepared the people for the coming kingdom of God (Matthew 3:2; Luke 3:7-14). 4. In spite of the obvious connection between John’s ceremony and the early church, it actually disappeared from Jesus’ direct ministry. At first, Jesus allowed his disciples to continue the rite (John 3:22), but later he seemingly discontinued the practice (John 4:1-3), probably for the following reasons: 1. John’s message was functional, while Jesus’ was personal. 2. John anticipated the coming kingdom, while Jesus announced the fact that the kingdom had arrived. 3. John’s rite was an interim practice until Jesus’ ministry.
This marked the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Few scholars dispute that John the Baptist baptized Jesus. However, the purpose and significance of Jesus’ baptism remain controversial. John the Baptist proclaimed that the kingdom of heaven was at hand and that God’s people should prepare for the Lord’s coming by a renewal of faith toward God. For John, that meant repentance, confession of sins, and practicing righteousness. That being so, why was Jesus baptized? If Jesus was sinless, as the New Testament proclaims (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22), why did he submit to a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins? The Gospels provide the answers.
Mark presents the baptism of Jesus as a necessary preparation for his period of temptation and ministry. At his baptism Jesus received the Father’s approval and the bestowal of the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:9-11). Mark’s focus on Jesus’ special relation to the Father, “You are my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with you” (Mark 1:11), brings together two important Old Testament references. Jesus’ messiahship is presented in a radically new way, in which the ruling Messiah (Psalm 2:7) is also the Suffering Servant of the Lord (Isaiah 42:1). Popular Jewish belief expected a ruling Messiah who would establish the kingdom of God, not a Messiah who would suffer for the people. Mark intended to show that God’s appointed time for the fulfillment of his purpose had come with Jesus’ arrival. The statement that the heavens opened at the baptism of Jesus (Mark 1:10) may proclaim the arrival of the “end times” (the time of fulfillment and the establishment of God’s kingdom). The Jewish interpretation of Isaiah 64:1 at that time held that in the last days God would open the heavens and come down to his people. In Jewish thought the rending of the heavens was also associated with hearing God’s voice and the bestowal of God’s Spirit.
Matthew’s account of Jesus’ baptism has more detail than Mark’s. It begins by noting John’s reluctance to baptize Jesus (Matthew 3:14). John was persuaded only after Jesus explained to him that the act was “fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15, RSV). Although the full meaning of those words is uncertain, they at least suggest that Jesus’ baptism was necessary to accomplish God’s will. In both the Old and New Testaments (Psalm 98:2-3; Romans 1:17) God’s righteousness is seen in his salvation for his people. That is why the Messiah can be called “The Lord Is Our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 23:6; compare to Isaiah 11:1-5). Jesus told John that his baptism was necessary to do God’s will in bringing about salvation for his people. Thus the Father’s declaration at Jesus’ baptism is presented in the form of a public announcement. It emphasized that Jesus was God’s anointed Servant about to begin his ministry, bringing the Lord’s salvation.
Luke passes over Jesus’ baptism quickly, placing it alongside the baptism of others who came to John (Luke 3:21-22). The context in Luke also sheds some light on the purpose of Jesus’ baptism. Luke, unlike Matthew, places the genealogy of Jesus after his baptism and just before his ministry begins. The parallel to Moses, whose genealogy occurs just before his primary work begins (Exodus 6:14-25), seems more than coincidental. It is probably intended to illustrate Jesus’ role in bringing deliverance (salvation) to God’s people just as Moses did in the Old Testament. At his baptism, by the descent of the Holy Spirit upon him, Jesus was equipped to do the mission God had called him to do. Following his temptation (Luke 4:1-13), Jesus entered the synagogue and declared to the people that he had been anointed by the Spirit to proclaim good news (Luke 4:16-21). That Spirit came at Jesus’ baptism to anoint him (compare to Acts 10:37-38).
This is seen in the birth story (with Jesus born in a stable and visited by lowly shepherds, Luke 2:8-20) and through placing the genealogy (stressing Jesus’ relation to all of humanity, Luke 3:38) right after the baptism. Thus, Luke saw the baptism as Jesus’ first step in identifying himself with those he had come to save. Only someone who was altogether like us could stand in our place as our substitute for sin’s death penalty. Jesus identified with us in order to show his love for us. In the Old Testament the Messiah was always inseparable from the people he represented (see especially Jeremiah 30:21 and Ezekiel 45-46). Although the “servant” in Isaiah is sometimes viewed corporately (Isaiah 44:1) and sometimes individually (Isaiah 53:3), he is always viewed as the representative of the people to the Lord (Isaiah 49:5-26), as well as the servant of the Lord. Evidently Luke, along with Mark and Matthew, was trying to show that Jesus, as the divine representative of the people, had identified himself with them in his baptism.
The fourth Gospel does not say that Jesus was baptized but does say that John the Baptist saw the Spirit descend upon Jesus (John 1:32-34). The account emphasizes that Jesus went to John during John’s preaching and baptizing ministry; John recognized that Jesus was the Christ, that God’s Spirit was upon him, and that he was the Son of God. John also recognized that Jesus, unlike himself, baptized with the Holy Spirit (John 1:29-36). John the Baptist described Jesus as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). The closest Old Testament parallel to that statement comes from the “servant of the Lord” passage (Isaiah 53:6-7). It is possible that “Lamb of God” could be an alternate translation of the Aramaic term “servant of God.” The sense of Jesus as the one who bears the sins of the people is obviously in view in the fourth Gospel. The Gospel writer implies that John the Baptist understood Jesus was the promised representative and deliverer of the people.
In the four Gospels it is clear that the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus at his baptism to enable him to do the work of God. All four Gospel writers saw that Jesus had been anointed by God to accomplish his mission of bringing salvation to the people. Those ideas provide a key to understanding why Jesus was baptized. On that occasion at the beginning of his ministry, God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit to do his mediating work between God and the people. At his baptism Jesus was identified as the one who would bear the people’s sins; Jesus was baptized to identify himself with sinful people. Likewise, we are baptized in order to identify with Jesus’ act of obedience. We follow his example by making a public confession of our commitment to God’s will.
In Jesus’s final words to his disciples we find the true basis of the church’s practice of baptism (Matthew 28:19). As already stated, the disciples had stopped employing it, so the institution was reconstituted as an ordinance based on the death and resurrection of Christ. It was no longer a forward-looking phenomenon but was now an activity centering on the gospel message and certified by the risen Christ. It also is an essential aspect of the discipline activity, as seen in the use of the participle “baptizing” after the main verb “make disciples.” Finally, we might note that the act signifies the entrance of the believer “into” union with (literally “into the name of”) God.
Acts 2:38 shows that baptism was a sacred institution from the very beginning. This takes it back to the earliest days of the church. In the primitive church it was an important part of the salvation process (Acts 2:38, “repent and be baptized”) and was accomplished via confession and prayer “in the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 2:38; Acts 8:16; Acts 10:48; Acts 19:5). Probably there was a question-and-answer period in which believers confessed their faith and dedicated themselves to Christ. The result was reception into and identification with the messianic community of the new covenant, signifying both forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; Acts 5:31; Acts 10:43; Acts 13:38; Acts 26:18) and the receipt of the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:16; Acts 2:38, 41; Acts 9:17; Acts 10:47-48; Acts 11:16-17; Acts 19:5-7).
Paul’s basic statement is found in Galatians 3:27, “baptized into Christ.” The rite of baptism signifies union with Christ. This is clarified further by Romans 6:3-8, which equates baptism with dying and rising (compare to Colossians 2:12-13). At the same time baptism is related to a baptism of the Spirit; 1 Corithians 12:13 connects “baptism by the one Spirit” with being “given that same Spirit.” Many see baptism as the outward confirmation of the inward “seal” by the Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Ephesians 1:13; Ephesians 4:30). In its relation to the present work of Christ and the Spirit, baptism externalizes the outpouring of salvation here and now. However, it is also the initiatory rite signifying the believer’s entrance into the blessings of the new age (Titus 3:5). Christians are doubly blessed. We can enjoy a redeemed life on earth as well as anticipate eternal life in heaven after we die. Under purest motives, baptism demonstrates to others that we are saved and bound for heaven.
The major connection is with God’s covenant with Abraham and circumcision. Paul, in Colossians 2:11-12, combines Jewish circumcision with Christian baptism as pictures of the redemptive work of Christ. The debate today centers on the degree of continuity between them-does baptism perform the same function in the new covenant? Paul does not necessarily say this. Rather, he borrows here the Judeo-Christian imagery of the “circumcision of the heart” (Deuteronomy 10:16; Deuteronomy 30:6; Jeremiah 4:4; Romans 2:28-29; Philippians 3:3).
Noah’s deliverance through the waters is considered a picture of the effects of baptism. The debate centers on the meaning of “baptism now saves you.” The answer is connected with the thrust of the ensuing clarification, “an appeal to God for a clear conscience” (RSV, literally “of a good conscience” or perhaps better, “by a good conscience”). Baptism is the seal of the salvation covenant, which itself has been accomplished beforehand by the act of Christ and the faith decision of the individual.
