Baptism of Christ and Baptism

The rite of water baptism that John the Baptist called for many to come and be cleansed is linked to the New Testament sacrament of baptism instituted by Jesus as the sign of the New Covenant. Although these two theological points are linked they should not be confused or seen as identical. The baptism that John called for has its roots in the Old Testament. We read of it in the New Testament, but the New Covenant was not yet established until his ministry ended. It was a requirement from God to His people, Israel. It was meant for preparation.

John the Baptist was the herald of the coming Messiah and preached that the kingdom of heaven or God was at hand (the two are interchangeable). The nearness of the kingdom was seen in the immanent appearance of Christ. The Messiah was about to be made known and He was coming, the people of Israel were not ready for Him, they were unprepared. They were unclean. John’s call to baptism was seen as radical by the religious elite of his day. In the Old Testament, the cleansing rite that John was announcing was only for Gentiles who had come to believe and convert to Judaism. They were unclean and needed to take a bath, so to speak. Yet, with the appearance of John, God also called the Jews to repent and be washed. The Jewish clergy, the Pharisees and Scribes saw John’s call as heretical and insulting as they were not unclean, they were blameless in the eyes of God by the Law. John was treating the Jews as if they were as unclean as the Gentiles, and that did not stand with these men.

Jesus came to John and willing submitted and took part of this purification rite, against John’s protests. Since Jesus was the Messiah in His role it was necessary for Jesus to submit to God’s law for Israel. In His identification with His people, Jesus was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. When Jesus entered the River Jordan to be baptized by John, this marked the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry. It was here that He identified Himself with the sins of His people, He was also anointed by the Holy Spirit for ministry. This event was trinitarian in its execution, as the Father required it, the Son submitted to it, and the Holy Spirit anointed it. This was Jesus’ ordination; here He began his vocation as the Christ.

The term Christ means “anointed one”. Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit at His baptism and began to fulfill the role as the Messiah as described by the prophet Isaiah, “The Spirit of the LORD GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.” (Isaiah 61:1).

Transitioning into the sacrament of Baptism that Jesus established as the sign of the New Covenant. It is the sign in which God seals His pledge to the elect that they are included in the covenant of grace.

Baptism signifies several things. Firstly, it is a sign of cleansing and the remission of our sins. It also signifies being regenerated by the Holy Spirit, being buried and raised together with Christ, being in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit, being adopted into the family of God, and being sanctified by the Holy Spirit. (See Romans 6:1-14). It was instituted by Christ and is to be administered in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The outward sign does not automatically or magically convey the realities that it signifies. For example, although baptism signifies regeneration, or rebirth, it does not automatically convey rebirth. The power of baptism is not in the water, but in the power of God.

The reality that it signifies may be present before or after the sign of baptism is given. In the Old Testament the sign of the covenant was circumcision. Circumcision was, among other things, a sign of faith. In the case of adults like Abraham, faith came prior to the sign of circumcision. While his descendants were given the sign as children before their possession of faith. Such as Paul mentions in Romans 9 that even though they were offspring of Abraham in the flesh and had the sign of circumcision did not mean they were children of the Promise.

Baptism signifies a washing with water. The command to baptize may be fulfilled with immersion, dipping, or sprinkling. The Greek word for baptize includes all three possibilities. The validity of baptism does not rest on the character of the one who ministers it or the person who receives it. Baptism is the sign of the promise of God of salvation to all who believe in Jesus Christ. It is God’s promise, its validity rests on the trustworthiness of the character of God.

With this in mind the sign of baptism is not meant to be given more than once as it casts a shadow of doubt on God’s promise. Yet, this is not the intent behind those who have been baptized more than once. The action though, if properly understood would communicate such doubt. However, it is every Christian’s duty to be baptized for it is not an empty ritual, but a sacrament commanded by our Lord.