A term generally meaning “to dip” or “immerse.” It represents a group of words used to indicate a religious ceremony for ceremonial cleansing. In the New Testament, baptism became the ceremony of initiation into the Christian community. It was interpreted theologically as a dying and rising with Christ.
Preview
- The Baptism of John
- The Baptism of Jesus
- Jesus’s Resurrection Command to Baptize
- Baptism in the Early Church
- The Theology of Baptism in Paul’s and Peter’s Epistles
The Baptism of John
John preached a “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3). The origins of his ceremony are difficult to trace. Some have claimed that John's baptism was like the baptism practiced by those at Qumran. Others have claimed that his baptism was like the baptism practiced by Jews when initiating new converts to Judaism. The members of the Qumran community viewed themselves as God's chosen people of the last days and so dwelt in the desert. They lived a life of strict self-discipline and immersed themselves daily in acts of ceremonial cleansing.
At the same time, they taught that internal repentance must accompany the external act (Rule of the Community 2:3). Its sacramental (or sacred) 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 Community 5:6). Converts to Judaism from other religions were admitted to the community only after fulfilling certain requirements. These requirements included the following practices:
the study of the Torah (the first five books of the Bible)
circumcision (the practice of removing the foreskin of the male reproductive organ)
a ceremonial bath to cleanse themselves from their previous non-Jewish life
John’s baptism was similar to and different from these other forms of baptism. The origins of his baptism may be found in the prophetic acted-out parable (a short story used to explain a moral truth). These acts not only symbolized God’s message but also intended to bring it about.
John’s practice had several theological ramifications:
It was closely connected with radical repentance, not only for non-Jewish people (gentiles) but also for Jewish people (which would have been surprising to John's contemporaries).
It was eschatological at the core (focused on the end times). It was preparing for the Messiah (God's anointed one), who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Matthew 3:11). This looked ahead to the final separation between God’s people and the wicked at the end of time (compare Matthew 3:12).
It symbolized moral purification and so prepared the people for the coming kingdom of God (Matthew 3:2; Luke 3:7–14).
Despite the clear connection between John’s ceremony and the early church, we cannot assume as fact absolute dependence. In fact, the ceremony of baptism disappeared from Jesus’s ministry. At first, Jesus allowed his disciples to continue the ceremony (John 3:22). Later he seemed to end the practice (John 4:1–3). This likely happened because of the following reasons:
John’s message was about what people should do, while Jesus's message was about who he was and his nature.
John’s baptism was forward-looking, expecting the coming kingdom of God, while Jesus’s baptism was backward-looking, celebrating that event.
John’s baptism was a temporary practice, while Jesus’s baptism was sacramental (a permanent, sacred practice).
Jesus’s ministry fulfilled John’s ministry, so Jesus moved away from John's way of doing things.
The Baptism of Jesus
This event has its origins in a complex mix of divine and human motives within Jesus's awareness of his role as the Messiah (see Mark 1:9–11 and parallels). For John, it was confirmation of his message and ministry from Jesus. Jesus's actions aligned with John’s proclamation of the kingdom. For Jesus, it was also an anointing that marked the start of his messianic ministry. As seen in God’s “heavenly voice” of Mark 1:11 and parallels, this has two aspects:
The voice alludes to Psalm 2:7, establishing Jesus’s unique sonship.
It alludes to Isaiah 42:1, establishing him as the messianic “servant of Yahweh.” (This is discussed at greater length in the article below.)
Jesus’s Resurrection Command to Baptize
Here we find the true basis of the church’s practice in Matthew 28:19. As already stated, the disciples stopped using the earlier practice, so this moment marks the reestablishment of baptism as an ordinance based on the death and resurrection of Christ. It was no longer a future-oriented practice but had now become a realized activity centering on the gospel message. It was validated by the risen Christ who is exalted to universal lordship. It also is an essential aspect of making disciples, as seen in the use of the participle “baptizing” after the main verb “make disciples.” Finally, the practice signifies the entrance of the believer “into” union with the triune God (literally “into the name of” the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
Baptism in the Early Church
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 early church it was an important part of the salvation process (Acts 2:38, “repent and be baptized”). It was accomplished through confession and prayer “in the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5). There was likely a time for questions and answers during which believers confessed their faith and dedicated themselves to Christ. The result was acceptance into and identification with the community of believers under the new covenant (God's promise of salvation and new life in Christ). This signified both forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18) and the reception of the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:16; Acts 2:38, 41; 9:17; 10:47–48; 11:16–17; 19:5–7). See Baptism of Fire; Baptism of Jesus; Baptism of the Spirit.
The Theology of Baptism in Paul’s and Peter’s Letters
Paul’s basic statement is found in Galatians 3:27, “baptized into Christ.” The ceremony of baptism is centered on Christ, indicating union with Christ. This is clarified further by Romans 6:3–8, which equates baptism with dying and rising (compare Colossians 2:12–13).
At the same time, baptism is related to the Holy Spirit. First Corinthians 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 Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:21–22; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30).
This leads us to the future aspect of baptism related to the end times. In its relation to the present work of Christ and the Holy Spirit, baptism represents the outpouring of salvation in the age of fulfillment. This is because it is the ceremony indicating the believer’s entrance into the blessings of the new age (Titus 3:5).
There is also a definite link between baptism and the Old Testament covenants (promises between God and his people). The major connection is with God's covenant with Abraham and its practice of 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 how alike the two practices are—does baptism perform the same function in the new covenant, that is, forensic (declaring someone legally right with God) and imputative (giving them Christ's righteousness)? Whatever the theological implications, Paul at least cannot be made to say that. Rather, he borrows here the Jewish-Christian imagery of the “circumcision of the heart” (Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6; Jeremiah 4:4; Romans 2:28–29; Philippians 3:3). Christians experience the fulfillment of that which circumcision merely prefigured—a spiritual reality that is completely effective.
Baptism is also related to the covenant with Noah in 1 Peter 3:19–21. There, Noah’s deliverance through the waters is considered a picture of the effects of baptism. The debate centers on the meaning of “baptism that now saves you.” The answer is connected with the explanation that follows, which speaks of “the pledge of a clear conscience toward God” (literally “of a good conscience”). While the discussion between the sacramental and baptist views is considered below, we will simply comment here that the interpretation “appeal by a good conscience” best fits the emphatic position of this phrase and the picture in this verse of a pledging convert. Baptism is the seal (or confirmation) of the salvation covenant, which itself has been accomplished beforehand by the act of Christ and the faith decision of the individual believer.