Doctrine of Baptisms

Baptism with Water

Baptism was a very common and essential ceremony among Jews before the time of John. The Jews never received a proselyte into full enjoyment of Jewish privileges till he was both circumcised and baptized. But such baptisms were never performed except by an ordinance of the Sanhedrin or in the presence of three magistrates: besides they never baptized a Jew nor even those who were the children of their proselytes; for all these were considered to be born in the covenant hence had no need for baptism, since baptism was only an introductory rite.

“Although the term "baptism" is not used to describe the Jewish rituals, the purification rites in Jewish laws and tradition, called "Tvilah", have some similarity to baptism, and the two have been linked. The "Tvilah" is the act of immersion in natural sourced water, called a "Mikva". In the Jewish Bible and other Jewish texts, immersion in water for ritual purification was established for restoration to a condition of "ritual purity" in specific circumstances. For example, Jews who (according to the Law of Moses) became ritually defiled by contact with a corpse had to use the mikvah before being allowed to participate in the Holy Temple. Immersion is required for converts to Judaism as part of their conversion. Immersion in the mikvah represents a change in status in regards to purification, restoration, and qualification for full religious participation in the life of the community, ensuring that the cleansed person will not impose uncleanness on property or its owners. It did not become customary, however, to immerse converts to Judaism until after the Babylonian Captivity.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_baptism#Background_in_Jewish_ritual

John the Baptist came baptizing all and making disciples of himself through baptism, the Jews desired to know by what authority he made such a change in the religious customs of the nation, for they knew no man had authority to make such changes except commissioned from heaven. As a result of this, in John 1:19-27, the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him whether he was the Christ, Elijah, or the Prophet spoken of by Moses in Deut. 18:15-19. As he applied to himself a prediction that they all considered as belonging to the forerunner of Christ, they “might” have understood “why” he did it; he baptized people publically with water to show that they have repented and been forgiven of their sins, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. He did this unto the people to give the knowledge of the need for salvation by the remission of their sins, preparing the way for the Lord. Luke 1:76-79, Matt 3:11, Acts19:4. Baptism in itself doesn’t forgive sins because Hebrews 9:22 said without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. It is our faith in the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross of Calvary that brings remission of sins (Rom 3:24-25, Matt 26:28). It is also noteworthy that Christ forgave sins for His name sake without baptism with water in Matt 9:1-7, Luke 7:48-50 and many other scriptures. However, as circumcision was the physical sign of the covenant God gave made with Abraham in the Old Testament, baptism with water is the sign of the New Covenant God makes with His Church. He commissioned His disciples to go and evangelize and baptize (Matt 28:19). Baptism with water is an act of faith by which we are brought into the covenant of God and hence experience its benefits. It is a sign of our baptism into the body of Christ, hence, our partaking in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. It is also a public proclamation of our acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and an outward symbol of the inward change which has been effected in the believer. It makes us sure of God’s promises. Just as baptism into the body of Christ makes us a member of the body of Christ, that is, the spiritual bride of Christ, the Spiritual church, so does baptism with water makes us a member of the local church. Hence by John the Baptist baptizing people, he was foretelling the atoning work of Jesus Christ. That they should believe on Jesus Christ who was coming to shed his blood for the remission of their sins. Halleluyah!

To be baptized with water “unto, into or in the name of” anyone is to receive and adopt that person as a religious teacher, lawgiver and mediator between God and man; to receive his system of religion and be subject to Him. It means if God accepts that person, God has accepted you. Thus, the Jews as Paul says in 1 Cor 10:1-2 were baptized “unto Moses” in the cloud and in the sea. That is, they received the system that Moses taught; they acknowledged him as their lawgiver, teacher and mediator between God and man. It means when God was going to destroy Israel, Moses pleaded to God for them, Moses was accepted hence Israel was accepted. God blesses Moses, God blesses Israel. So to be baptized with water in the name of the God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is to receive God’s system of religion, bind your soul to obey His laws and be dedicated, consecrated and devoted to Him. It means you have identified Jesus Christ as your lawgiver, High Priest and mediator of the new covenant between God the Father and man. It means you are accepted before God the Father not because of your works but because our High Priest Jesus Christ is accepted. This reminds me of a story where a pastor was preaching to a college football team. The pastor said “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” that is in 1 Timothy 2:5. He asked them, “What is a mediator?”. The place was quiet for a while then one person among them bursted out, “A me-dia-tor, is one of them fiery things that goes across the sky!” Sad thing was, the rest of the team went “Yeah!” A mediator is a man in the media, a man in the middle. Paul said Jesus is our mediator because He is the man that stands between God and man. Now moving on, the Holy Spirit also enables you to keep the Law of Christ, walk in His  statutes, keep His ordinances and do them (Eze 11:19- 20 and 36:26-27). The bible says in Jeremiah 31:31-34 "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah- not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” We have been grafted into this new covenant with Israel by believing in Jesus Christ. So when factions came into the Corinthian Church in 1 Cor 1:10-13, Paul asked in vs 13 "Were ye baptized in the name of Paul?" --i.e., Were you devoted to Paul by this rite? Did you bind yourselves to him, and give yourselves away to Paul, or to God?