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Baptism Of Jesus (2)

10) What happened after Jesus was baptized? Jesus prayed (Luke 3:21), the Holy Spirit “descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). Following this Jesus was immediately led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where He was tempted (Mark 1:12,13). In this we clearly see that there are three in the Godhead, as the actions of three distinct persons are noted: the praying Son, the descending Spirit, and the confessing Father. Because of an earlier revelation from God, when John the Baptizer saw the Spirit descend upon Jesus, he knew that Jesus would be the One that would baptize with the Holy Spirit and that Jesus is the Son of God. Listen to John’s testimony about this unforgettable event: “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God” (John 1:32-34).

Who is Jesus of Nazareth? The Bible says that it is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18). And what does He say about Jesus? “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). [It is possible that on this special occasion God confessed Jesus as His Son twice, for Mark’s account records that the Father said “Thou (instead of “this”) art my beloved Son” (Mark 1:11)]. If God says that Jesus is His Son, then that settles the matter, regardless of what any man might say about it!

11) Does the example of Jesus’ baptism prove that today water baptism is not necessary in order to be saved? What is the motivation for such a question? Here is how some people reason: Jesus was baptized, right? Right. And surely we do not believe that He was baptized in order to be saved, because He had no sins, right? Right. In all things Jesus is our model or pattern, right? Right. Well, if Jesus was not baptized for the remission of sins, and we are to imitate Him in all things, then we should not be baptized in order to be saved. Or, to put it another way, if Jesus could be pleasing to God without being baptized for the remission of sins, then people living today can please God without being baptized for that purpose.

What can we say to this idea? We know that it is a popular one in some denominational circles. The truth is, if we are searching for the answer to the question, “What must I do to be saved,” (Acts 16:30) then we should not look at what Jesus did in the Jordan River or any place else. Please hear me out. When we consider examples of conversion, we must recognize that Jesus is not an example of one that was converted for He was never lost! Only one who is lost by being separated from God through sin (Isaiah 59:2) is in need of salvation. Therefore, the action that Jesus took by being baptized is not a parallel to a situation where one today is lost in sin! Think about this. What if, instead of saying that Jesus was not baptized to be saved, I say, “Well, Jesus never repented, so it is not necessary for a person to repent in order to be saved today?” You would say, “That’s faulty thinking.” How right you would be! But why? First, because we all know that Jesus never was lost, and thus He was never converted or did anything to be saved. So, when we discuss what a sinner must do in order to be saved, Jesus’ baptism does not come into play. Second, we know from other passages that are not connected with the baptism of Christ, that repentance is commanded by God (Acts 17:30), and it is a condition of receiving the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). In the same way, other passages that are not connected with the baptism of our Lord also plainly prove that baptism is necessary to a sinner in order to have sins washed away (Acts 22:16; Acts 2:38).

Conclusion

Jesus’ baptism was a very significant occasion in His life. It demonstrated His desire to do the righteousness of God (Matthew 3:15). It was at this time that God the Father vocally claimed Jesus as His Son (Matthew 3:17). Further, it was a pivotal point in His earthly life, for it was not until after this that we read about the beginning of Jesus’ public preaching ministry. Jesus’ baptism was unique in that His is the only immersion that has taken place that was not for the remission of sins, and yet it was in harmony with the Father’s will. May God help all of us to see the lessons that we can learn from the inspired record of our Lord’s baptism!