We first encounter the phrase “ baptism ” when a man named John, was baptizing people in preparation of the coming Messiah. He became famous throughout the country and it did not take long before the words “the Baptist” was tied to his name. He performed a ritual which became known as the “ baptism of repentance ”. The word “ baptism ” originates from the Greek word “ baptizo ” which means “to submerge” or “to immerse” oneself in water. Modern dictionaries will also associate baptism with the sprinkling of water, although this was never the action that took place in Jewish or early Christian history. The second word “ repentance ” is derived from the Greek word “metanoia” which means to change one’s mind or attitude towards sin. It does not give you any power to overcome sin, but it rather is an acknowledgement that one shows remorse for any sins that they had knowingly committed.

Most Jews had reasoned within themselves that since the exodus began in the wilderness, their return to covenant status would also be announced in the wilderness. On the extremes of Jewish society, one observes the Qumran community who physically moved into the Judean desert, fully expecting to be the first to meet the coming Messiah. John, the Baptist in preparing the hearts of the masses, was being overwhelmed with people traveling from afar, repenting of their sins and were submerged in the Jordan River as a sign of their heart felt sorrow to the sin in their lives, (Lk. 3:21) . Their submersion indicated that they were ready to receive the coming Messiah and coming out of the water was symbolic of having all sin confessed before God. John, the Baptist’s ministry was separate from Jesus and His role was to prepare the Jewish landscapes for the imminent arrival of the Messiah. The entire region of Judea was hot in anticipation that the time was ripe. John was revealing the sin of man but had no power to wash or cleanse people of their sins. In fact, John, the Baptist prophesied that a man would come whom the religious people themselves would not recognize, of “ whose sandals he is not even worthy to untie ”, (Jn. 1:26) . The very next day He saw Jesus from afar and announced: “ Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world ”. He even acknowledged that this was the reason he was preparing the hearts of mankind, so that their Messiah could be revealed to all of Israel, (Jn. 1:29-30) . The gospel of Mark also records that John the Baptist, re-iterated the fact that although he baptized with water, the one who is still to come “ will baptize you with the Holy Spirit ”, (Mk. 1:8) .

The transformation experience All four gospels use virtually the exact same description of what occurred as Jesus emerged from the depths of the waters. Firstly, “ John saw the heavens parting ”. In Judaism, they call the event when the heavens part and God affirms His will or judgement as “Bath Kol”. The Jews would have been very familiar with this occurring as they believed it occurred in history where the prophets were inactive. The Jews would view the opening of the heavens as revealing man’s ability to access God and the coming of God’s Spirit to earth. The phrase: “ The Spirit descending upon Him like a dove ”, emphasized the special anointing Jesus received as God’s Spirit overpowered Him. A dove was used in the Jewish sacrificial system as a blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin. This is the first time from a Christian perspective, that a dove was applied as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. With this power from on high, Jesus was enabled to break the bondage over mankind for all eternity. The third significant event which occurred was the affirmation of His identity with God, with the loud voice booming from the heavens: “ ‘You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased’ “. This is one of a very few verses you find in the Bible, where the Trinity is seen in one sitting. It is with these three signs that the official ministry of Jesus began.

Why the need for water baptism? As Christians we are baptized because it is one of the commandments Jesus instructed us to follow, before He ascended into heaven. He said: “ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit , teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age, Amen ”, (Mt. 28:19-20). It is an act of obedience, that allows God to transform us into our roles as being reborn in Christ. If we are saved, but not baptized, we are rebelling against God still allowing our old ways to dictate the way forward. It is highly symbolic, yet don’t assume that this rite does not carry significant spiritual weight. The process of being baptized signifies three deep acknowledgments playing out in our material realm. As we go under the water, it is a symbol of our old lives, having no hope or future, still being entrapped in sin. The water is symbolic of washing the filth and toil from your flesh and the death of our old natures. It is when we rise from the depths of the water, that it symbolizes the new life we have as a child of God. Obedience is key in any kingdom and especially since we look so forward to Christ returning to make this spiritual kingdom, His eternal kingdom. It is also a public confession before many others that we unashamedly uniquely identify with Christ, (Gal 3:27). Peter expands on the fact that just as in the case of Jesus, through our obedience, we receive the “ gift of the Holy Spirit ” as a lasting ordinance to as many “ as the Lord our God will call ”, (Acts 2:38-39) . The power of any Christian in his drive towards “ working out His salvation in fear and trembling ”, (Phl. 2:12) , is enabled when he obediently follows the example and commandments of Christ.

Other forms of Baptism There are some churches, especially prevalent amongst the eastern orthodox churches, where infants are sprinkled with water and are referred to as being baptized in Christ. This was something that Origen, a famous theologian of the second century, confirmed in his writings. It is also something Tertullian and Augustine promoted over the next three hundred years. Church history post the Apostles is steeped in this tradition. While certainly there is nothing wrong with receiving such a blessing as a baby, a baby without the ability to know the reason, the importance of being baptized, or its deep symbolic ties to both salvation and their role under Jesus Christ, it certainly does not qualify for obedience to God’s chosen ones to be baptized. If you are in this situation, I encourage you to be baptized as soon as you can. Since Jesus amplified that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to children, (Mt. 18:10 & 19:14) , I personally believe that children are safe from God’s wrath until they reach the age of accountability. No sprinkling of water will change the position of a child.

The method of Baptism While some churches declare that only certain “reverends”, “bishops” or “elders” are the only ones who are authorized to baptize others, the Bible makes no mistake that everyone has that responsibility. We are all told to “make disciples of the nations, baptizing them” into the Christian faith. No one has the power or the permission to lord this ability over others. As it was in John the Baptists day, the day of Jesus first advent and in the days of the very early church period, everyone who was baptized was emerged under water. There were no water sprinkling or droppings. There was a reason why people were submerged in water as this was the very example Jesus followed, identifying Himself with the special cup He had to carry to eliminate our death sentence and reconcile us to God, the Father.

When and how should we get baptized? The effect of salvation has a ripple effect. In the records of the very early church, everyone who was called and saved, were baptized immediately, (Acts 8:5-13, 9:10-18, 10:48, 16:33 & 18:8) . Everyone, without exception. Since “ we are all baptized by one Spirit as to form one body ”, (1 Cor. 12:13) , it is a joining together of ourselves with other believers in sharing this special milestone in our Christian walk. We are confessing before our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ that we are one under the gospel of Jesus Christ. While some teach, based on some obscure scriptures that one remains condemned if not baptized, salvation does not depend on it. But one can certainly argue that this lack of obedience to a basic instruction will have a further effect on the substance and the fruit your produce in your lifetime. The question, as to when, is readily answerable. Quite simply, there should be no delay. Once God has called you and you have recognized your need for the Saviour in Jesus Christ in covering a multitude of your sins, the only next step is to get baptized with a sense of urgency. It is a deliberate, purposeful action of intent, which cements us into fellowship with God.

The encounter with Jesus The finer details of Jesus baptism by John the Baptist, is recorded by the synoptic gospels, (Mt. 3:13-17; Mk. 1:9-11 & Lk. 3:21-22). The Gospel of Luke indicated that Jesus was about thirty years of age when He left Nazareth for Galilee to be baptized. The prophet Isaiah also provided a prophecy concerning the coming of the Messiah where those in Galilee would see a great light and this light would shine upon them, (Is. 9:1-2). The message is that this was a deliberate action of Jesus. To John the Baptist’s surprise, Jesus came with the crowds to receive baptism from John. When John saw Him, he tried to deter Jesus saying: “ I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ “, to which Jesus responded: “ Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness ”, (Mt. 3:14-15). What did Jesus mean by this? Since Jesus was free from all sin, it can only mean that He was setting the example for others to follow. If Jesus was not baptized, how could salvation have occurred, since it is impossible for anyone to be saved, if they do not even acknowledge that they are in desperate need of a Saviour.