The Baptism of John
And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. (Luke 3:3)
As I studied Luke 3 for a future lesson in the Luke sermon series I am doing, I had a few thoughts:
If baptism is unimportant and unnecessary, why is John baptizing people? Or to put it another way, why doesn’t John just preach his message of repentance? Why include the act of baptism with the message of repentance and preparation for God’s salvation?
Washing in water carries a natural, symbolic picture of cleansing. The people needed to be cleansed from their sins and baptism pictured that cleansing: the cleansed heart turning to God. Baptism cannot be optional, but is an important component of repentance and cleansing from sins.
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Your Thoughts
3 Comments so far3 Responses to “The Baptism of John”
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Gary Zimmerli
November 11, 2009 at 11:07 am
Baptism was something John’s hearers could do in response to what they heard, and the conviction in their hearts.
Baptism should be normal and usual, but I don’t think it can be an absolute requirement for salvation, the perfect example being the thief on the cross.
Richard Vandagriff
November 11, 2009 at 3:47 pm
Interesting points Gary: but did not the thief die between covenants?
Christ had not ushered in the Kingdom, as He was not dead when the robber had made his appeal. The thief may not have even been a Jew at all (the scriptures are silent on that) and the Kingdom came first to them, and later to the Gentiles. He called Jesus Lord and then asked for remembrance when Christ was to come into his Kingdom. This has an aire of imminence and immediacy, and I suspect he, the thief, was not considering end times quite like we might.
For me, then, I would suggest that the Messiah, who is the Lord of Sabbaoth, was well within his rights to grant that the humbled thief would be in paradise with him that day. I would also suggest that to place hope that any of the particulars of that case might extend in any fashion towards me or anyone else, seems more than just a little shaky and presumptuous. I find no solace in such notions, and I know of no appeal to any scripture that would lend any.
Mel
November 13, 2009 at 2:13 pm
I like how the thief came to realize and acknowledge that Christ was sinless (Christ was there unjustly.) /Then the thief requested that he could be remembered by Christ and Jesus said yes forever. By the word of Christ to the thief Christ gave promise. To us the word of the bible keys given to Peter we must repent and be baptized and we are given promise. Just like I am not Adam, I am not the thief, even though I am a sinner.