From the time John the Baptist and Jesus’ apostles first administered water baptism until the Day of Wrath and Salvation only approximately 40 years would pass. Water baptism had a fixed design and terminus. It declared deliverance from the coming wrath and salvation in the coming new day for all who were so appointed by God.
For many, what is water baptism now?
Water baptism requires a closer look because of the very many times that it is named in the Scriptures and because of its tendency for significant misinterpretation. It suffers such misunderstanding because of the frequency of its links to salvation.
Before John the Baptizer appeared, there is no mention of this practice in the Scriptures. There was, however, a very substantial historical backdrop to his ministry. The Essenes and especially the Qumran Community practiced water baptisms as part of their purification rites. The Qumran sect did so on a daily basis. It is highly likely that John interacted with the Qumran sect before his public appearance. Be that as it may, if he did, there was a huge difference between his baptism and theirs. As stated, theirs was continual on a daily basis and, they believed, secured their purification before God. John’s was a one time event and bonded the new people of God as identified with their Savior and Purifier Jesus, the Messiah of Israel.
The Scripture often speaks in terms that use symbols or signs that represent reality. These are spiritual realities. The symbols convey the real truth. However, no one is actually expected to press the issue into an interpretation that demands the physical-material equating of the symbols with the realities. Rather, everyone is expected to understand the spiritual meaning of the spiritual realities being presented by the material terms used. Jesus corrected Nicodemus about this very issue when he misunderstood the figure for the reality.
Some instances of the Scripture speaking this way that people readily understand are: God is the Rock; Jesus is the Lamb; the people of God are His sheep; Jesus is the Bread of Life; the people of God are the temple of God. These are all absolutely true and are spiritual realities. They are not physical-material realities. People readily understand the connections and the unassailable spiritual and eternal truth of each of these terms. However, when it comes to water baptism and the bread and the cup of the Lord’s Supper, many people go astray regarding these terms. The bread and the cup of wine were symbolic of the sacrificed body and blood of Jesus. I mention the Lord’s Supper here because it is treated in the same sense by misinterpreters; mainly because of Catholicism’s teaching that it, like water baptism, was and is essential to salvation. Seeing how it is mishandled will inform regarding how water baptism is mishandled as they both share in the same false interpretation of salvation.
Furthermore, both Eastern and Western Catholicism press hard for the doctrine that the bread and the cup are not only necessary to secure eternal justification before God, but they also teach that the bread is really-physically the body of Christ and the cup is really-physically His blood. To remove the obvious error of equating the figure and the substance, they have imposed an invented church doctrine called Transubstantiation. This doctrine, which was first taught in the 11th century and was ratified by them in the 13th century holds that during the Mass, the bread actually becomes the physical body of Christ and the wine in the cup actually becomes the physical blood of Christ and remains such as long as they exist. They teach that Transubstantiation overrides the facts that the bread is still bread and the cup of wine is still wine to anyone who observes them. Away with such God-dishonoring non-sense! Hocus-pocus does nothing but exalt men in power!
Catholicism arrived at its conclusions about the bread and the cup because of the way that statements are made about the two. Some in Protestantism join Catholicism in the same view about water baptism precisely for the same reason; because of the way that statements are made about it. It is a telling fact that while those Protestants will refute Catholicism about their view of the bread and the cup, they will not refute them, but rather agree with them about the water baptism view believing that it is indispensable to justification before God.
What was the way the statements were made? Regarding the bread and the cup: “This is my body. This is my blood.” Regarding water baptism: “Baptism now saves you.” “Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of yous sins.”
Water baptism is the focus of this note and it has been pressed into false service beyond God’s intention. It was never properly understood as being a badge and pledge of the righteous showing their discipleship to Jesus the Messiah and Savior, at the same time declaring their deliverance from the coming Day of Wrath and their participation in the coming Day of Salvation. It was never properly understood as the sign put for the substance.
Water baptism was like a wedding ring worn by Christ’s betrothed bride. The sign of the wedding ring has the same meaning for us today. Putting the ring on does not make one married, nor does taking the ring off make one unmarried. Wearing the ring reveals and declares that one is married and is so committed to one person.
People have allowed both the number of references to water baptism with salvation and false interpreters of what that means to jettison the symbolic truth and have submitted to heresy about water and justification before God. We are all expected to think and to reason about truth and reality.
I will leave you with an honorable challenge – one that requires you to process the truth of this matter. Your correct answer will instruct you about the real meaning of what water baptism was for the disciples of Jesus in the last days of the Law of Moses.
Jesus submitted to John the Baptist and underwent his baptism. John’s baptism was one of repentance for the remission of sins; it was one that secured the forgiven recipient from the wrath of God regarding his sins; it was one that guaranteed forgiveness of his sins and, accordingly, that he would live in eternal life forever with God.
How does all of this apply to Jesus Christ? Knowing all of these things about John’s baptism, why was Jesus water baptized. What did it mean for Him and how do you make your conclusion and why? I am asking you to explain the meaning of Jesus’ statement to John that He was being baptized to fulfill all righteousness.
If you do not fully answer, you are not honest about water baptism. That will only further the problem of misinterpretation. If you correctly answer, you understand how to interpret all symbols and signs.
Read my short note under the link "Church Ordinances" for an overview of the current status of water baptism.
Also, read my essay under the link "The one and only assembly council" where this subject is dealt with.