10/05/2024
What Is Baptism
on the day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter said to the people, "Change your hearts and lives and be baptized" (Acts 2:38). The words "baptize" and "baptism" appear more than 100 times in the New Testament. Baptism must be important, or it would not be mentioned so often. But, what is baptism?
Some people think baptism means sprinkling or pouring water on a person's head. Others think it is dipping a person under water. In order to learn what baptism really is, we must go back to the Bible and listen to God. As we begin our study, let us try to put aside our old ideas and approach the Word of God with open minds as though we had never heard of baptism before.
The Baptism Of Jesus
Jesus walked more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) to be baptized. After walking from Nazareth of Galilee to the Jordan River in Judea, Jesus asked John to baptize him. But John thought he was not good enough to baptize Jesus. John said, "Why do you come to me to be baptized? I should be baptized by you" (Matthew 3:14).
Jesus replied, "Let it be this way for now. We should do whatever God says, “to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). Jesus wanted to please His Father, and He knew that God wanted Him to be baptized (cf. Psalm 119:172). Jesus persuaded John to baptize Him in the Jordan River in order to please God.
After Jesus was baptized, He came up out of the water. The sky opened, and Jesus saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove to anoint Him. The Father spoke from heaven saying, "This (Jesus) is my Son, the one I love. I am very pleased with him" (Matthew 3:17).
From this, we learn four important things:
Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River.
After Jesus was baptized, He came up out of the water and was anointed with the Holy Spirit.
Jesus was baptized in order to please His Father.
