Baptism

Buried in Water

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.—Romans 6:3,4*

Len Griehs

Baptism in the Bible is likened to burial in water. As suggested by our theme text, it is an external rite symbolizing burial and resurrection to a new life in Christ. It is one of six things mentioned in Hebrews 6:1-3 as "first principles" or more literally, "elementary rudiments." The removal of bodily defilement by water served to illustrate the cleansing from ritual and spiritual uncleanness. While baptism itself is not mentioned in the Old Testament, water as a symbol played a key part in God’s lessons for his covenant people.

There are many spiritual applications to this biblical symbol. In some instances, water is a picture of the holy spirit of God that brings refreshment and enlightenment; sometimes it is used as a barrier or test that one must pass through to receive God’s blessing, as when the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea.

It is no surprise that biblical cities were always located near a water source. Many important cities of the Bible were even named for their water source: Beersheva, Beeroth, Beerelim (Beer meaning "well") or Ein Gedi, Ein Gannim, Ein Rogel (Ein meaning "spring"). Additionally major biblical events took place atthe water source of important cities: the pool of Gibeon (2 Samuel 2:13); the pool of Hebron (2 Samuel 4:12); the pool of Samaria (1Kings 22:38).

One of the most satisfying sources of water was a spring, also called a "fountain" in the Bible. It breaks forth to the surface from underneath the ground, so it provides a cool, refreshing drink. Even today, spring water is one of the main sources of delight to anyone who is thirsty. In the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman (John 4:1-26), Jesus contrasts the water of the well with his message which he likens to spring water: "But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."

Water Connected with the Messiah

Jesus used the comparative image of water and salvation to make a profound statement about his ministry. The occasion was on the last day of the Feast of the Tabernacles recorded in John 7. As part of the feast, there was a daily drawing of water from the Pool of Siloam by the priests. They carried the pitcher from the pool to the Temple Mount while the people cheered, played music, and blew trumpets. It was taken to the west side of the altar and poured into a silver basin which had holes in the bottom. The water poured out around the altar. According to Jewish tradition, this was to represent three things: 1) a memorial of the water provided for their ancestors during the wilderness wanderings; 2) the forthcoming rains that provided refreshment after the long, dry season in Israel; 3) the outpouring of the holy spirit at the coming of Messiah.

John records in chapter 7 that Jesus stood up in the temple at the end of this week of celebration and said: "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the Scripture said, `From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ But this he spoke of the spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive; for the spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified." Some of the people therefore, when they heard these words, were saying, "This certainly is the Prophet." Others were saying, "This is the Christ." The outpouring of water was thus a symbol Jesus used in connection with himself.

Water as a Cleansing Agent

Arguably the picture of water that ties it most closely with our subject of baptism is that of cleansing. The priests and people were instructed to wash their clothes, wash their hands, and immerse themselves in a mikve, a kind of ceremonial bathing, to purify themselves. This was true for daily living as well as for service to the Lord in the tabernacle and the temple. Washing with water thus became symbolic of the removal of sin. Psalm 51:7 says, "Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." This is a reference to Numbers 19:18, where hyssop was dipped (or baptized) in water before it was used. It is this Jewish ritual practice of mikve that helps us understand why baptism was used as part of John’s and Jesus’ ministry.

The laver which stood in the court of the tabernacle in the wilderness was used for ceremonial washing by both the priests and those who came in contact with unclean things (Exodus 30:17-21) Its purpose is described in Exodus 40:30. "He placed the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing." Paul likens Christ’s separation and cleansing of the church to the ceremonial cleansing of the laver: "so that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word" (Ephesians 5:26).

During the consecration of the Jewish priesthood detailed in Leviticus 8, the priests were first washed, then anointed, and then atoned for and separated by animal sacrifices. Following the sacrifice, a burnt offering was made and Moses filled the hands of priests with the sacrifice. The cleansing, though outward and upon the flesh, did not actually remove their defilement. But the ideas associated with the cleansing of the flesh were detailed in order to teach the lesson of defilement due to sin. Access into the tabernacle was conditional upon the ceremonial baptism or cleansing of the flesh at the laver (Leviticus 8:6; Exodus 30:20; 29:4).

In 1 Corinthians 10:2, Paul says that the children of Israel "all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea." Following their separation from Egypt, the Israelites passed through the Red Sea with the cloud of Jehovah’s presence above them. This was a fitting illustration of the concept of baptism and shows the difference between a mere ceremonial cleansing and the broader application of baptism. Following this experience, the children of Israel were separated from the world and were dedicated to God through his servant Moses. They became identified with him.

Peter speaks of those "who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 3:20,21). Just as Noah and his family were separated from the world when the ark was submerged in water, so those who are baptized are symbolically cleansed from sin and brought into a new life in Christ.

The children of Israel and Noah’s family were separated from their former lives and raised to a new life. The water was a symbol of this separation that occurred because of their association with the one providing the way of salvation (Moses and Noah).

John’s Baptism

The children of Israel gained freedom through baptism in the sea and cloud. They baptized themselves to Moses and severed their ties to Egypt. John was the first to introduce baptism by another: "John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people were coming and were being baptized" (John 3:23).

Why did John baptize? First, it was for the purpose of confession of sins under the law: Israelites needed to be washed, or ceremonially cleansed. "They confessed their sins and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins" (Matthew 3:6). Second, it was unto repentance, the prime requisite for Israel’s blessing. Since the days when water was used as part of the consecration ceremony for Aaron and his sons (Exodus 29:4), washing had been performed by the person. The priest washed himself at the laver. The defiled clothes were to be washed by the man himself (Leviticus 11:40). Naaman dipped himself in the Jordan (2 Kings 5:14). That practice changed with John; he did the baptizing.

Our theme text says "we have been buried with him." To bury anything, or plant anything, it is necessary for the body or seed to be covered by dirt. To be baptized, it is necessary to be covered by water. The word baptism is not a translation from the Greek, it is a transliteration of the Greek word baptizo, which means to dip, to immerse, to sink. The word occurs in various forms, but all come from the root bapto which primarily means "to dip." In the Greek Old Testament, known as the Septuagint, the rendering of Leviticus 11:25 reads, "Whoever carrieth any of their carcasses shall wash [baptize] his clothes, and be unclean until evening." Here we see that clothes, submerged under the water to be cleaned, are "baptized." In the Greek language, the language of the New Testament, baptism means immersion.

Of course the water did not wash away their sins nor could it secure forgiveness for them. That could only come by the absolution from sin through the death of Jesus. The marginal rendering of Mark 1:4 reads, "John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance unto the remission of sins." John’s work was thus a preparatory work unto the true deliverance that would come from baptism into Christ.

Baptism into Christ

Water baptism would likely have fallen out of use were it not for Jesus being immersed at the beginning of his ministry. Had Jesus not been immersed, the ritual might have seemed nothing more than an extension of the Jewish faith. Jesus said, "I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!" (Luke 12:50). Shortly after this Jesus asked two of his disciples, "Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" (Mark 10:38). Jesus was plainly indicating his real baptism was not the one that he had received at the beginning of his ministry but was really his immersion into the will of God and ultimately submission unto death. From this we see that water baptism was merely the outward sign of the beginning of his mission to the cross. The disciples may not have understood Jesus’ words at the time, but later they would follow him into death as witnesses to his power and resurrection. John’s words verify this broader application of the concept of baptism: "This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is the truth" (1 John 5:6).

Linked together with Jesus through a baptism into his death, a believer is anointed with the spirit which provides a new life in Christ. This baptism into Christ’s death means a close association with him, putting on his characteristics. Just as Jesus elected to do God’s will, so those who are baptized into Christ walk in the same path by accepting him as a personal redeemer and transforming their lives through consecration and dedication to his cause.

Christian Baptism

Jesus’ water baptism marked a turning point in his life. The Wilson Diaglott rendering of Matthew 3:15 reads, "it is becoming us to establish every ordinance." This expresses the true meaning of Jesus’ water baptism, and consequently of his followers. In coming to Jordan and going underneath the water, then rising again, Jesus was doing something that was more than just a cleansing. His submission to baptism by John was so his followers could understand the relationship of this simple act to their own lives and their standing before God. When they in turn came to be baptized, they would understand it was a symbol of their life of consecration unto death.

In our theme text Paul tells us that baptism has nothing to do with cleansing and everything to do with death. However, he assures us that out of that death comes eternal life. The one going into death, symbolized by immersion in water, is received into life by the one who is baptizing. Just as the Israelites and the family of Noah were forever separated from their old life, those who follow Christ into baptism are separated forever from the interests of the world and its interests. Just as Christ was raised from the dead, so those baptized into Christ also rise in newness of life. Although the new life is lived in the world, those raised are no longer part of it. They have become citizens of the future world in which sin and sickness are no more. This is what Paul means when he says, "For by one spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:13).

* In this article all texts are from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise indicated.