“In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea…he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight…Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were 1) baptized of him in Jordan, 2) [for the purpose of] confessing their sins.” (Matthew 3:1-6)
This was not an evangelistic gimmick. John the Baptist was following the Law of Moses which required outer washing in acknowledgement of one’s inner sinful state before coming into the presence of Holy God.
The Greek word “baptizo” was a common everyday word among Greek-speaking people, understood by the Latin word ‘immerse’, as when washing.
“the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud…Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them [a command as at Creation, not an allowance, also] wash their clothes.” (Exodus 19:9-10)
“to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest’s office…Aaron and his sons thou shalt…wash them with water.” (Exodus 29:1-4)
“Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet…When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister…unto the LORD:” (Exodus 30:18-21)
“the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me…Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;” (Isaiah 1)
Findings of washing rituals dating back to the Babylonians show that all ancient religions recognized some form of spiritual cleansing, renewal or initiation that was accomplished through a washing or immersion in water. In Egypt, water, especially from the Nile, was believed to have regenerative powers, was used to baptize the dead in a ritual based on the Osiris myth of regeneration.
We can therefore recognize that the mixed multitude of people who rejected the Egyptian gods and submitted to YHVH under to Moses’ leadership understood the meaning of being baptized into a new life in YHVH under his sacral king Moses, as well as the pagan converts to YHVH’s Savior under the Apostle Paul’s leadership.
“brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;” (I Corinthians 10:1-2)
In the cult of Cybele, a baptism of blood was practiced in the rite of the Taurobolium: where one was covered with the blood of a bull…A well-known inscription attests that he who has received baptism of blood has received a new birth in eternity. A bath in the Greek sanctuary of Trophonion procured for the initiate a blessed immortality even while in this world. The mystery religions of that period often included ablution rites of either immersion or a washing of the body for the purposes of purification or initiation. Other concepts said to have been associated with these forms of cultic baptisms included the transformation of one’s life, the removal of sins, symbolic representation…a new beginning, spiritual regeneration. Paul’s teachings to these Gentiles made sense to them.
“Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death…Knowing this, that our old [mortal] man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:4-11)
Let’s put these commands in the context of ancient society’s daily life. Most people had one set of clothes which they didn’t wash regularly, nor did they take showers every night after a day exposed to dirt- and animal excrement-covered fields, roads and city streets.
Every instance of baptism / washing in the Bible results in a public expression of the invisible soul’s desire for sanctification. Exactly like the opposite physical act of seductive dressing is a public expression of the invisible soul’s desire to sin.
Baptism must be a public show of change from the old to the new, as public as John ministering at the Jordan River and those who stood at the cross – identifying themselves as Enemies of the State, uniting with Christ Jesus / YHVH’s Chosen Savior.
I know a missionary who baptized his converts in private so they would not experience shunning from their atheistic society. They weren’t planning of identifying with YHVH’s Savior in any other way either.
Way to go.
“Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it….Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:34-38)
“ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus…as many of you as have been baptized into Christ.” (Galatians 3:26-28)
Kingdom Come 