An appropriate place to begin a study of baptism is with the person of John the Baptist. John burst on the scene as the one preparing the way for the Messiah. As part of this, he issued a radical call for repentance, with baptism being a sign of that repentance.
I’ve neglected a bit the importance of John’s baptism. His baptism was unusual enough that it brought the religious authorities out from Jerusalem to investigate. John wasn’t just baptizing converts; he was baptizing Jewish believers.
After Jesus’ baptism, John’s disciples became jealous. Why? Jesus’ disciples were baptizing more people than John’s disciples were. After John’s death, his followers continued the practice of baptizing those who were coming to God. They continued for decades, according to the book of Acts.
What I hadn’t really thought about before was the importance baptism played in the Messiah’s movement. We’re living a time when many in our fellowship are seeking to de-emphasize the role of baptism, even as many in the broader Christian world are focusing on it even more. We need to explore the functions and meaning of baptism, but we have no need to be embarrassed about presenting baptism as an essential part of the Christian faith. It’s been that way since the start.
Tim,
I’ve long thought we have given too little attention to baptism, in spite of its frequent (may I even say ubiquitous) mention in virtually every sermon. We seldom use it as the apostles used it in their epistles to churches and individuals who had already been baptized – as exhortation to continued growth in the likeness of our Lord and as a corrective for division and personal insecurity.
Why do we not use it like that? Is it because we have focused almost exclusively on “for the remission of sins” to the virtual neglect of all the other purposes for baptism given in Scripture. Many do little to even relate baptism to the death of Jesus, much less to relate it to his resurrection – and to our subsequent ability to live in the power of our resurrection to newness of life.
Is it possible that what you term “seeking to de-emphasize the role of baptism” is a reaction to emphasizing “remission of sins” (important as that is) to the frequent neglect of other thing taught in Scripture regarding baptism?
Jerry, I think it’s definitely a reaction… which is one of the biggest dangers in Bible study and interpretation.
Thanks for the comments.