Last week in this space, we considered the work of John the Baptist. John’s baptism was something unique in its time, though it drew on Jewish background. Like other Jewish ritual washings, John’s baptism was an immersion. Like them, too, it was associated with purification and cleansing. But John’s baptism was something altogether different in several ways. It was administered by him rather than being self-administered—hence his title “the Baptizer” or “the Immerser.” Further, while related to cleansing, it operated on a different level; it was not ceremonial or ritualistic, but connected with the last days and God’s coming judgement. His baptism was associated with repentance, forgiveness, and preparation.
John’s baptism was temporary, it served as an important forerunner of Christian baptism. It shares many of its unique features with Christian baptism: both are immersions; both are from God; both are associated with forgiveness and forgiveness of sins. But Christian baptism is again different from John’s in a couple of significant ways: it is associated with the name of Jesus and with the gift of the Holy Spirit. We want to look at that first difference in particular over the next few articles.
If you want to do a little exercise, go get a concordance, either in print or online, and find all the verses that talk about Christian baptism. Note the words that are commonly associated with it: water, forgiveness, spirit, burial, and so forth. You know what you will find more than anything else? Jesus himself. The NT descriptions of baptism repeatedly reference Jesus in one way or another:
Baptism is in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the HS Matt 28:19
Baptism in the name of Jesus Christ Acts 2:38
He commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ Acts 10:48
Baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Acts 8:16; 19:5
Baptism into Christ Jesus Rom 6:3
Baptism into Christ, have put on Christ Gal 3:27
Buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith Col 2:12
Baptism saves us through the resurrection of Christ 1 Pet 3:21
Far more than anything else, Scripture associates baptism with Jesus. That indicates the most important thing to know about baptism is it has to do with Jesus. But what does that mean?
What’s in a Name?
What does it mean to be baptized in someone’s name? 1 Corinthians helps us to begin to understand this. If you recall the situation the prompted the letter, the Corinthian church was arguing and dividing into cliques. Each one was claiming to follow a different preacher: Paul, Apollos, Peter, Christ. Paul scolded them for claiming to be followers of anyone other than Jesus. He asked them 3 rhetorical questions, all assuming an obvious “no” response: Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 1:13
That last question tells us something about what it meant to be baptized in someone’s name. Do not claim to be a follower of Paul—you weren’t baptized in Paul’s name. What is the logical implication? If you had been baptized in Paul’s name, then you could call yourself a Paul-follower. Therefore, being baptized in someone’s name is a commitment to follow them and their teachings. You were aligning yourself with the one whose baptism you accepted. Those baptized in John’s baptism committed themselves to following John’s teaching. Those baptized baptized in Christ’s name committed themselves to following Christ. If Paul had baptized people in his own name, he would have been asking people to follow him.
This idea seems to be implied in 1 Cor 10:2. Paul says that the Israelites were baptized into Moses. Were the Israelites every literally baptized? No—but Paul is drawing a parallel to those in Corinth. They had passed through water in the parting of the Red Sea. In doing so, they became followers of Moses, their deliverer. Similarly, Paul implies, the Corinthians literally had passed through water in baptism. They thus became followers of Christ, their deliverer. Baptism into Christ is same idea as baptism in the name of Christ: baptism in which you commit to become a follower of Jesus.
This also perhaps explains why some of John’s followers became jealous: And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’…He must increase, but I must decrease.” (Jn 3:26-28, 30)
When Jesus began baptizing people, that meant he was drawing disciples. John’s disciples were upset because he was gathering people after him. John explained that his work was to point to Jesus, and he would increase. A short time later, we read that Jesus had baptized more than (Jn 4:1).
How did Jesus make disciples? They were baptized. After he was risen, Jesus commanded apostles to continue that task. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. (Mt 28:19-20a) How do people become followers of Jesus? They are taught about Jesus; they are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; they are taught further to follow Christ’s teachings. Accepting Jesus’ baptism means spiritually uniting with his teaching and leadership and acknowledging him as Lord.
Uniting With Jesus
It’s clear, then, that when the apostles in Acts commanded listeners to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38; 10:48; 19:5), they were saying this would unite people with Jesus. Those being baptized were committing themselves to following Jesus, to being disciples. That means obeying his teachings, living his kingdom message. Those teachings would be another series in themselves, but we might think of things like the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5-7); loving God and loving your neighbor; living a holy life; accepting the Lordship of Jesus.
But consider that, by time the apostles preached, being united with Jesus had come to mean much more than just following his teachings. Jesus was no longer living on earth. He had died on the cross, in a death they understood as securing redemption from sin. He had conquered the grave by being raised by God. He had ascended to the right hand of the Father. He had poured out the Holy Spirit as a gift to glorify him. So uniting with Jesus took on even greater meaning: not only were Christians uniting with his teachings, they were uniting with the blessings received through his death, burial, and resurrection.
This, then, is our starting point. Throughout the NT, the emphasis on baptism is on Jesus. It says to God and the world, “I stand with Jesus.” We commit ourselves to become his follower through baptism in his name; we unite ourselves with His teachings and receive His blessings. What are those blessings? Exploring that question is the next step in this study.
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