John The Baptist & Water Baptism Truths
Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit and not Joseph, though Joseph was Jesus’ Earthly father. So for all intensive purposes Earthly wide, Jesus and John The Baptist were cousins; family. This is truth many do not know and it is important to understand.
John The Baptist:
“23 And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized. 24 For John was not yet cast into prison. 25 Then there arose a question between some of John’s disciples and the Jews ABOUT PURIFYING. 26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him. 27 John answered and said, A man CAN RECEIVE NOTHING, except it BE GIVEN HIM FROM HEAVEN. 28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent BEFORE HIM. 29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: THIS MY JOY therefore is fulfilled. 30 He must increase, but I MUST DECREASE. 31 He that cometh from above is ABOVE ALL: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all. 32 And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony. 33 He that hath received his testimony hath set TO HIS SEAL that God is true. 34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. 35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given ALL THINGS into his hand. 36 He that BELIEVETH ON THE SON HATH EVERLASTING LIFE: and he that BELIEVETH NOT THE SON shall not see life; but the wrath of God ABIDETH on him.” (John 3 KJV)
“11 I indeed baptize you WITH WATER UNTO REPENTANCE. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall BAPTIZE YOU WITH THE HOLY GHOST, and with fire: 12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. 13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.” Matthew 3 KJV)
John’s baptism was unto repentance, not salvation. The Bible teaches that Jesus Himself never water baptized others, only his disciples did. Yet, we have pulpits teaching people that Jesus water baptized others and so it must be a requirement of salvation. It is right there in the second verse of John 4! The Jews repenting asked God for mercy and confessed their sinfulness in water baptizing for cleansing. Of course, the Pharisee rulers thought as themselves as completely righteous. John actually called them out to their face as ‘vipers’ in Matthew 3.
“When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, (Though Jesus himself 👉baptized not👈, but his disciples)” (John 4:1-2 KJV)
Why didn’t Jesus Himself baptize with water?
Because He did not want people thinking that the water baptizing is what saves a person. The water baptizing was a sprinkling of the person’s acknowledgement of their sins and an outward expression of them coming to realize that Law following will not make them righteous nor Heaven bound. Water baptizing was an outward expression of the salvation they received when the believed Jesus as the foretold Messiah to come (John 3:18). When the people came to believe this, it was a change of mind in how to be in right standing with God.
Why did Jesus insist on being baptized by John?
Because Jesus had to fulfill ‘all righteousness’ (Matthew 3: 15). Jesus identified Himself with those He came to redeem; sinners. Jesus had to be without sin (and was without sin) to become the once for all final blood atoning sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10) for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). Yet, Jesus never water baptized others, only his disciples did the water baptizing because Jesus had not yet been put on a cross for the atonement. It was unto repentance. When the person BELIEVED ON CHRIST, that is when they became eternally saved by Baptism of The Holy Spirit (John 3:14-18, 6:37-40). And the belief came before the water baptizing and not the other way around.
John the Baptist’s water baptism was a ‘cleansing of’ the people’s sins and was a preparation for the one foretold to come, The Messiah, who would permanently cleanse the people’s sins. It was UNTO repentance, a change of mind about how to be pure with God and their need for a saviour. That is why the Pharisees were asking John about the ‘purity’ in Matthew 3.
It was not about how to be eternally saved but was a preparing of the people for the soon coming Messiah. John knew the Messiah well! Jesus was his cousin! Jesus’ mother Mary, when pregnant with Jesus, went to visit John’s mother who had become pregnant while in her barren years. She too was chosen by God and knew it. So John was raised likely knowing about Jesus having a special purpose. John was given a sign by God for him to identify who the Messiah is. John went to the wilderness and starting preaching “…repent repent!”. He knew it was his time to start doing that because the Messiah’s ministry was soon coming. When the Holy Spirit came down as a dove upon Jesus, John knew it was Him. And he knew Him, as he was his cousin. John knew Jesus is the only begotten Son of God.
And Jesus started His ministry by going to John and getting water baptized to fulfill the requirement of cleansing (even though Jesus had no sin) to fulfill all righteousness. This was required for the blood atoning sacrifice Jesus would soon make on the cross; just as the Jews had sacrificed animals ‘without blemish’ under the Law of Moses (Exodus 12:5). Animal sacrifices for the sins of the Jews under the Law of Moses only temporarily covered their sins until Messiah would come and was a foreshadowing of Christ on the cross paying for the sins of the whole world (Hebrews 9 and 10).
Some Truths to see here…
1. Water Baptism is not what saves.
Only belief on Christ as Messiah and His once for all blood atonement sacrifice for sins on the cross, paying for all the sins of the whole world, dying and rising again is required to be placed in right standing of righteousness with God (1 Cor. 15:1-4, Eph. 1:13-14, John 3, John6, 2 Cor. 5:17-21, Colossians 2, etc.). Look at the thief on the cross, he was not water baptized yet he is in paradise with Christ because, HE BELIEVED Jesus was the Messiah…nothing else required!
2. Jesus never water baptized others.
Only his disciples water baptized as an outward expression of the cleansing that took place FIRST, when a person believed on Christ and was Baptized by the Holy Spirit and received eternal life, born again from above in the Spirit (John 3:1-6).
3. Even AFTER THE CROSS, Water Baptism does not save nor is required for salvation.
In every passage where baptism is mentioned after the cross, it is always belief in Christ that saved a person and THEN they were water baptized as an outward expression of what already took place from the moment they believed (Eph. 1:13-14, John 3:18). Is water baptism wrong? No. It is an outward expression in celebration of a person’s salvation. It is just that water baptism is not a requirement of salvation.
