[Chapter 6-2] The True Meaning of Jesus’ Baptism (Romans 6:1-8)
(Romans 6:1-8)
“What
shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may
abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in
it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ
Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him
through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead
by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of
life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death,
certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing
this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin
might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For
he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we
believe that we shall also live with Him.”
What does baptism mean?
We
call John, who baptized Jesus, John the Baptist. Then what does baptism
mean? “Baptism” is “βάφτισμα” in Greek. It means, “being immersed.” And
the most important meaning of baptism is “taking away sin and death.”
The
phrase “being immersed” implies death. All the sins of the world were
transferred to Jesus when John the Baptist baptized Him and thus He took
them all away and died on the Cross to pay the wages of all our sins.
Jesus died in our place. Death means the result of sin because “the
wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
Baptism
also means, “being washed.” All our sins were washed away without
leaving even a bit of sin because Jesus took all the sins of the world
on His flesh through His baptism. All sins in the hearts of human beings
were washed away because they were passed onto Jesus through the
baptism.
Baptism
has the same meaning as, “laying on of hands.” “Laying on of hands,”
means, “pass to.” The act of Jesus’ receiving baptism from John the
Baptist was to bear all the sins of the world. It was the eternal law of
God’s salvation that the priest laid his hands on the head of the sin
offering to pass the sins of Israel to it on the tenth day of the
seventh month.
Leviticus
16:21-22 states, “Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the
live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel,
and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them
on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by
the hand of a suitable man. The goat shall bear on itself all their
iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the
wilderness.” When Aaron, the high priest, laid his hands on the head of
the live goat, the goat took away all the sins of Israel and was slain
for the people.
“Laying hands on the head of the sin offering” in the Old Testament stands for “the baptism” in the New Testament
The
meaning of baptism is “being immersed.” It includes “being buried,
being washed or passing to.” People in the Old Testament brought goats
or lambs without blemishes and laid their hands on the head of the
offering to pass their sins onto it. This is similar to the act of
baptism in the New Testament. The goat took away sins by “the laying on
of hands” and was slain. Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, who is
the representative of all humankind, to take away all the sins of the
world and was crucified.
Aaron,
the high priest and Israel’s representative, laid his hands on the head
of the goat to pass the sins of Israelites to it, slew the goat, took
its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of the
burnt offering. Therefore, Luke said that John the Baptist, who was born
in the family of Aaron, was the representative of all humankind, just
as Aaron, the High Priest, was the representative of all Israelites.
The
Bible says, “Among those born of women there has not risen one greater
than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:11). John the Baptist had the right
to pass the sins of the world onto Jesus through baptism once and for
all as the earthly high priest according to the eternal statute of God.
John the Baptist was the last High Priest. When I say that John the
Baptist was the High Priest, some people say, “Where is it written that
John the Baptist was the High Priest in the Bible?” Isn’t it written?
The man who was begotten by Zacharias was John the Baptist. Priest
Zacharias of the division of Priest Abijah, a grandson of Aaron the High
Priest, was clearly a descendant of the family of Aaron.
The
Bible talks about the divisions of the priests, who were the
descendants of Aaron, in 1 Chronicles chapter 24. In the last days of
David, there were lots of priests and they needed to be arranged. So,
they were arranged by lots into 24 divisions according to 24 grandsons’
families of Aaron. The eighth lot fell to Abijah. Each division served
the sanctuary and the house of the Lord for 15 days. And Zacharias of
the division of Priest Abijah was chosen by God as an on-duty priest of
his division.
Luke
1:9 states, “According to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to
burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.” It shows us
that John the Baptist was born in the family of Aaron the High Priest,
and the last High Priest who would represent all human beings (Matthew
11:11, 3:13-17). Only a man who was born into the family of the High
Priest could become a High Priest according to the law. Only lions can
bear lion cubs. John the Baptist took over the high priesthood of Aaron,
his ancestor.
The Apostles of Jesus testified the baptism of Jesus
All
the Apostles, especially Paul, Peter, Matthew and John testified the
baptism of Jesus. Let us take a look at the testimony of the Apostle
Paul written in today’s main passages. “What shall we say then? Shall we
continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who
died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us
as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His
death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death,
that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father,
even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been
united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be
in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was
crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that
we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed
from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also
live with Him.”
Galatians
3:27 also states, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have
put on Christ.” Let us see the testimony of Peter. 1 Peter 3:21
states, “There is also an antitype which now saves us─baptism (not the
removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience
toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
The
Apostle John says in 1 John 5:5-8, “Who is he who overcomes the world,
but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is He who came by
water and blood─Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and
blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is
truth. For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the
Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three
that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and
these three agree as one.”
The
testimony of Matthew is written in Matthew 3:13-17. “Then Jesus came
from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried
to prevent Him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by You, and are You
coming to me?’ But Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Permit it to be so
now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then
he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately
from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw
the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And
suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased.’”
Jesus
took away all the sins of the world by receiving baptism from John the
Baptist. “For thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all
righteousness.” Jesus took the sins of the world onto Him by receiving
baptism from John the Baptist, which was in the most proper manner. God
Himself testifies it. “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up
immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him,
and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon
Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Jesus took away all our sins through
His baptism, testified the gospel of the water and the Spirit for three
years, was crucified to death and rose again from the dead on the third
day. He is now sitting on the right hand of God.
Jesus
will come again to those who wait for Him without sin. Hebrews 9:28
states, “So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those
who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin,
for salvation.” God Himself said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am
well pleased,” and the Holy Spirit testifies that the Man who took away
all the sins of the world was Jesus, the Savior. However, people don’t
understand the Bible because their spiritual eyes are shut. Their
spiritual eyes should be opened and they should be born again of water
and the Spirit (John 3:5).
Therefore,
they think that only Jesus alone ministered for the salvation of
humankind. But in truth, Jesus was the Lamb of God and needed John the
Baptist, who was the representative of all humankind and who could pass
all the sins of the world to Him, because similarly, Aaron the High
Priest laid his hands on the head of the sin offering (the live goat)
and passed the sins of all Israelites onto it by laying his hands on the
head of offering. Aaron then set them free from their sins by slaying
the sin offering. So God sent His messenger before Jesus.
Who is John the Baptist?
John
the Baptist is the messenger of God who is predicted in Malachi 3:1-3.
The Lord needed the messenger, John the Baptist, who would represent all
humankind. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, took away the eternal sins of
all human beings through John the Baptist and was crucified as the wages
of sin in the New Testament, while the sheep took away the sins of a
limited period of time and was slain in the Old Testament. Therefore,
Jesus saved all people from eternal sins.
Two
big events happened before the birth of Jesus. One was that Mary
conceived Jesus and the other was that John the Baptist was born in the
division of Abijah. These two events happened in Divine Providence. It
was the perfect play written by God. God sent John the Baptist to the
world six months prior to Jesus and then sent His only begotten Son in
order to set us free from warfare and pain. Do you understand? Let’s
look deeper into the Bible.
Let
us look at Mathew 11:7-14, in which testifies John the Baptist. “As
they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John:
‘What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the
wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments?
Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what did
you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a
prophet. For this is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My
messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.’
Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen
one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of
heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until
now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by
force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if
you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.”
People
went out to the wilderness to see John the Baptist, who cried
out, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hands!” (Matthew
3:2) Jesus told them, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A
reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed
in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’
houses. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you,
and more than a prophet.”
In
the age of the Old Testament, a king was no more powerful than a
prophet. Kings obeyed what prophets said. Who was more powerful than all
the kings and prophets in the Old Testament? He was John the Baptist.
Jesus Himself testified it. Who was the representative of all humankind?
Who was the representative of all human beings who have flesh, except
for Jesus? He was John the Baptist. John the Baptist was the earthly
High Priest of all humankind. He was appointed by the Lord Himself and
sent to the world and played his role.
“But
what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than
a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My
messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.’”
Isaiah
prophesied that the warfare in Jerusalem would come to an end. We can
find that the prophecy was realized when John the Baptist said, “Behold,
the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). John
the Baptist testified that Jesus was the Son of God and took away all
the sins of the world.
On
the other hand, Jesus testified that John the Baptist was God chosen
messenger who was to come. Matthew 11:11 states, “Assuredly, I say to
you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John
the Baptist.” Has there risen one greater than John the Baptist among
those who are born of women? No. What does “among those born of
women” mean? It means “all the people in the world.” The words, “among
those born of women has not risen one greater than John the Baptist,”
means that John the Baptist was the representative of all the people in
the world. He was a High Priest because he was born in the family of
Aaron.
John the Baptist was the representative of all the people in the world
Can
you believe that John the Baptist was the representative of all the
people in the world and the High Priest who passed all our sins onto
Jesus, knowing that God appointed Aaron and his descendants to minister
the priesthood forever in the Old Testament?
Who
was the representative of all humankind? And who was the representative
of all the people who have flesh, except for only Jesus? He was John
the Baptist, who baptized Jesus.
“Yes,
I say to you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is
written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare
Your way before You.’”
And the man who testified, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), was John the Baptist.
Jesus
said, “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of
heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the
prophets and the law prophesied until John” (Matthew 11:12-13). This
passage shows that Jesus took away all the sins of the world by
receiving baptism from John the Baptist and became the Savior to all
humankind. It also shows that John the Baptist passed all the sins of
the world onto Jesus. Jesus Himself said so. This means that John the
Baptist passed the world’s sins onto Jesus and whoever believes this
fact is saved from all his/her sins and will enter the Kingdom of
Heaven. Is this right or wrong? It’s exactly right according to God’s
word, and thus we the preachers of the biblical truth can deliver it in a
dignified manner. Whoever believes the truth will enter the Kingdom of
Heaven.
John the Baptist passed the sins of the world onto Jesus as the last High Priest of the Old Testament
Zacharias,
the father of John the Baptist, heard from an angel of the Lord. Let us
examine the testimony of Zacharias to his son. Isn’t the testimony of
his father more than exact? Let us see his testimony sung in the form of
a psalm. “Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and
prophesied, saying: ‘Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has
visited and redeemed His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation
for us In the house of His servant David, As He spoke by the mouth of
His holy prophets, Who have been since the world began, That we should
be saved from our enemies And from the hand of all who hate us, To
perform the mercy promised to our fathers And to remember His holy
covenant, The oath which He swore to our father Abraham: To grant us
that we, Being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him
without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of
our life. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For
you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, To give
knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins,
Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on
high has visited us; To give light to those who sit in darkness and the
shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.’ So the child
grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of
his manifestation to Israel” (Luke 1:67-80).
His
father predicted what kind of prophet and priest John would become. Let
us see what he predicted to his son. “And you, child, will be called
the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord
to prepare His ways, To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the
remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God, With
which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; To give light to those
who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the
way of peace” (Luke 1:76-79).
Here,
the Bible clearly says, “To give knowledge of salvation to His people
by the remission of their sins.” Who gives us knowledge of salvation?
Luke 1:76 indicates that he is John the Baptist. We come to know Jesus
and believe in Him because John the Baptist testified that Jesus Christ
saved sinners from their sins by receiving baptism from him to take away
the sins, which was done in the most just and fair manner. John the
Baptist “came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all
through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear
witness of that Light” (John 1:7-8).
We must be saved
We
have to be redeemed by believing that Jesus saved all the people in the
world through the most just and fair manner by receiving baptism from
John the Baptist. The righteousness of God says that Jesus came to the
world in the likeness of men, delivered sinners from all their sins in
the most just and fair manner by being baptized by John the Baptist and
was brought back to life after being crucified. The righteousness of God
is hidden in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
The
righteousness of God that is revealed in the gospel teaches us that
Jesus was sent in the likeness of men, was baptized, crucified, and rose
again from the dead on the third day. We came to believe in Jesus
through the testimony of John the Baptist and were saved from all our
sins by believing in Jesus’ righteousness. All people’s sins were
blotted out and they have eternal lives by the faith in Jesus through
John the Baptist. They have received the Holy Spirit, who testifies us
to be God’s children, as a gift.
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