Baptism is a public declaration of our faith in Jesus Christ. It represents the washing away of our sins, the death of our former life of sin, and the raising to a new life of following in His ways. It is an act of obedience to Him. It says to the world, ”I have committed my life to Christ” and it should be the first thing we do when we become a Christian.
Baptism was the first thing Jesus did when He began His ministry on earth. He went straight to John the Baptist to be baptized. Please read Matt 3:13-17. Here, we see Jesus coming to the Jordan River to be baptized by John and John tries to deter Him (he feels unworthy), but Jesus insists. He must do this thing out of obedience. He will start His ministry with obedience.
Jesus tells John they must do this to fulfill all righteousness. What does He mean by that? He is the Messiah, Immanuel, which means ‘God with us’. He has come to save His people from their sin, and He starts out by setting an example of obedience.
Jesus’ baptism is very dramatic. The Bible tells us that when He came up out of the water, Heaven was opened. How amazing is that! The Spirit of God came down, in the physical body of a dove, and alighted on Jesus. The Holy Spirit in a physical body. That is amazing also! This was prophesied by Isaiah the prophet (Isa 11:2). Jesus’ ministry was powered by the Holy Spirit right from the very beginning. And a voice was heard from Heaven saying, “This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Wow!
This was truly a family occasion. All three members of the Trinity were there. The Father and the Holy Spirit appeared to validate the action of the Son of God. An anointing takes place. The Holy Spirit comes down, in the form of a dove, and anoints Jesus for the work He is to do. The Father vocally acknowledges Him as His Son and an anointing takes place, thus endorsing His ministry. Christ’s ministry on earth has officially begun.
If we look at Luke 3:21-23, we will see a couple of other things. First, Jesus was baptized at the same time as other people. He was letting the crowd know that John’s teaching was true. Also, He was in the act of prayer when Heaven was opened. Jesus was frequently one to bathe His life in prayer. What do you suppose Jesus was praying about at this point in time? Prayer was something Jesus did often and it is something we should make a habit of emulating. It brings us closer to God. And Luke tells us that Jesus was 30 years old when He began His ministry.
Now, I want you to read John’s version in John 1:29-34, which contains even a few more details. When John saw Jesus coming to be baptized, what did he say? Yes, that’s right. He called Him the Lamb of God. In the Old Testament times, people had to offer a perfect lamb as a sacrifice for the forgiveness of their sins, but through His death on the cross, Jesus became the perfect sacrificial lamb to pay the death penalty for our sins. We no longer have to offer animal sacrifices. The book of Revelation often refers to Jesus as the Lamb.
John says that he did not know who the Lamb of God was but the One who sent him to baptize told him that the One he saw the Spirit come down and remain upon would be the One who John had told them about and so it was revealed to him. And John testified to seeing the Spirit light upon Jesus. So, John testified that Jesus was God’s Chosen One. The term ‘Chosen One’ is a reference to the prophecy in Isaiah 42:1.
Record I Peter 1:18-19 in your journal.
Responding to God: Praise God for John’s faithfulness and for Jesus’ obedience and example. Thank God for Jesus’ ministry on earth. Thank Him that Jesus went to the cross to take away our sins. Ask for a heart that responds to God. Ask for help following Jesus. If you have not done so already, submit to Him in baptism.
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