Why Baptism? Fulfill all Righteousness -- Part 2
"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more...I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean from all your uncleanlessness, and from your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart and a new spirit I will put within you." Jeremiah 31:33-34; Ezekiel 36:25-26
It is thought that John's practice of baptism may have originated with the Old Testament idea of purification. There are two big things that come to mind when thinking of things that purify, water and fire. We see both in scripture. Baptism is a symbol of cleansing off sin with water. It can be understood as an ordinance of ceremonial washing using the Greek word bapto meaning "to dip".
It's interesting to me how many people don't like to read the Old Testament of the Bible, they say "I just don't understand it so I don't read it" preferring maybe the Gospels I suppose? You can't understand any part of the Bible without the Bible. The New Testament quotes a lot of the Old Testament, and points back to it. Jesus himself can be found throughout the Old Testament. The Trinity, Father, Son, Holy Spirit shows up in amazing ways. From the very beginning foreshadows have told the story of Jesus and the Good News of Salvation, connecting and pointing us to themes, and resounding truths. There is a theological term used for this called antitupos in Greek, or antitype. Peter uses this exact word in his first book referencing the Ark as being an antitype to Salvation (3:20-21) "The longsuffering of God waited patiently in the days of Noah as the ark was being prepared, in which 8 souls were saved through water. There is also an anti-type now which saves us--baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience towards God) through the ressurection of Jesus Christ." In Paul's first letter to the church of Corinth, he gave them the Old Testament example of the Children of Israel being baptized into Moses walking through the sea, and under the cloud. (10:1-2) Moses was a type of Christ. Jonah sure did receive his baptism! He repented that he had sinned against God and they threw him overboard into the sea. He soaked and floated a while! Jonah was a type of Christ in reflecting the grave of a Whale for 3 days and nights until the resurrection. Jesus even confirmed that in Matthew 12:40.
Without Jesus Christ we are unable to be a consistent righteous people in the same way the children of Israel were unable to be a righteous people without Moses. He was a mediator between God and the people. That is what Jesus is for us, and not only does he mediate, we have the Holy Spirit alive within us, and direct access to God. Something Moses nor anyone had ever had before. The Spirit would come and go, but never had the Spirit come to dwell inside a believer to be a helper. Allison needs help! I know you do to! Jesus, through His baptism "fulfilled all righteousness" so that we would gain that righteousness through Him upon Salvation. Jesus even told the chief priests in the Temple that whores and tax collectors would enter the Kingdom of Heaven before they did! The whores and tax collectors repented, they saw their need for cleansing. The Chief Priests were arrogant enough to believe they could save themselves, or ride on the coat tails of Moses or Abraham.
Jesus was already righteous, but in His earth suit living under the curse of sin, carrying our sin, enduring God's wrath towards our sin on the cross, Jesus obediently lived out God's will.
Anglican minister Tish Harrison Warren writes in her book, Liturgy of the Ordinary "The new life into which we are baptized is lived out in days, hours and minutes. God is forming us into a new people. And the place of that formation is in the small moments of today." There are small moments in our days where we can fulfill righteousness; doing what God wants; obeying Him. Maybe that small moment is remembering your baptism and what that means, a moment to throw up as a shield against Satan. I think that's one of the reasons I LOVE Charity Gayle's song "Cleansed." It is a shield around my heart, and my mind to sing my guts out to!
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