The True Meaning of Jesus' Baptism



"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."(Romans 6:1-8 )



What does baptism mean?

We call John, who baptized Jesus, John the Baptist. Then what does baptism mean? "Baptism" is 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.'".....CONTINUE READING HERE

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