Meaning Controversy: The Baptism Of Christ

The Baptism of Christ is one that we can look to as one of the major milestones of His incarnation, His life, and His death. We look to the Incarnation as the day in which God became man, we look at His life as the time in which He put His purpose into action and we look at His baptism has the beginning of His ministry which would eventually lead to His death. The Baptism of Jesus Christ is the starting point from which the Earth as it was known would never be the same again. The actions of Jesus Christ can be debated among scholars but the two events that are not disputed is God’s crucifixion and His baptism. That is a powerful thought to ponder. The story of Jesus’ baptism is a unusual one because the story causes plenty of controversy in

Baptism is defined as a Christian sacrament of admission or adoption, by immersion in water, into the Christian church generally. A sacrament is God given grace. That is why we must partake in it. The Greek term translated for “baptize” is baptizo which is means “to dip, plunge, or immerse.” Another meaning is “to bring under the influence.” Although there is plenty of debate and speculation about what form of baptisms were used it is safe to assume that immersion was the baptism of choice for the early church fathers, per Dr. Ray Pritchard and Dr. Merrill Tenney. Before we read the scripture pertaining to Jesus’ baptism, let us first note what we know about baptism on a practical level. Baptism requires water, it requires being submersed in the water, it requires coming back out of the water, and it requires a clean heart that is devoted to the Father. As we come together today to learn and partake in a baptismal service we must first point back to Jesus. The person of Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully human did not have to take part in this ancient Jewish tradition but still chose to do so. He could have easily gone off into the sunset, picked His twelve, and began His ministry but He decided that He must make a public declaration that He was here, His Spirit was willing, and He was going to shake the

The disciple Matthew writes, “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” In the story of the baptism of Jesus Christ we have two main characters: Jesus and John the Baptist. John the Baptist was known as a preacher and cousin of Jesus Christ. He was also known (then and now) as the forerunner of the Christian faith. He spent His life preaching the coming of Jesus Christ and eventually died for that cause. This is like the call of the Christian today. Our main goal in life is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to anyone who can listen and to eventually die for Him. John was the anchor for which the Christian faith went forward and it is because of His boldness, strength, and courage that many came to be saved. When we speak of the baptism of Jesus, it is important to note that this is not ordinary baptism in the Christian faith – it is the most important one. The baptism of Jesus Christ is important for a few reasons. First, His baptism