Baptists, baptisms and an anointing - Study 31

• Introduction:

  Distinguishing between two Bible ideas which are often regarded as synonyms.

  Jesus is the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit.

  The Father 'anointed' him with the Spirit following his water baptism in the Jordan River by John

John Baptist's unexpected candidate for baptism

One day John Baptist received an unexpected candidate for his baptism, Jesus of Nazareth.

Unexpected because Johns was a baptism of repentance and this candidate had nothing of which he needed to repent. John protested and was told that it was appropriate to fulfil a righteous requirement by this action. John's protest is significant and we shall need to return to it later, but his main objection was that far from Jesus being an appropriate candidate for Johns baptism, John himself was a ready candidate for Jesus's baptism.

• Matthew 3:13-14 NKJV

  ¶ 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?” (Matthew 3:13–14 NKJV)

  We are so familiar with this verse that it is easy to miss its significance. Contained in these few words are issues of great importance.

  • John tried to prevent Jesus of Nazareth from submitting to John's baptism. Why?

    • John's baptism was entirely inappropriate to this candidate

      • Matthew 3:1–2 NKJV

        In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3:1–2 NKJV)

        In Matthew's record the first word he uttered was 'repent'. Jesus of Nazareth did nothing of which he could repent.

      • Matthew 3:5–6 NKJV

        Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. (Matthew 3:5–6 NKJV)

        Jesus of Nazareth had no sins to 'confess' openly.

        The usual word for 'confess' in homologeō G1843 ἐξομολογέω exomologeō -to 'out confess' ie to 'confess openly'.

      • Luke 3:3 NKJV

        And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, (Luke 3:3 NKJV)

        for G1519 εἰς eis into or towards. Used with a sense of destination.

        John's baptism was a 'baptism of repentance' with the purpose of 'remission of sins'.

    • John recognised that Jesus of Nazareth was also a Baptist

      • Matthew 3:11–12 NKJV

        I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:11–12 NKJV)

      • Mark 1:7–8 NKJV

        And he preached, saying, “There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1:7–8 NKJV)

      • Luke 3:16–17 NKJV

        John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.” (Luke 3:16–17 NKJV)

      • John 1:29–34 NKJV

        ¶ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, “After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.” ¶ And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:29–34 NKJV)

        1. The Lamb of God the taker away of the sin of the world (αἴρων airōn αἴρω airō Verb pres act part masc sing nom to take up - the one taking away - the sins of the world [ESVS] G0142 away

        2. The Baptizer with the Holy Spirit - the one baptizing in/with the Holy Spirit

        3. βαπτίζων baptizōn βαπτίζω (βάπτω) baptizō (baptō) Verb pres act part masc sing nom to baptize, wash, dip G0907 baptizes

At the Jordan

baptisms and anointings - the need to distinguish the two.

• John provided the water baptism - an immersion

  John's 'baptism of repentance towards the remission of sins' would have been quite inappropriate

  • Vine's Expository Dictionary

    prepō (πρέπω, 4241) means “to be conspicuous among a number, to be eminent, distinguished by a thing,” hence, “to be becoming, seemly, fit.” The adornment of good works “becometh women professing godliness,” 1 Tim. 2:10. Those who minister the truth are to speak “the things which befit the sound doctrine,” Titus 2:1. Christ, as a High Priest “became us,” Heb. 7:26. In the impersonal sense, it signifies “it is fitting, it becometh,” Matt. 3:15; 1 Cor. 11:13; Eph. 5:3; Heb. 2:10. See BEFIT, COMELY.¶

• So Jesus employed 'baptism in the Jordan' for another purpose

  The Father publicly endorsed him as his beloved Son, the Servant of the Lord

  Jesus of Nazareth publicly committed himself the calling that would include death and resurrection.

  It was his public surrender to the mission

• The Father provided the Spirit anointing - often the New Testament scriptures link 'anointing' with the ideas of 'authorisation'. (ct power/dunamis with authority/exousia)

  “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; (Luke 4:18 NKJV)

  ¶ “For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together (Acts 4:27 NKJV)

  how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. (Acts 10:38 NKJV)

  The word 'anoint/anointing/anointed are used x132 in the Old Testament Scriptures and <6x in the New Covenant Scriptures.

  Most of the pentecostal/charismatic emphasis really comes from the Old Covenant patterns.

  • Christ G5547 Χριστός CHristos x532 - and never once 'the baptised one'!

    Matt 1:1, 16–18; 2:4; 11:2; 16:16, 20; 22:42; 23:8, 10; 24:5, 23–24; 26:63, 68; 27:17, 22; Mark 1:1; 8:29; 9:41; 12:35; 13:21–22; 14:61; 15:32; Luke 2:11, 26; 3:15; 4:41; 9:20; 20:41; 22:67; 23:2, 35, 39; 24:26, 46; John 1:17, 20, 25, 41; 3:28; 4:25, 29, 42; 6:69; 7:26–27, 31, 41–42; 9:22; 10:24; 11:27; 12:34; 17:3; 20:31; Acts 2:30–31, 36, 38; 3:6, 18, 20; 4:10, 26; 5:42; 8:5, 12, 37; 9:20, 22, 34; 10:36; 11:17; 15:11, 26; 16:18, 31; 17:3; 18:5, 28; 19:4; 20:21; 24:24; 26:23; 28:31; Rom 1:1, 3, 6–8, 16; 2:16; 3:22, 24; 5:1, 6, 8, 11, 15, 17, 21; 6:3–4, 8–9, 11, 23; 7:4, 25–8:2; 8:9–11, 17, 34–35, 39–9:1; 9:3, 5; 10:4, 6–7; 12:5; 13:14; 14:9–10, 15, 18; 15:3, 5–8, 16–20, 29–30; 16:3, 5, 7, 9–10, 16, 18, 20, 24–25, 27; 1 Cor 1:1–4, 6–10, 12–13, 17, 23–24, 30; 2:2, 16–3:1; 3:11, 23–4:1; 4:10, 15, 17; 5:4, 7; 6:15; 7:22; 8:6, 11–12; 9:1, 12, 18, 21; 10:4, 9, 16; 11:1, 3; 12:12, 27; 15:3, 12–20, 22–23, 31, 57; 16:22–24; 2 Cor 1:1–3, 5, 19, 21; 2:10, 12, 14–15, 17; 3:3–4, 14; 4:4–6; 5:10, 14, 16–20; 6:15; 8:9, 23; 9:13; 10:1, 5, 7, 14; 11:2–3, 10, 13, 23, 31; 12:2, 9–10, 19; 13:3, 5, 14; Gal 1:1, 3, 6–7, 10, 12, 22; 2:4, 16–17, 20–3:1; 3:13–14, 16–17, 22, 24, 26–29; 4:7, 14, 19; 5:1–2, 4, 6, 24; 6:2, 12, 14–15, 18; Eph 1:1–3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 20; 2:5–7, 10, 12–13, 20; 3:1, 4, 6, 8–9, 11, 14, 17, 19, 21; 4:7, 12–13, 15, 20, 32; 5:2, 5, 14, 20, 23–25, 32; 6:5–6, 23–24; Phil 1:1–2, 6, 8, 10–11, 13, 15–16, 18–21, 23, 26–27, 29; 2:1, 5, 11, 16, 21, 30; 3:3, 7–9, 12, 14, 18, 20; 4:7, 13, 19, 21, 23; Col 1:1–4, 7, 24, 27–28; 2:2, 5–6, 8, 11, 17, 20; 3:1, 3–4, 11, 13, 16, 24; 4:3, 12; 1 Thess 1:1, 3; 2:6, 14, 19; 3:2, 11, 13; 4:16; 5:9, 18, 23, 28; 2 Thess 1:1–2, 8, 12–2:2; 2:14, 16; 3:5–6, 12, 18; 1 Tim 1:1–2, 12, 14–16; 2:5, 7; 3:13; 4:6; 5:11, 21; 6:3, 13–14; 2 Tim 1:1–2, 9–10, 13; 2:1, 3, 8, 10, 19; 3:12, 15; 4:1, 22; Titus 1:1, 4; 2:13; 3:6; Phlm 1:1, 3, 6, 8–9, 23, 25; Heb 3:1, 6, 14; 5:5; 6:1; 9:11, 14, 24, 28; 10:10; 11:26; 13:8, 21; Jas 1:1; 2:1; 1 Pet 1:1–3, 7, 11, 13, 19; 2:5, 21; 3:16, 18, 21; 4:1, 11, 13–14; 5:1, 10, 14; 2 Pet 1:1, 8, 11, 14, 16; 2:20; 3:18; 1 John 1:3, 7; 2:1, 22; 3:23; 4:2–3; 5:1, 6, 20; 2 John 1:3, 7, 9; Jude 1:1, 4, 17, 21; Rev 1:1–2, 5, 9; 11:15; 12:10, 17; 20:4, 6; 22:21

Checking our colour palette

Old Testament Baptisms - signify - typology