Baptism in the Bible

Baptism

Matthew 3:7

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”

• John offered a baptism of repentance preceding the ministry of the Messiah. (Matthew 3:1-3).
• People confessed their sins when John baptized them. (Matthew 3:6).
• John rebuked “many of the Pharisees and Sadducees” for some reason, calling them a “brood of vipers.” (Matthew 3:7).
• John asked, “Who warned you to flee form the wrath to come?”  (Matthew 3:7)  Why did John ask this question?  It appears that it was rhetorical – that is, he did not expect an answer from them.
• John instructs these Pharisees and Sadducees to “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance” and not to “presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.” (Matthew 3:8-9).
• If the Pharisees and Sadducees had come to be baptized in true repentance, then they must have been convicted of personal sin to recognize a need for repentance.  That conviction would have had to come from some source.  If they were not truly repentant, they were being baptized for a false reason, as John indicates in Matthew 3:8-9.
• It appears that the Pharisees and Sadducees were being baptized to demonstrate their holiness outwardly as descendants of Abraham (Matthew 3:9), not demonstrate true repentance for their sins (Matthew 3:8).

Matthew 21:23-27

And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?"  Jesus answered them, "I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things.  The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?" And they discussed it among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From man,' we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet." So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

·         The chief priests and elders are questioning Jesus’ authority to perform miracles.

·         Jesus demonstrates that John’s baptism is either from heaven or from man. (Matthew 21:25)

·         The chief priests and elders will not answer Jesus’ question because they are “afraid of the crowd.” (Matthew 21:26)

·         Jesus appears to refuse to answer the chief priests’ and elders’ question because they are not seeking to learn the truth, but to entrap Jesus in His answer.

·         If John was a prophet as the crowd in Matthew 21:26 thought, then John’s baptism is from heaven.  John’s claim that Jesus is the Son of God is therefore valid if John is the prophetically foretold herald of the coming Messiah.

Mark 1:4

John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

• John appeared as the promised messenger to precede the Messiah. (Mark 1:2-3)
• John baptized in the wilderness (Mark 1:4) with water (Mark 1:8).
• John proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Mark 1:4).  Was the baptism John practiced the baptism of repentance he proclaimed?  The Matthew 3:1-3 reference indicates that John’s water baptism was a baptism of repentance, so both the practiced baptism and the proclaimed baptism were baptisms of repentance.  It seems likely that the baptisms in the Mark 1:4 passage are identical.
• John’s baptism expressed repentance for the effect of the forgiveness of sins. (Mark 1:4)
• John’s calling as the “messenger… who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” (Mark 1:2-3) was to proclaim the coming Messiah.  Why does John baptize?  Is the baptism he proclaims and practices vital to his proclaiming ministry, or is it secondary to his ministry?

Mark 10:35-45

And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." And he said to them, "What do you want me to do for you?" And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" And they said to him, "We are able." And Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. And Jesus called them to him and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

·         Jesus here uses baptism as a metaphor.  The cup which Jesus is to drink is mentioned again by Mark in Mark 14:36, regarding Jesus’ impending death on the cross.  Does Jesus speak of baptism as a metaphor for His death?  His suffering?

·         James and John are seeking greatness at Jesus’ side in the way that the “rulers of the Gentiles” have greatness – by lording it over the people.  Jesus says that greatness in His kingdom (“among you”) is willing self-sacrifice, the epitome of which is Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

·         This passage does not specifically deal with water baptism, but something for which baptism is a metaphor.

Mark 11:27-33

And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, and they said to him, "By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?" Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.  Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me." And they discussed it with one another, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?' But shall we say, 'From man'?"--they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

• This passage corresponds to Matthew 21:23-27.

Luke 3:3

And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

• Luke again states that John’s baptism was of repentance and for the forgiveness of sins.
• Luke also places John in his historical context: “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.” (Luke 3:1-2)

Luke 7:24-30

When John's messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?  What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings' courts.  What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.  This is he of whom it is written,   "'Behold, I send my messenger before your face who will prepare your way before you.'  I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." (When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)

• Jesus here declares John a prophet, and even more – the greatest prophet.  John had the distinct honor to herald the coming Messiah.  (Luke 7:27)
• Those who were baptized with John’s baptism (the baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins) were prepared to “declare God just” at Jesus’ words, while the Pharisees and lawyers who were not baptized by John “rejected the purpose of God for themselves.”

Luke 12:49-53

"I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled!  I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!  Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.  For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three.  They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."

• Jesus again cites baptism as a metaphor for something else for which He is under “great distress” until it is accomplished.  It seems reasonable that Jesus was speaking here of accomplishing His mission of becoming the perfect sacrifice for sin.
• If Jesus’ “baptism to be baptized with” is metaphorical for His sacrificial death on the cross, then it may apply in this manner in Mark 10:35-45 as well.
• Jesus’ “baptism” will cause division, and not peace, in this world. (Luke 12:51)

Luke 20:1-8

One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up and said to him, "Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority." He answered them, "I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?" And they discussed it with one another, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why did you not believe him?'But if we say, 'From man,' all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet." So they answered that they did not know where it came from. And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

• This passage corresponds to Matthew 21:23-27 and Mark 11:27-33.

Acts 1:21-23

So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us--one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection." And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias.

• The time the disciples referred to as “all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us” began with Jesus’ baptism of John until His ascension.
• Jesus’ baptism began His public ministry.
• Jesus’ baptism was significant to the disciples in defining who was eligible to take Judas Iscariot’s place of leadership among the twelve apostles.

Acts 10:34-43

So Peter opened his mouth and said: "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

• Peter recounts Jesus’ baptism as the time at which God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power.
• The baptism of Jesus signals the point at which Jesus was empowered through the Holy Spirit to engage in His public ministry and was proclaimed to have God’s favor.

Acts 13:22-25

“And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, 'I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.'  Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised.  Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John was finishing his course, he said, 'What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.'”

• John preceded the predicted Savior of Israel, the descendent of David, as Paul said in this passage in Antioch of Pisidia.
• Paul identifies John’s baptism as a baptism of repentance.

Acts 18:24-28

Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures.  He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.  He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him and explained to him the way of God more accurately.  And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed,  for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.

• Apollos taught accurately concerning Jesus, but “only knew the baptism of John.”  This raises the question of the difference between the baptism of John and the baptism of Jesus.
• Priscilla and Aquila heard Apollos speak concerning Jesus in the synagogue, then took him and “explained to him the way of God more accurately.”  (Acts 18:26)  If Apollos taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, what was left to explain to him?  The context only indicates that at that time “he knew only the baptism of John.”  Priscilla and Aquila, then, appear to have instructed Apollos in the baptism of Jesus so that he would understand “the way of God more accurately.”
• With this additional instruction, the brothers encouraged and commended Apollos to the disciples in Achaia.  His powerful public refutation of the Jews, demonstrating that Jesus was the Christ, “greatly helped those who through grace had believed.”  (Acts 18:27-28).

Acts 19:1-7

And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples.  And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."  And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They said, "Into John's baptism."  And Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus."  On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.  And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.  There were about twelve men in all.

• Paul encountered “disciples” in Ephesus while Apollos was at Corinth.  The text does not specifically state that these disciples came to believe in Jesus through Apollos, though the proximity to the account of Apollos with Priscilla and Aquila paired with the conversation regarding the disciples as believers who had been baptized “into John’s baptism” may make this a reasonable assumption.
• The believers knew about Jesus and believed that which they understood at that time, but did not know that the Holy Spirit existed and that they needed to be baptized “in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 19:2-5)
• When Paul discovered that these people were disciples, he asked if they had received the Holy Spirit when they believed.
• When Paul discovered that they had not received the Holy Spirit when they believed, and that they did not even know of the Holy Spirit, he asked, “Into what then were you baptized?”  Several things can be drawn from this exchange:
• It is interesting that Paul asked the question, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” in the first place.  The Scripture does not elaborate on this, but it may have stemmed from his careful observation of the disciples, his obligation to judge wisely the fruits of those disciples, or a specific movement of the Holy Spirit, among other possibilities.
• Paul expected all believers to receive the Holy Spirit at the point of belief.
• These disciples apparently had intellectual assent to the Gospel, as far as they understood it, but had not received the Holy Spirit.
• These disciples also were lacking knowledge regarding the revealed nature of God, specifically, regarding the personage of the Holy Spirit.
• Paul then sought to understand and remedy the root cause of having not received the Holy Spirit.  In doing this, he first asks about their baptism.  He does not ask if they had been baptized, but rather the nature of the baptism they had undergone.  From the context, Paul appears to see belief in Jesus Christ and baptism as nearly simultaneous events.
• These disciples had indeed been baptized, but had been baptized into John’s baptism.  Again, the difference between John’s baptism and the baptism of Jesus is raised. 
• The baptism of John was apparently insufficient for these disciples to receive the Holy Spirit, though they believed in Jesus.
• Paul indicates that John’s baptism of repentance foreshadowed the coming of Christ.
• With this new information, the disciples were baptized in (or, alternately, into) the name of the Lord Jesus. (Acts 29:5)
• As they were baptized (“And when Paul had laid his hands on them”, Acts 19:6), they received the Holy Spirit and “began speaking in tongues and prophesying.”  The manifestations of the spiritual gifts marked the entrance of the disciples into relationship with the indwelling Holy Spirit.
• Baptism into the name of the Lord Jesus combined with their belief in Jesus as they had learned of Him from their prior teachers and from Paul resulted in them receiving the Holy Spirit.

Romans 6:1-11

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?  Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.  We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.  Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.  We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.  For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.  So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

• Baptism into Jesus Christ is either coincident with or identical to being baptized into Jesus’ death (Romans 6:3).
• Romans 6:4 appears to be legitimately restated as: “We were buried into death with him [Jesus] by baptism.”  Baptism, in this context, appears to be the manner in which we (“all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus”, Romans 6:3) participate in His death on our behalf.
• Participating in Jesus death by baptism gives the believer the hope of also participating in Jesus’ resurrection in the manner of dying to sin (“our old self was crucified with him”, Romans 6:6) and walking “in newness of life” (Romans 6:4) and “set free from sin.” (Romans 6:7)

Ephesians 4:1-8

Colossians 2:12

1 Peter 3:21

Baptize

Matthew 3:11

Matthew 11:11,12

Matthew 14:2

Matthew 14:8

Matthew 16:14

Matthew 17:13

Mark 6:14

Mark 6:24, 25

Mark 8:28

Luke 7:20

Luke 7:33

Luke 9:19

Baptized

Matthew 3:6

Matthew 3:13, 14

Matthew 3:16

Mark 1:5

Mark 1:8, 9

Mark 10:38,39

Mark 16:16

Luke 3:7

Luke 3:12

Luke 3:21

Luke 7:29, 30

Luke 12:50

John 3:23

Acts 1:5

Acts 2:38

Acts 2:41

Acts 8:12, 13

Acts 8:26

Acts 8:36

Acts 9:18

Acts 10:48

Acts 11:16

Acts 16:15

Acts 16:33

Acts 18:8

Acts 19:3-5

Acts 22:16

Romans 6:3

1 Corinthians 1:13-16

1 Corinthians 10:2

1 Corinthians 12:13

1 Corinthians 15:29

Galatians 3:27

Baptizes

John 1:33

Baptizing

Matthew 28:19

Mark 1:4

John 1:25

John 1:28

John 1:31

John 3:22,23

John 3:26

John 4:1

John 10:40

Acts 10:47