The Baptism Of John Series

I have entitled our message this morning, “The Baptism of John.” We have recently been learning about baptism, and today, I am going to be discussing false baptisms; and the best way to present this message is by looking at what the New Testament refers to as “the baptism of John.” This was a topic of much debate in Jesus and the apostles’ day and time (cf. Matthew 21:25-26); and the question of John’s baptism is actually one that we will place under the lens today.

The term “baptize” can mean to immerse; however, there is another New Testament use of this word. The Greek word baptesma, which was used in reference to John’s baptism, can also be defined as a “purification rite by which men on confessing their sins were bound to spiritual reformation.”(1) Baptism was “a rite of confession” that served as a profession of faith as to what someone believed.

We must understand that baptism is not a saving work, but a symbolic act identifying us with what we believe (cf. Romans 6:3-5). In Romans 6:5, for example, the apostle Paul used the word “likeness” in reference to baptism, to mean that we don’t really die with Christ in a physical sense; but rather, those who have been baptized into Jesus “symbolize” His death, burial and resurrection, in order to signify and declare unto others that they are truly followers of Jesus Christ.

Based on the definition of baptism that I just shared, it is a religious “rite” that identifies a person with a certain belief system and specific tenets of faith. When speaking of the baptism of John, an individual identified with the particular teachings and beliefs of John the Baptist. And, as we examine the baptism of John this morning, we will come to realize that his baptism – what it represented and the message that went along with it – was insufficient to bring about salvation, as his baptism was incomplete.

The reason why I have chosen to address the topic of false baptisms is because when a person’s baptism is performed under the wrong premise or belief system, then the individual needs to be rebaptized. Rebaptism is a topic that evokes strong emotions; and in order to soften any offense, we need to come to an understanding that rebaptism was a common New Testament practice, and there are actually some circumstances that call for rebaptism. As we examine this topic, I am going to propose that some people today have been baptized into John’s baptism. So, let’s get started with our first passage, which is Mark 1:4-8.

An Incomplete Baptism (Mark 1:4-8)

4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 5 Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 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. 8 I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

We read here that John the Baptist was “preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (v. 4). Those who went out to him at the Jordan River (v. 5) were following John and latching on to his teachings; and since they believed what he was saying, they were therefore baptized “by” him and “into” him (so to speak), in order to affirm that they truly identified with John’s teachings. 1 Corinthians 10:1-2 mentions how the Israelites were “baptized into Moses” at the Red Sea crossing. Remember, baptism is not a saving work, but a symbolic action declaring what we believe.

The baptism they underwent was “a baptism of repentance” (v. 4). Before Christ came, people had to repeatedly offer sacrifices or undergo rituals, in order to demonstrate their repentance and receive the forgiveness of sins. This could have been animal sacrifice, ritual bathing, or even baptism. Rituals of atonement and other works, however, were insufficient at completely cleansing people of sin (Ephesians 2:8-9); for we read in Hebrews 10:11 that “every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.”

When Jesus arrived on the scene, He brought the complete revelation. Hebrews continues to tell us, in Hebrews 10:12, “But [Jesus] . . . offered one sacrifice for sins forever.” So, the complete revelation was a message of total and absolute forgiveness; not a mercy that had to be sought after over and over. In Acts 10:34-37, Peter declared that “whoever fears [God] and works righteousness” (v. 35), who has found “peace through Jesus Christ” (v. 36), then that individual “is accepted by [God]” (v. 35). In the same passage, in Acts 10:37, Peter stated that this message about finding peace through Jesus Christ “began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached.”