Why you should receive the baptism of Christ
Or
Baptism and its Meanings
September 2007
Updated September 2014, December 2021
By D. L. Stephens
Baptism and its explanations
Various explanations have been offered for the baptism
of Christ over the years, some even including the notion that baptism is an
irrelevant exercise that you may receive or not, depending on how you feel
about it. Among the explanations offered we read that baptism,
1)
Is a direct act of grace, and, when applied by a
person properly qualified, gives to the soul positive goodness.
2)
Is a direct act of grace giving only the capacity
for goodness, which, if fostered, will lead to salvation.[1]
3)
Is a seal of grace, thereby confirming divine
blessing to the soul.[2]
4)
Is only a sign of initiation into the religion of
the Lord Jesus Christ.
5)
Is a symbol or token of regeneration, to be given or
received only by those who exhibit true signs of regeneration.[3]
6)
Is a symbol of purification only.[4]
None of these explanations is found in any context of
the Bible.
Modes of baptism have included immersion in water,
affusion (pouring), or sprinkling.[5]
Tertullian says, in referring to the worship of Isis
and Mithra, that “In certain sacred rites of the heathen the mode of
initiation is by baptism.” The term “initiation” shows that it was to the
Mysteries of these divinities that he referred. This baptism was by
immersion, and seems to have been a rough and formidable process, for we
find that he who passed through the purifying waters, “if he survived,” was
then admitted to the knowledge of the Mysteries. For undergoing these
punishments the pagan priests promised the initiates
“… regeneration, and the pardon of all their perjuries.”
[6]
[7]
Here as elsewhere, pagan rites typically had one or all of these
characteristics: regeneration through the performance of the initiate,
purification through the cleansing quality of the water, or a benefit
conferred by a qualified representative of the god.
There are numerous examples throughout history where
people used baptism to bring new members into a religious body, or to
signify the regeneration of the subject. The Jews baptized their proselytes
after the new convert had received circumcision. The Hindus of India
practice a kind of baptism today. The Brahmins make it their distinguishing
boast that they are “twice born” men, and that, as such, they are sure of
eternal happiness. In ancient
Religious groups frequently offer more than one
explanation for the meaning of their baptism. But what was the meaning of
“baptism” to the early Christians? Was it the baptismal regeneration[9]
as practiced by the pagans? Or, if not, then what was the meaning, or
meanings, attached by the Apostles to the baptism of Christ?
Making Disciples
Matthew 28:8 And
Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 “Go
therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them
to observe all that I commanded you; and lo,
I am with you always, even
to the end of the age.”[10]
Jesus, in the Great Commission of Matthew Chapter 28,
tells how the Apostles were to “make disciples.” He said, “Go…and make
disciples…baptizing them…and teaching them…”
[11]
The Apostles had two things to do
to make disciples. Doing the second, “teaching,” beyond the rudimentary
principles makes little sense if one avoids doing the first, “baptizing.”
The reason this is true is explained by the Lord’s use of the phrase, “…unto
the name.”
"Unto the name" was a phrase used by the Biblical
Hellenistic world as a legal and commercial formula. The idea involved is
the transfer of ownership to an account. The expression also carries the
idea of dedication.
Through baptism unto the name of
someone the one who is
baptized becomes the possession of, and comes under the protection of, the
one whose name he bears; he is under the control of the effective power of
the name and the One who bears the name; i.e., he is dedicated to
them.
[12]
[13]
[14]
[15]
For example, there is a fragment of pottery that has
survived from
Crispus to Na...?... Transfer
to the
name of Vestidia Secunda, represented by Pollia Maria the
younger, the two and a half and a third and a twenty-fourth artabae of
wheat...
Crispus of Thebes had sold some wheat to Vestidia
Secunda and the voucher carried the typical formula of a transfer of
ownership: “transfer to the name.” This is identical to the New Testament
phrase, “in the name” or “unto the name.”
In the New Testament the Apostles were told to,
Matthew 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all
the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and
the Holy Spirit."[16]
In writing about the Great Commission Matthew used the
same Greek formula. The phrase “... baptizing them in the name of …” means
by baptism to bind them to recognize and publicly acknowledge the dignity
and authority of the Godhead. In this case the penitent believer is to be
baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—that is,
unto the name of the Godhead.[17]
Baptism thus publicly acknowledges the authority and command of the Godhead
and places them under the authority of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Therefore, when a new convert was baptized unto the name of the Father and
the Son and the Holy Spirit, he was—as it were—transferred from the previous
ownership (i.e., the dominion of Satan, or another discipleship, etc.) unto
the new ownership of the Godhead.[18]
This principle explains why, in the account of Acts 19,
the followers of John the Baptist were required to receive the baptism of
Christ. They had received John’s baptism; therefore, they were disciples of
John. As servants of John these men had not received the Holy Spirit, but as
disciples of Christ they would.
Also, a reading in 1 Corinthians becomes clearer,
1 Corinthians 1:13 Has Christ been divided? Paul was
not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
14 I thank God that
I baptized none of you, except Crispus and Gaius, that no man should say you
were baptized in my name.
Paul was not repudiating the doctrine of baptism;
rather, he was stating that only a baptism unto the discipleship of Christ
was proper. Otherwise, they were improperly dedicated to Apollos, Cephas or
Paul. Paul was not making disciples for himself, but for Christ. If he had
baptized in his name, they would have been his disciples.
Peter’s words to the Jews in Acts chapter 2 are in
accordance with the command of the Lord in Matthew. There is no distinction
in the effect of the original language between the Lord’s “in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit,” and Peter’s “…in
the name of Jesus Christ.”
[19]
The implication is that they would receive the baptism of Christ, or
else, they would not be his disciples.
Peter’s remark that they were baptized into Christ
“…for the remission of sins” tells of a benefit to be conferred upon them as
disciples of Christ. That benefit is simply not available anywhere else, or
under any other discipleship.
The New Birth
John says in his gospel that Nicodemus came to Christ
by night and spoke with Him. The discussion turned to the
John 3:3
… "Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see
the kingdom of God."
Nicodemus, a prominent Jew of the 1st
Century, was also a ranking Pharisee. He had a seat on the Great Sanhedrin.
He had a thorough knowledge of the Law of Moses and the traditions of the
Jews. He would have been familiar with the Jewish laws concerning the making
of proselytes.[20]
Nicodemus knew that there were two broad categories of proselytes: the
Proselyte of the Gate, and the Proselyte of Righteousness.
[21]
Requirements placed on the candidates were as follows:
The Proselyte of the Gate:
- were those who fear
God.[22]
- only professed their
faith in the God of Israel.
- only bound themselves
to the seven Noachic commandments.
- did not receive
circumcision.
- did not receive
baptism.
- became “children of the
covenant.”
- perfect Israelites in
every respect regarding duties, privileges, except they could not serve on
The Sanhedrin.
- were required to
receive circumcision.
- were required to
receive baptism.
- made sacrifice (heifer,
or pair of turtle doves).
“...the person to be baptized , having cut his hair
and nails, undressed completely, made fresh profession of his faith before
the ‘fathers of the baptism,’ and was then immersed completely, so that
every part of the body was touched by the water.”
“The
change of condition was regarded as complete.
The waters of baptism were to him in very truth, though in a far
different from the Christian sense, the ‘bath of regeneration.’ As he
stepped out of these waters he was considered ‘born anew’ in the language of
the Rabbis, as if he were ‘a little child just born,’ as a ‘child of one
day.’”
“He was to regard himself as a new man in reference
to his past. Country, home, habits, friends and relations were all changed.
The past, with all that had belonged to it, was past, and he was a new man,
the old, with all its defilements, was buried in the waters of baptism.”
[23]
In other words, the proselyte was born again as a
citizen of Israel. Nicodemus knew what this meant, and he caught the words
of Jesus, but could not accept what the Lord said. His answer shows that he
was confused. Why should a man be born again who was already born of the
seed of Abraham as Nicodemus was, a man who was a practitioner of the Law,
and a member of the Great Sanhedrin?
To be born again made sense to him only in reference to proselytes.
He was already a citizen of the nation of
John 3:5
… “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the spirit he
cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
Entrance into the kingdom of God requires rebirth. Even
the sons of Abraham are not qualified to enter on basis of their fleshly
birth. They, too, must become “proselytes” (as it were) of the
The word translated, “again,” is the Greek word,
anothen. The word had a dual
meaning: “again, and “from above.” Elsewhere in his gospel, John uses the
word with the meaning of “from above.” The new birth may be understood in a
dual sense also. The new birth is twofold: it is
outward
by the baptism of Christ, and
inward by the renewal that comes from
above through the Holy Spirit.
[24]
[25]
Participation in the Death of Christ
Paul said that for a married woman to be released from
the “law of her husband” the
husband must die. (1 Cor. 7:39) The principle cited is that death separates
one thing from another. In this case, a woman from her husband. She cannot
lawfully remarry until he dies; otherwise, she is guilty of adultery. In a
similar way, birth as an Israelite bound one to the Law of Moses. Israelites
could not change that relationship. Only death could free them from the Law.
Whereas the Law of Moses, or sin, had claim on a man—and under the
requirements of law that man must die to escape the claim—there would seem
to be no recourse except his own death in order to escape. But the painful
truth is that his death leaves him in a state worse than his previous
servitude. How then can he escape? Or, in the words of Paul,
“...who will set me free from the body of this
death?”[26]
God's answer was as profound as it was unexpected—Jesus
Christ. The death of Christ upon the cross was special in the sense that it
was substitutionary. His death substitutes for the death of the sinner. The
penitent believer dies with Christ in a vicarious sense. The penalty for his
sin is paid in Christ, and that is exactly where his baptism into Christ
puts him. The Jew is made to die to the Law “…through the body of Christ.”
He is therefore released from the Law—in Christ.[27]
Christ lived under the Law of Moses as an Israelite, a
descendant of David after the flesh, and clearly obligated to all the
provisions of the code. When Christ died He was freed from His obligation to
the Law just as any other Israelite would be freed by death. But in a
special sense, Christ has become the representative Israelite.
This means that Christ's life and death are viewed by
God as a substitute for the elect. And God does this because of Christ's
role as The Lamb. In other words, His death may be substituted for someone
else's—yours in fact—if you are a Jew and must die in order to escape your
obligation to the Law of Moses, or, if you are a Gentile and must die in
order to escape the consequences of sin.
The (substitutionary) death of Christ may be claimed by
faith—a minor concession on the part of someone who may need to be
freed. But the Apostle Paul went further and said:
Romans 6:3
Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ
Jesus have been baptized into His death?
and again:
4 ...we
have been buried with Him through baptism into death...[28]
Participation in the death of Christ is participation
in God's sentence of death as it was carried out in the Lamb. All those who
are “...in Christ,” or baptized into Him, have this spiritual nearness. They
die with Him.
Moreover, participation in the death of Christ is the
choice of His suffering as a way of life; it is the "Via Dolorosa" (the Way of
Suffering) God has ordained as the way of life in this world. God prescribes
this way of suffering in opposition to the way of pleasure that the world
advocates. A believer's baptism is the introductory act that leads to a life
of humble submission to suffering—the way of Christ.
An Appeal To God For A Good Conscience
The baptism of Christ also stands between the life in
servitude to sin and the new, regenerated life in Christ. Paul said,
Romans 6:4
... we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order
that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so
we too might walk in newness of life.
Romans 6:8
… if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live
with Him.
The life that we have in Him is the life that God
recognizes and approves. Before receiving that life, we were dead in sin,
just as the people of the antediluvian world. But God, in Christ, has caused
us to be “born again to a living hope through the resurrection.”[29]
There is no condemnation for us in Christ. The blood of Christ “…sprinkles
our hearts clean from an evil conscience…”[30]
Therefore, in Him, our conscience is clear and clean. As Peter said:
1 Peter 3:21 And corresponding to that, baptism now
saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a
good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ...
In this passage Peter says that the baptism of Christ
corresponds to the way the Genesis Flood saved Noah and his family. Before
the Flood, Noah lived in a world given over to sin and violence, a world
that men had corrupted to the point that God decided to destroy it. Only
Noah, his wife and three sons with their wives were transported through[31]
the waters of the Flood into a new world of righteousness, a world cleansed
of its corruption. The baptism of Christ stands between the world of sin in
the flesh and the world of righteousness in the Son. As Peter says,
corresponding to the way the Flood transported Noah to safety, so does
baptism save the believer—the passage through the waters of the baptism of
Christ stands between the world of sin in the flesh and the new life in
Christ where the believer has a good conscience—and this salvation is
accomplished by uniting with Christ in His death to sin, and after that
participating in His resurrected life in the spirit.
[32]
Therefore, the baptism of Christ is an outward washing
of the body that is not a washing of purification as the Jews practiced in
the First Century, but is a request for forgiveness.
[33]
It is not the performance of the candidate for baptism
that purifies him but the blood of Christ, through faith. Nor do the waters
of baptism have special properties that cause them to cleanse from sin. The
cleansing from sin is through faith in Christ to those who are his
disciples.
Paul said that Ananias told him,
Acts 22:16 ‘And now why do you delay? Arise, and be
baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.’
Linguistic
authorities say that “be baptized” means literally “cause yourself to be
baptized,” or “suffer someone to baptize you.”[34]
“Wash away your sins” states the purpose of the baptism.
[35]
[36]
This signifies that baptism is for the remission of sins or the
cleansing of sin. Paul’s sins were not forgiven when he saw and heard the
Lord on the way to
Examples of the use of His name in this sense are in
Acts chapter 10, and 1 John chapter 2,
Acts 10:43 “Of Him all the prophets bear witness that
through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”
1 John 2:12 I am writing to you, little children,
because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.
The admonition Ananias gave Paul is in the same form as
Peter’s statement in his first letter. An appeal is an earnest request. When
one “calls upon the name of the Lord” it is an earnest appeal for
forgiveness based upon the authority of the name. Baptism (the washing away
of sins) and the appeal to God (the calling on His name) are inseparably
connected.
Baptism—to Receive It is to Add to Our Fulfillment of the Righteous
Commands of God
Matthew says in his gospel,
Matthew 3:13
Then Jesus *arrived from Galilee at the Jordan
coming to John, to be baptized by
him. 14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized
by You, and do You come to me?” 15 But Jesus answering said to him,
“Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all
righteousness.” Then he permitted Him.[37]
It is easy for us to see how Jesus could have avoided
this lowly act of bathing. John expected Him to avoid it. Yet, He didn’t.
Why? Because, He said, “…it is
fitting to…fulfill all righteousness.” And what does it mean to: "...fulfill
all righteousness."? Simply put, the Lord considered John's call to a
baptism of repentance as part of the righteous commands of God.
Even though Jesus had no need of repentance either from
sin or dead works; nevertheless, He found it necessary to receive the
baptism of John because as a Jew He was under the same call as his brethren.
That call came from John, but it originated with the Father; therefore,
Jesus shows by His example that no call that comes from God ought to be
ignored.
Remember also that the baptism of Christ superseded the
baptism of John—even though the
baptism of John came from God. A higher and loftier purpose in the baptism
of Jesus replaces the purpose of John's baptism. If Jesus would not refuse
the baptism of John, how could we refuse the baptism of Jesus?
Postscript: a word about works of merit.
The New Testament clearly teaches that salvation is by
grace through faith, and not by works.[38]
What this means is that the grace of God is not legalism; that is, the grace
of God is not conferred because of the performance of the individual
Christian. The grace of God comes to man through the performance of Christ.[39]
Often, a person who insists that the commands of God
ought to be obeyed is called a legalist. But the person who thinks that he
must obey God’s commands, or live according to law, is not necessarily a
legalist. A legalist is a person who thinks that if he keeps the law, that
God will accept him on basis of his good behavior; i.e., his performance.
But there is a difference between obeying a law because the law is from God,
and
depending upon one’s observance of law in order to be saved. A
person does not do a good deed so that God will recognize him, ignore his
moral failures, and save him. A person does a good deed because it is the
behavior that is
expected of him.
Luke wrote the following, which Jesus said to His
disciples,
Luke 17:10
...you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say,
"We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have
done."
In short, there are no meritorious works—works that
will atone for sin. To do everything commanded by God does not gain anything
extra; we do not work to gain special merit. Doing good always is what God
expects.
The baptism of Christ is one of the “ought to’s”. It is
a command of God.[40]
If you have not thus far received the baptism of
Christ, this writer urges you to do so.
APPENDIX
Baptism as an appeal
Linguistic authorities differ on the precise meaning of
the Greek word ἐπερωτημα,
which in this passage is translated “appeal.” NASB.
The AV and the NKJV translate the word as “answer.” There is
difficulty with both translations. On the one hand if it is translated
“answer” then the Apostle is saying that the candidate for baptism has
already received the good conscience and it is from that conscience that the
answer is made. On the other hand if it is translated “appeal” then the
candidate is offering an appeal through baptism for a good conscience which
is granted in Christ.
Robertson says,
In ancient Greek it never means answer, but only
inquiry. The inscriptions of the age of the Antonines (variously 138 AD to
180 AD or AD 96 to AD 192)
[41] use it of
the Senate’s approval after inquiry. That may be the sense here; that is,
avowal of consecration to God after inquiry, having repented and turned to
God and now making this public proclamation of that fact by means of baptism
(the symbol of the previous inward change of heart).
[42]
Vine comments on this word as follows:
It was used by the Greeks in a legal sense, as a
demand or appeal. Baptism is therefore the ground of an appeal by a good
conscience against wrong doing.¶[43]
The New Bible Commentary of 1963 comments on Peter’s
reference to baptism and the Flood as follows:
Noah, his wife, three sons and their wives (eight
souls) obeyed God, entered the ark and were saved by (RV through) water. The
Greek dia may be regarded as both
local and instrumental. As Noah passed safely through the waters of the
flood in the ark, so the baptized pass through the water of baptism safely
into the Church, in which sense dia
is used locally. Or, (as Alford, Plumptre) the allusion to baptism in verse
21 requires dia to be taken as
instrumental, i.e., as the waters of the flood carried the ark to safety so
baptism carries Christians. The figure of baptism means not the putting away
of the filth of the flesh, i.e., not the mere cleansing of the body, but the
answer of a good conscience toward God;
better, ‘a pledge’ to God proceeding
from a clear conscience given in the promise, made at baptism, to renounce
the world, the flesh and the devil.[44]
(See Cranfield in loc.)
On the manward side baptism is a confession of Christian
discipleship; on the Godward side it is a pledge so to live as to maintain a
‘conscience void of offense toward God, and toward men.’
(Acts 24:16). This is possible by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
(21) which is at once the ground of righteousness and the guarantee of
victory. Christ has ascended into heaven and is at the place of honour at
God’s right hand, where all the hierarchy of heaven submit to Him (22). Cf.
1 Cor. 15:27; Eph. 1:22; Phil. 3:21.[45]
Appendix 2
Baptism by one Spirit
Paul says the following in his first letter to Corinth,
1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit we were all
baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and
we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
The Greek
text of verse 13 reads a follows,
καί γάρ ἐν ἑνὶ πνεύματι…
Expositor’s translates the verse thus: “For indeed in
one Spirit we all into one body were baptized—whether Jews or Greeks,
whether bondmen or freemen—and we all of one Spirit were made to drink.”
Findlay points out that “ἐν defines the
element and
ruling influence of the baptism, εἰς the relationship to which it
introduces.”[46]
Paul used ἐν in this passage to indicate that the element and ruling
influence of the baptism in view was the Spirit.
The washing of water with the word
Paul wrote to the Ephesians,
Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as
Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He
might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the
word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory,
having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and
blameless.
See the footnote below: λουτρόν, οῦ. The “…washing of
water with the word” refers to baptism in a way similar to the words of Paul
to Titus. Jesus said that His words are “spirit.” Therefore, baptism
[accompanied by the “words” of Jesus (ῥήματι ) is effectual for spiritual
cleansing.]
John 6:63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh
profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are
life.
And,
John 15:3 “You are already clean because of the
word which I have spoken to you.[47]
In John 6:63 cited above the equivalency of “words”
(ῥήματα) and “spirit” is indicated by what Jesus said. In John 15:3 Jesus
declares the cleansing power of the “word” (λόγον) which He spoke to the
disciples.[48]
When Paul in Ephesians 5:26 spoke of the cleansing of the church “by the
washing of water with the word,” he avoided the typical Jewish formula of
ceremonial cleansing through the baptismal bath and instead embraced the
idea of John 15:3 that the cleansing is spiritual, through the word of
Jesus, when accompanied by baptism.
Titus 3:5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds
which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the
washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured
out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being
justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of
eternal life.
Paul in Titus echoes the words of Jesus to Nicodemus in
John 3:5,
3:5 …
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the spirit he
cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
The “…washing of
regeneration” refers to baptism.
[49]
[1] Jesus said, “…no one is
good except God alone.” Mark 10:18; Luke 18:19.
[2] Paul wrote that the
Holy Spirit seals the Christian. Eph. 4:30. This explanation might
confuse baptism with circumcision.
[3] This test is nowhere
mentioned in the New Testament.
[4] Peter says that baptism
is not merely an outward sign of cleansing, or purification. 1 Pet.
3:21.
[5] Essig, Montgomery F.,
The Comprehensive Analysis of
the Bible, “Baptism.”
[6] Tertulian De Baptismo,
Christian Classics Ethereal Library, New Advent, Translated By Rev.
S. Thelwall.
[7] Hislop, A., The Two
Babylons, (Neptune: Loizeaux Brothers), 1959. p. 132.
[8] Encyclopaedia
Britannica, macro. Vol. 12, (Chicago: Benton), 1974. Mystery
Religions.
[9] The theological
doctrine that regeneration is effected in and through baptism.
[10] New American
Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman
Foundation, 1995, S. Mt 28:18
[11] For clarity I have
omitted the prepositional phrases.
[12] Bauer, Walter,
Gingrich, F. Wilbur, and Danker, Frederick W.,
A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian
Literature, (
[13] Thayer, Joseph Henry,
D.D., Greek English Lexicon of
the New Testament, (
[14] Deissmann, Adolf,
Light from the Ancient East,
(
[15] See Appendix for note
on “ἐν” and “εἰς”.
[16] Scripture quotations
are from the New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. LaHabra, CA:
The Lockman Foundation.
[17] “in the name of
Christ” is equivalent.
[18]
[Note: The
“name” is the authority or religion. See comment
by Cornelius Tacitus in his
Annals, “…Christus, the
founder of the name…”]
[19] Robertson, A.T.,
Word Pictures in the New
Testament, Vol. III Acts of the Apostles. (
[20] Jeremias, Joachim,
[21]
Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon,
(
[22] Acts 13:16, 26, 43
(religious); 50 (devout).
[23] Edersheim, Alfred,
The Life and Times of Jesus
the Messiah, (
[24]
An Intermediate Greek English
Lexicon,
a[nwqen.
[25]
Greek English Lexicon of the
New Testament Based on Semantic Domains,
a[nwqen.
[26] Romans 7:24.
[27] Romans 6:3-11; 7:1-6.
[28] Romans 6:4.
[29] 1 Peter 1:3.
[30] Hebrews 10:22.
[31] “Through” is a better
translation of the Greek:
διά.
See Appendix below, ‘Baptism as an Appeal,’ on the
difficulty of interpreting
διά as
instrumental or local.
[32] 1 Peter 3:18.
[33] Kittel, Gerhard, and
Friedrich, Gerhard, Editors,
The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Abridged in One
Volume, (
[34]
bavptisai - verb,
first aorist, middle voice: (not passive as in Acts 2:38) “cause
yourself to be baptized, or “suffer someone to baptize you.”
[35]
ajpovlousai-
“get washed off” as in 1 Cor.
6:11 [“washed, sanctified, justified in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ”].
[36] The New Bible
Commentary says the verbs in this passage are in the Greek middle
voice and might be rendered: “Get yourself baptized and get your
sins washed away.” “Calling on His name…” here means “invoking His
name” by confessing it in baptism.
[37] Matthew 3:13-15.
[38] Ephesians 2:8, 9.
[39] Romans 4:22-25;
Hebrews 10:5-10.
[40] Mark 16:15, 16.
[41] Author, These dates
supplied to show the usage cited is outside the NT era.
[42] Robertson, A.
(1933). Word Pictures in the
New Testament (1 Pe 3:21). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.
[43] Vine, W., &
Bruce, F. (1981). Vol. 2:
Vine’s Expository dictionary
of Old and New Testament words (61). Old Tappan NJ: Revell.
[44] Author. I know of no
biblical reference for such a promise.
[45] New Bible Commentary,
1963 ((Professor F. Davidson M.A., DD Ed., Assisted by: The Rev. A.
M. Stibbs M.A., The Rev. E. F. Kevan M. TH.) Grand Rapids, Wm. B.
Eerdmans Publishing Company. p. 1139.
[46] Findlay, G. G.,
The Expositor’s Greek
Testament, Vol. Two, 1 Corinthians, p. 890.
[47] Expositor’s says about
Eph. 5:26: “It is true
that ῥῆμα is not quite the same as λόγος, but carries with it the
definite sense of the spoken
word; and that, consequently, it may not be taken to designate the
Gospel here in the
subjective sense of divine
truth, the Word of God in respect of its spiritual contents, or
as a revelation of grace. But it may have the sense of that truth as
proclaimed, the preached
Word or Gospel. With the former sense the clause will define the
purification as being in
accordance with or dependent on the Divine promise, or having
that promise as its ground.”
[48] The disciples were
commissioned to preach the words of Jesus first to the Jews and then
to the Gentiles. These words were effectual because they originated
with the Lord, and as a consequence were Divine spirit in the sense
of John 6:63. [Spirit, but not identical with the Holy Spirit.]
[49]
53.43
λουτρόν, οῦ n: ceremonial
washing referring to baptism—‘washing, baptism.’
ἵνα αὐτὴν ἁγιάσῃ
καθαρίσας τῷ λουτρῷ τοῦ ὕδατος ἐν ῥήματι ‘in order to
dedicate it, having purified it by the washing of water by the word’
Eph 5:26. In Eph 5:26 the phrase
τῷ λουτρῷ τοῦ ὕδατος
has been generally interpreted as a reference to baptism,
since the literal washing of an object by means of water would not
be a means of ritual purification in the sense in which the church
would be dedicated or consecrated to God. Similarly, in Tt 3:5,
λουτρόν has
generally been regarded as referring to baptism.
Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996).
Vol. 1:
Greek-English lexicon of the
New Testament: Based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the
2nd edition.) (537). New York: United Bible Societies.
[i] Scripture
quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, (