Old Covenant
Baptisms and Jesus’ Baptisms
See Also
Seven Different Baptisms – Baptisms of the Holy Spirit – Water Baptism – Infant Baptism
There were 7 different baptisms; the first 3 baptisms were given under
the Old Covenant ceremonial laws. Then Jesus was the first to receive the New
Covenant baptisms of 3a., 3b., and 4.
1. Baptism into Moses
2. John’s baptism
3. The baptism of Jesus by John the
Baptizer
3a. The baptism,
anointing, indwelling of the Holy Spirit was given to Jesus
Happened now, specific info; Baptism #5
of Baptisms of the Holy Spirit
3b. The baptism of
continually being given gifts of the Spirit
Happened
now, specific info; Baptism #6 of
Baptisms of the Holy Spirit
4. Jesus would have a baptism of trials
1. Baptism into Moses – Under the Old Covenant promise of a Savior,
*And God said to Moses,
"I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the
children of
*all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual
drink. For they drank of that spiritual
Rock that followed them, and that Rock
was Christ. 1Cor
10:2-4 NKJV+
*For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant,
that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that
he has died as a ransom to set them free
from the sins committed under the first covenant. Heb 9:15 NIV+
Yet being baptized will not save anyone, it is a continuous
individual faith that will save believers. Though Israel was united together
through Moses in the Lord, though they were His chosen people, most would not
follow their God, and only 1/3 would be saved.
*But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the
wilderness. 1Cor
10:5 NKJV+
*And it shall come to pass in all the
land," Says the Lord, "That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, But one-third
shall be left in it: I will bring
the one-third through the fire,
Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will
call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, 'This is
My people'; And each one will say, 'The Lord is my God.'
" Zec 13:8-9 NKJV+
Moses’ song which
Israel sang after they were freed by God from Egypt, and were baptized into the
laws God gave to Moses; will be sung once again in Heaven above, by those who
loved God and followed His commands.
*Then Moses
and the sons of Israel sang this song
to the Lord, and said,
"I will sing to the Lord, for
He is highly exalted; The horse and its rider He has
hurled into the sea. Ex 15:1 NASB+
*They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: "Great and marvelous are Your
works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are
Your ways, O King of the saints! Rev 15:3 NKJV+
2. John’s baptism was an Old Covenant washing with water to cleanse repentant believers of their sins,
to prepare them for the Messiah to come, Jesus.
*And Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the
people that they should believe on him
that should come after him, that is, on Jesus
Ac 19:4 ASV
*"Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of
your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, Isa 1:16 NKJV+
*Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not
cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord"-- and you forgave the guilt of my
sin. Ps
32:5 NIV+
John would be great in the sight of the Lord. He was given in answer to
the prayers of an old couple. Zechariah, a temple priest, and his wife Elizabeth,
who was related to Mary, the mother of Jesus. John would be filled with the
Spirit, and be a Nazirite who never drank alcohol. He would be about 6 months
older than Jesus.
*But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: because thy
supplication is heard, and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou
shalt call his name John. And thou
shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with
the Holy Spirit, even from his
mother's womb. Lk 1:13-15 ASV
*The angel answered, "The Holy
Spirit will come upon you, and
the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will
be called the Son of God. Even
Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was
said to be barren is in her sixth month.
Lk 1:35-36
NIV+
John lived his early life in the desert, in a rugged fashion, fulfilling
prophecy.
*And John was clothed
with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and
he did eat locusts and wild honey; Matt 3:4 NIV+
*For this is he that was spoken of through Isaiah the
prophet, saying, The voice of one crying
in the wilderness, Make ye ready the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Matt 3:3 ASV
John was a Levite, and through his father Zechariah, would inherit the
right to become a priest. John would have to be publicly consecrated to the
Lord as a priest before beginning his ministry.
*Once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he
was serving as priest before God,
Lk 1:8 NIV+
*And the child continued
to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to
John would begin
his ministry, telling all about the Messiah to come, in the 15th year of
Tiberius. This would be around Nissan (March/April) 25 AD when he became 30
years of age, the same age that Jesus would begin His ministry. See Daniel’s Timeline
*Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Lk 3:ptn1 KJV
*I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might
be revealed to
John was sent by
the Father, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to announce the coming of Jesus
as the promised Messiah.
*And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to
turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the
wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a
people prepared for the Lord." Lk 1:17 NIV+
*during the high priesthood of Annas and
Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son
of Zechariah in the desert. He went into all the country around the
John was sent to
prepare believers for their Lord, the New Covenant, and the
*John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach
the baptism of repentance for the
remission of sins. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make
his paths straight. * Mk
1:3-4 KJV
*"Behold, the days
are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of
*"The Law and the
Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the
John’s baptism would resemble the ceremonial washing which was required of all before they began
serving our Lord. For when John
baptized, washed Jesus, to be ceremonially clean before He could begin His
ministry (3.), no one noticed any difference between this baptism, and the
one John was using on all others to prepare the way for Jesus.
*And thou shalt bring
Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tent of meeting, and shalt wash them with water. Ex
40:12 ASV
*An argument developed
between some of John's disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. Jn 3:25 NIV+
John’s ministry of preparing the way for the Messiah would only last
around 7 to 9 months. Jesus would take it over when He began teaching after
returning from the desert. John would soon after be beheaded by King
Herod, as his adulterous wife had her daughter request John’s head as
the price for her dancing before the King.
*He who has the bride is
the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands
and hears him, rejoices greatly
because of the bridegroom's voice.
Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He
must increase, but I must decrease. Jn 3:29-30 NKJV+
*So he sent and had John beheaded in prison. And his head
was brought on a platter and given
to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.
Matt 14 10-11
NKJV+
John’s baptism would become obsolete after Jesus brought in the
New Covenant of grace, and ceremonial works of the Old Covenant are needed no
more. For John would physically baptize with water, but Jesus would spiritually
baptize us with the Holy Spirit, allow the Spirit to live in our hearts.
*I
have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Mk 1:8 ESV+
*And it is God who establishes us
with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put
his seal on us and given us his Spirit
in our hearts as a guarantee. 2Co 1:21-22 ESV+
Through Christ’s blood shed on the cross as atonement for our
sins, we can now become priests, and will remain priests to our God forever. We
can go directly to God for our forgiveness, come to Him for anything, through
Jesus Christ who is our mediator, our High Priest. John’s Old Covenant baptism
is needed no more.
* you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a
holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1Pe 2:5 NKJV+
*But you shall be named
the priests of the Lord, They
shall call you the servants of our God.
Isa 61:6
NKJV+
3. The baptism of Jesus by John the
Baptizer, was an Old
Covenant washing. An Old Covenant work which was required by the ceremonial laws,
before one could become a priest, or begin serving the Lord. Jesus was under
this law, would have to be ceremonially washed, as it was now time for Him to
begin His ministry.
*"Then
you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. Ex 29:4 NASB+
*"Do not think that I came to abolish
the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. "For truly I say to you,
until heaven and earth pass away, not
the smallest letter or stroke shall
pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Matt 5:17-19 NASB+
Jesus in order to
avoid sinning, to fulfill righteousness, was required to do a work. He had to
be ceremonially washed, before He could be consecrated to be our high priest,
and a servant of God, and begin His ministry. Yet Jesus did not have to
participate in any of the blood or sin offerings, which were required to
cleanse the sins of those who were being consecrated as priests, because Jesus
never committed a sin.
*Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons
to the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall wash them with water Ex 40:12 ESV+
*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?" But Jesus
answered and said to him, "Permit
it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him. Matt 3:13-15 NKJV+
*God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so
that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2Cor 5:21 NIV+
Note:
There were two different washings to be consecrated to the Lord. The high
priest and priests, Aaron and His sons, were washed with water. The rest of the
Levite men required to serve the Lord, had to be sprinkled with water to be
cleansed. We believe Jesus was ceremonially washed, which would have also made
Him righteous to do the Lord’s work in any capacity. But some believe He could
have been sprinkled as a servant of the Lord, then shaved, and washed His
clothes. Since He went into the desert for forty days, His hair would have
grown back by the time He started His ministry.
*"Take the Levites from among the other
Israelites and make them ceremonially clean. To purify them, do this: Sprinkle
the water of cleansing on them; then have them shave their whole bodies and
wash their clothes, and so purify themselves. Nu 8:7 NIV+
The Heavenly
Father originally required all first born sons, from all the tribes of Israel
to be consecrated to Him, so they could do His work. The Father would later
change this law, and require all the men from the tribe of Levi, all the
Levites, to be consecrated to Him. They would replace all the firstborn sons of
all of the tribes of Israel, in doing the Lord’s work.
*Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb
among the children of
*”Now behold, I Myself have taken the Levites from among the children of
Jesus was the
firstborn son of Mary; and would go back to the original law of the firstborn
serving God, to become our High Priest. Jesus would fulfill prophesy, by not
having the right ancestry to become a priest, for He was not a Levite, the
tribe which all priests at this time were to come from. Jesus became high
priest in the order of Melchizedek, He was the Son of
God, indestructible. He was the firstborn over all creation, the firstborn
resurrected to Heaven, and will be our High Priest forever.
*He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn over all creation.
*And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears,
one who has become a priest not on the basis
of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. For it is
declared: "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." Heb 7:16-17 NIV+
At the age of 30
Jesus would be consecrated, set apart to do the Lord’s work, the time
originally required by the Lord. This age and time also fulfilled Daniel’s
prophecy for having the Messiah anointed
around Tishri (Oct) 26 AD. See Daniel’s Timeline.
*And Jesus himself, when he began to teach, was about thirty years of age, Lk 3:ptn23 ASV
*From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty
years old, every one that came to do the
service of the ministry, and the service of the burden in the tabernacle of
the congregation, Num
4:47 KJV
Jesus sought out
John who was a great prophet, like Moses, and also a priest. John as a great prophet
would ceremonially wash Jesus for His consecration as our High Priest. At the
same time John who was a priest was allowed to wash Jesus as a servant of God,
for His 3 1/2 years of ministry on earth.
*For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist
Lk 7:ptn28 KJV
*Then Moses
brought Aaron and his sons and washed them
with water. Lev
8:6 NKJV+
*and Aaron
shall offer the Levites before the Lord
as a wave offering from the people
of Israel, that they may do the service of the Lord. Nu 8:11 ESV+
In the same manner the great prophet Moses publicly gave Aaron
his ceremonial washing, before he was consecrated as the first high priest of
the Old Covenant. John the Baptist, would likewise
ceremonially wash Jesus as the first, and only High priest of the New Covenant
of His grace.
*"Then you shall bring Aaron and his
sons to the doorway of the tent of
meeting and wash them with water. Ex 29:4 NASB+
*"Make a bronze basin, with its bronze stand, for washing.
Place it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it. Ex 30:18 NIV+
Jesus
was ceremonially washed, baptized, as the High
Priest, as the Lord’s Servant
Jesus came down the bank into the
*At that time Jesus came from
*Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the
John knew he would decrease, and Jesus would increase after He would begin
His ministry. Jesus would expand John’s ministry, and His disciples would
baptize many with John’s Old Covenant baptism.
*The one who has the bride is the bridegroom.
The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the
bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy
of mine is now complete. He must
increase, but I must decrease.” Jn 3:29-30 ESV+
*Therefore, when the Lord knew that the
Pharisees had heard that Jesus made
and baptized more disciples than John Jn 4:1 NKJV+
Yet Jesus never baptized any, for His baptism of the New Covenant of
grace, would be the baptism of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This baptism
could not be given to any until they were made spiritually holy, after He had
shed His blood on the cross to atone for our sins.
*(though
Jesus Himself did not baptize, but
His disciples), Jn
4:2 NKJV+
*I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the
Holy Spirit." Mk
1:8 NKJV+
Then the New Covenant was instituted as
Jesus was set apart
After Jesus was
ceremonially washed, baptized, He came out of the water, up the bank to a spot
where He was alone, was set apart. He then began praying and Heaven was opened.
*After
being baptized, Jesus
came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a
dove and lighting on Him, Matt 3:16 NASB+
*When all the people
were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus
also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. Lk
3:21 NKJV
Consecrated as:
Our only Mediator, Jesus is the only One we can go through to become
children of God.
* and to Jesus,
the mediator of a new
covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the
blood of Abel. Heb 12:24 ESV+
*For there is one God, and one mediator
between God and men, the man Christ
Jesus; 1Tim
2:5 KJV
The Servant of the Lord
*To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless
you, in turning away every one of you
from your iniquities." Ac 3:26 NKJV+
*by stretching out Your
hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus." Ac 4:30 NKJV+
Fulfilled
prophecy
*By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify
many, For He shall bear their iniquities. Isa 53:ptn11 NKJV+
*"Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen
one in whom I delight; I will put my
Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. Isa 42:1 NIV+
Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit as
Prophet, High Priest and King
Then Jesus was
anointed by the Holy Spirit coming down as a dove and remaining on Him.
*Then John gave this
testimony: "I saw the Spirit
come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.
Jn 1:32 NIV+
*The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because he anointed
me to preach good tidings to the
poor: He hath sent me to proclaim release
to the captives, And recovering of sight to the blind, To set at liberty them that are bruised,
Lk 4:18 ASV
Jesus had to fulfill everything prophesied about Him, so we
would know He was the Christ, the true Messiah. Scriptural prophesies were
about His anointing, Messiah and Christ mean the Anointed One.
*"Know and
understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild
Jerusalem until the Anointed One [an anointed one], the ruler, comes, there will be seven
'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench,
but in times of trouble. Dan 9:25 NIV+
*Why do the nations
conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and
the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One. Ps 2:1-2 NIV+
Our Prophet
*And the crowds were saying, "This is
the prophet Jesus, from
*Jesus said to them,
"Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." Mk 6:4 NIV+
Fulfilled prophecy
* For
Moses said, 'The Lord your God will raise
up for you a prophet like me
from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Ac 3:22 NIV+
*Nevertheless I must journey today,
tomorrow, and the day
following; for it cannot be that a prophet
should perish outside of
Our High Priest
*Having then a great high priest, who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast
our confession. Heb
4:14 ASV
*But Christ having come
a high priest of the good things to come, through the
greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, Heb 9:11 ASV
Fulfilled prophecy
*The Lord
has sworn and will not change His mind, "You
are a priest forever According to
the order of Melchizedek." Ps 110:4 NASB+
*Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord. He shall bear the glory, And shall
sit and rule on His throne; So He shall be a priest on His throne, And the counsel
of peace shall be between them both."' Zech 6:13 NKJV+
And our King
*"Then the King will say to those on His right,
'Come, you who are blessed of My Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Matt 25:34 NASB+
*And on His robe and on His thigh
He has a name written, "KING OF
KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." Rev
19:16 NASB+
Fulfilled prophecy
*I am
the LORD, your Holy One, the creator
of
*"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of
3a. The baptism,
anointing, indwelling of the Holy Spirit was given to Jesus
Happened now, specific
info; Baptism #5 of Baptisms of the Holy Spirit
Jesus was the
first man to be baptized, given the indwelling of the Spirit. For Jesus was
sinless, was holy, and could receive the indwelling of the Spirit. He would be
the first in everything which would be needed for eternal salvation. This
foreshadows how we will likewise be baptized, be anointed, given the indwelling
of the Holy Spirit, after we are spiritually made holy by the blood Jesus shed
for us upon the cross.
*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. Ac
10:38 NKJV+
*And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness Lk 1:4 ESV+
3b. The baptism of
continually being given gifts of the Spirit
Happened now, specific
info; Baptism #6 of Baptisms of the Holy Spirit
Jesus received
from the Spirit all the gifts He would need to minister on the earth from the Spirit,
including the gifts of power and healing. The same way we will continually
receive gifts, anointings and manifestations from the Spirit. Baptism #6 of
Baptisms of the Holy Spirit
*“The Spirit
of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has
sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the
blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, Lk 4:18 ESV+
*"For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the
Spirit without measure. Jn 3:34 NASB+
And finally Jesus was publicly introduced
by His loving Father as the Son of God, a Son He was
very pleased with.
The Father would
introduce Jesus as His Son, the Messiah He had sent into the world. This was the day Jesus was given authority to
begin bringing salvation to the world.
*And a voice came from
heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well
pleased." Mk 1:11 NIV+
*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." Jn 1:32-34 NKJV+
4. Jesus would have a baptism of trials, temptations and tests He would have to
overcome. Jesus would be despised, hated by the world, would be sent to the cross
to be brutally beaten and then crucified as atonement for our sins.
*"But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed
I am until it is accomplished! Lk
12:50 NASB+
*Saying, Father, if thou
be willing, remove this cup from me:
nevertheless not my will, but thine,
be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
And being in an agony he prayed more
earnestly: and his sweat was as it
were great drops of blood falling
down to the ground. Lk
22:42-44 KJV
Jesus’ baptism of trials would begin right after He had received the
anointing, the baptism of the Spirit. The Spirit sent Jesus out in the desert
for 40 days to be put under a baptism of temptations from Satan, a trial He
would win before beginning His ministry.
*At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by
Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him. Mk 1:12-13 NIV+
Christ’s hardest baptism
of trials was when the sins of the world were put on His shoulders, as He was
dying on the cross. And like all who die sinful, Jesus would be rejected by His
Father, His spiritual being would be thrown down into the fiery torment of the
Abyss, until His sacrifice was acceptable to His Father. Then having completed
His baptism of trials, which overcame sin for us, our Father would bring Jesus
into His glorious Heavenly Kingdom, and have His Son sit at His right hand.
*And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out
with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"
which is translated, "My God, My God, why have You
forsaken Me?"’ Mk 15:34
NKJV+
*or 'Who
will descend into the abyss?'
(that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). Ro 10:7 NASB+
*He shall see the labor of His soul, and
be satisfied. Isa 53:ptn11 NKJV+
Since Jesus
overcame sin, we will also be able to overcome sin. Not because we will be able
to overcome all of our baptism of trials, we will fall short, we will all sin.
But all who love Jesus and strive to obey His commands, will have our sins
forgiven by the blood He shed for us, and will receive eternal life in Heaven
above.
*But Jesus said to them,
"You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that
I am baptized with?" They said
to Him, "We are able." So Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and
with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; Mk 10:38-39 NKJV+
*"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children
will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to
the end will be saved Mk
13:12-13 NIV+
Copyright
2010 amended 2011 by Ron Borkey
+ ESV “Scripture quotations marked [ESV] are from The Holy Bible,
English Standard Version,” copyright © 2001 by Crossway
Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good New Publishers. Used by permission. All
rights reserved.”
+ NEW AMERICAN STANDARD
BIBLE (1995 Update) Copyright © 1981, 1998 The Lockman Foundation, A Corporation Not for Profit, La Habra,
California. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
+ NIV Scripture taken from
the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973,
1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan.
All rights reserved.
+ NKJV "Scripture
taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by
Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."