The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,
“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way,
the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”
John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Ping.
“A Baptism of Repentance for the Forgiveness of Sins” (Sermon for the Second Sunday in Advent, on Mark 1:1-8)
Doesn’t sound odd to me. Even if people weren’t formally thinking about this, there are the classic Scrooge-to-saint stories.
Entrance into the earthly kingdom of God, where the Twelve apostles rule over Israel as judges, and the Jews reconcile the world to God, never took place. That was the commission, and that was rejected. It included baptism and repentance.
Paul’s commission does not include baptism and repentance for the pardon of sins. It is faith-obedience and justification by God through belief in Christ’s death resurrection.
The nations were never under the Law and were aliens to the covenants of God, therefore were not required to repent of sins they committed against God.
Ro 4:15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
1C 1:17 For Christ does not commission me to be baptizing, but to be bringing the evangel, not in wisdom of word, lest the cross of Christ may be made void.
Eph 4:4 one body and one spirit, according as you were called also with one expectation of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, Who is over all and through all and in all.
There is only one baptism, into Christ by faith. It does not include water baptism, a Jewish ritual for those entering the earthly kingdom of God.
Ro 6:1 What, then, shall we declare? That we may be persisting in sin that grace should be increasing?
May it not be coming to that! We, who died to sin, how shall we still be living in it? Or are you ignorant that whoever are baptized into Christ Jesus, are baptized into His death?
Paul’s contenders, the Judaizers under James’ supervision, persecuted him for his teaching justification by faith alone, without repentance and baptism. The believers in Jerusalem accused him of apostasy for this and other teachings.
Baptism for believers today is in spirit for entrance into a heavenly kingdom to come that is not on earth. It is not for forgiveness (pardon Gk) of sins, but for inclusion into the body of Christ. It is baptism into His death and resurrection. It is one baptism, it is in spirit, and there is no other for today.