Posted on 12/19/2006 9:32:45 AM PST by xzins
Baptism by sprinkling Rick Martin | God's Old Testament promise symbolized
God’s original Old Testament promise to His people that He would save them was symbolized by His promise to purify them through sprinkling.
Ezekiel 36:24-29 24 "For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. 25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. 28 Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. 29 I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses.”
We are saved through washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit which is poured out on us by Jesus.
Titus 3:4-7 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Thus, the sign of cleansing in the Old Testament was sprinkling.
Numbers 19:20 20 But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person shall be cut off from among the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD. The water of purification has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean.
This is reiterated again in the New Testament.
Hebrews 10:15-22 15 But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, 16 "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them," 17 then He adds, "Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." 18 Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin. 19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and having a High Priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
1 Corinthians 10:2 tells us that the nation of Israel was baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.
1 Corinthians 10:1-2 1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,
From clouds come rain, and from God’s Glory Cloud comes his special baptismal rain. Psalm 77:14-20 tells us that as Israel walked through the Red Sea dryshod, between the walls of water, it was raining on them.
Psalm 77:14-20 14 You are the God who does wonders; you have declared Your strength among the peoples. 15 You have with Your arm redeemed Your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah 16 The waters saw You, O God; the waters saw You, they were afraid; the depths also trembled. 17 The clouds poured out water; the skies sent out a sound; your arrows also flashed about. 18 The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; the lightnings lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook. 19 Your way was in the sea, your path in the great waters, and Your footsteps were not known. 20 You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Thus, Paul can write that Israel was baptized in the cloud and in the sea (1 Corinthians 10:2 above), just as Peter can write that the descending water of rain at the flood baptized Noah.
1 Peter 3:18-21 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, 20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. 21 There is also an antitype (symbol) which now saves us--baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
The waters from below were for the wicked, while the waters from above were for the righteous. When Noah was in the ark, who went under the water and who was sprinkled? When Moses marched through the Red Sea, who went under the water and who was sprinkled?
The mode of baptism is not critical, except that we should understand what it means to us.
I believe that Jesus’ baptism was a high priestly baptism. There were three requirements of a high priest under the Law of God: They must have been thirty years old or above, they must have been sprinkled to cleanse them, and they must have been called of God.
Numbers 4:1-4 1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: 2 “Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the children of Levi, by their families, by their fathers' house, 3 from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting. 4 This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of meeting, relating to the most holy things:”
Numbers 8:5-7 5 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 6 “Take the Levites from among the children of Israel and cleanse them ceremonially. 7 Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purification on them, and let them shave all their body, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean.
Hebrews 5:1-6 1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also beset by weakness. 3 Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins. 4 And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: “You are My Son, today I have begotten You.” 6 As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek”;
The chief priests, scribes and elders didn’t like Jesus teaching in the temple. They asked Him by what authority He taught, because only the priests could teach in the temple. Therefore they wanted to know who had made Him a priest. Jesus answered them by asking them if His baptism was from God or men, for His baptism completed the requirements of His priesthood.
Luke 19:45-20:8 45 Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, 46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” 47 And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, 48 and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him. 1 Now it happened on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him 2 and spoke to Him, saying, “Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things? Or who is he who gave You this authority?” 3 But He answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, and answer Me: 4 The baptism of John-- was it from heaven or from men?” 5 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” 7 So they answered that they did not know where it was from. 8 And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
So you see, Jesus’ baptism was not a baptism of repentance (how could it be, since Jesus is perfect), it was a high priestly baptism which would complete the requirements of the Law, and thus give Him authority as a priest, and thus to teach in the temple.
Matthew 3:14-15 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” 15 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.
How did the Ethiopian eunuch know he needed to be baptized? He was reading Isaiah.
Acts 8:26-39 26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. 27 So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 The place in the Scripture which he read was this: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so He opened not His mouth. 33 In His humiliation His justice was taken away, and who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.” 34 So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. 36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” 37 Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” 38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. 39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.
The baptism spoken of in Isaiah is sprinkling.
Isaiah 52:13-15 13 Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; he shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. 14 Just as many were astonished at you, so His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men; 15 So shall He sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; for what had not been told them they shall see, and what they had not heard they shall consider.
This is also spoken of in Ezekiel 36:24-27, previously cited.
If we are to be baptized as Jesus was, we must be sprinkled, as the priests were sprinkled, since we are now all priests.
1 Peter 2:9 9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
Many who espouse baptism by emersion cite Romans 6:1-5, saying that we should be put under water as though dying, thus being buried with Christ.
Romans 6:1-5 1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
However, the baptism of Christ spoken of here in Romans has nothing whatsoever to do with water. The baptism of Christ was a persecution and agonizing death as referred to in the tenth and fourteenth chapter of Mark below (can you drink the cup).
Mark 10:37-39 37 They said to Him, "Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory." 38 But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you ask. Can you drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" 39 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;”
Mark 14:33-36 33 And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. 34 Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch." 35 He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. 36 And He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will."
Therefore we must die to self to be raised in newness of life. Our old self is buried. Since when does going under water have anything to do with burial?
All except John did, in fact, suffer agonizing persecution and violent death. They did drink the same cup that Christ drank.
Rick Martin
There's no contradiction. They are baptizing, fully wetting, making fully wet, immersing, their hands. It's not translated as "baptize" here because people would confuse it with the biblically commanded religious practice of baptism.
B.W. Johnson's commentary on this passage says:
In the Greek, not the word rendered "wash" elsewhere in the passage, but baptize. Abbott renders it "plunge" and says: "Apparently, in the ritual of the Pharisees, washing by pouring on water sufficed for those who remained at home, but immersion of the hands in water was required of those who had gone abroad."
This was no ritual sprinkling no matter what.
Very, very weak, and stretched to the breaking point.
The Lord had a single emersion.
RDDB, This is clearly a 'strawman' with regard to UC's #30.
Do you believe that such a dishonest form of debate has a place on the religion forum?
And which districts in first century Jerusalem had such faucets?
Read it again.
Mar 7:4 And [when they come] from the market, except they wash(baptizo), they eat not.
Read post 30 again. You deflected his meaning to create your argument. That is called a strawman.
OK, you guys. How many angels really CAN dance on the head of a pin anyway? The Holy Spirit is going to get in you one way or another.
I kind of like the idea of immersion with it's connotation of drowning the "old man" and birth of the "new man", but is anyone here really willing to get up on their hind legs and say that if the baptism was by pouring or sprinkling it was not a valid baptism? I didn't think so.
Carry on. :)
****This was no ritual sprinkling no matter what.***
So, they "plunged" their tables in water before eating?
Where in the NT does it say that anyone anywhere anytime was ever BAPTIZED "with a small bowl of water or blood, hyssop tied to a stick with a scarlet thread and sprinkled"????
I guess I have to let you guys know how we at the ONLY REAL church on the only real way properly baptize only really true believers.
First we go out in the ocean and inflate a small derigible that floats up to about 500 ft ASL, then we anchor the derigible to the Zodiac boat with a bungee cord extending to the new soon-to-be believer. We then take him down 2 atmospheres by SCUBA and hook the bungee cord to him by a harness and strip him naked.
We then read the appropriate verses and baptize him under water. As he inhales his last breath fro the SCUBA tank, his sins are jerked out of him as the C-130 flying overhead snatches the derigible and jerks him out of the water, sending up to the sanctuary in the Holy C-130 Flying Tabernacle.
While the newly baptized convert has the sins washed off of him, he now is truly reborn provided we witness him spasming on the deck of the aircraft and speaks in tongues.
We know this is the only true way of baptism because true convert speak so many bizzare things after having experienced this procedure and God has called them all home immediately thereafter. We think they must truly see the angels on the way up to their rebirth.
We are now working on the new, improved baptismal chamber which is a 60 ft tall tank we will fill with sheep's blood and are still working the math to have the Space Shuttle provide our new ascent.
/wild, rambling imagination off
(KJVR) And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brazen vessels, and of tables.
The phrase "of tables" is controversial. It's not in the Majority Text, but it does appear in the Western and Syrian texts. From the commentary "Roberts Word Pictures":
Some scribes felt a difficulty about the use of baptisōntai here. The Western and Syrian classes of manuscripts add “and couches” (kai klinōn) at the end of the sentence. Swete considers the immersions of beds (baptismous klinōn) “an incongruous combination.” But Gould says: “Edersheim shows that the Jewish ordinance required immersions, baptismous, of these vessels.” We must let the Jewish scrupulosity stand for itself, though “and couches” is not supported by Aleph, B L D Bohairic, probably not genuine.
In other words, 80% to 90% of the greek texts don't include that phrase. This is reflected in several translations:
(American Standard Version) and when they come from the market-place, except they bathe themselves, they eat not; and many other things there are, which they have received to hold, washings of cups, and pots, and brasen vessels.)
(New American Standard Bible) and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.)
Those that do include it call it various things:
(DRB) And when they come from the market, unless they be washed, they eat not: and many other things there are that have been delivered to them to observe, the washings of cups and of pots and of brazen vessels and of beds.
(ESV) and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.)
(ISV) They don't eat anything from the marketplace unless they dip it in water. They also observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, jars, brass pots, and dinner tables.)
(ALT) And [coming] from the marketplace, unless they baptize [or, ceremonially wash] themselves, they do not eat, and many other [traditions there] are which they received [and] are keeping: [like] baptisms [or, ceremonial washings] of cups and pitchers and brazen vessels and cots.
There are scholars who believe that that they actually did immerse, part by part, tables/beds/couches. For example, Gill's commentary:
gain (e), every vessel of wood, that is divided into two parts, is, clean, excepting a double table, &c., i.e. a table which consisted of various parts, and were folded together when it was removed: and these were washed by covering them in water; and very nice they were in washing them, that the water might reach every part, and that they might be covered all over; that there might be nothing which might separate between them and the water, and hinder its coming to them: as for instance, pitch being upon a table, whether within or without, divided between that and the water; and when this was the case, it was not rightly washed (f): but to washing tables by immersion, there is no objection;
So to conclude, it's not unreasonable to assume that yes, a table/bed/couch, was immersed, made fully wet. Considering all the other biblical evidence for immersion, it's not a very strong verse to be basing a doctrine upon.
lol...talk about a come to Jesus experience... :-)
My NIV translates the Greek "kline" in Mark 7:4 as "kettles" not "tables".
You're still dodging.
What you represented as Uncle Chip's position was not and you knew it.
You are decieving all of us here with a dishonest representation of Uncle's position.
Strawman you say?
****You're still dodging.
What you represented as Uncle Chip's position was not and you knew it.
You are decieving all of us here with a dishonest representation of Uncle's position.***
Let's go back to Post # 30.
******Why did this question about purifying become a question about baptizing here?
Probably the same reason that you're asking that question of me?
So, did the pharasees dip themselves when they came from the market each time? did they also dip their tables? Mar 7:4 And [when they come] from the market, except they wash (baptizo), they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, [as] the washing (baptizmos) of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.
They got their hands, cups, pots, vessels, and tables thoroughly wet, either covering them with water, dipping them into water, or pouring water on them until they were fully wet.
How do you clean your hands and dishes? Do you sprinkle water on them? maybe a little spray? or perhaps you dry clean them? Unless you get them thoroughly wet, they won't be clean. Take a lesson.*****
1. Purifying. "Baptism" translated as "washings" in the KJV.
2.NASV has a margin note of the pharases "sprinkling" themselves.
3. the KJV has "tables", the Douai Reims has "couches". Can you immagine trying to eat reclining on a wet couch!
4.The translations of "baptisms" as "washings" is probably because the KJV translators knew what was ment.
5. You say that the meaning is to get fully wet. Not so!
Read the words of Christ concerning the Pharasee's ritual cleansing of pots.
Mat 23:25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Mat 23:26 [Thou] blind Pharisee, cleanse first that [which is] within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
This shows that "baptism" or ritual washing of dishes is merely a ritual cleansing without submerging it into water.
The purpose here is to show that the word "baptize" does not always mean immerse and has changed over the centuries to mean, at that time, sprinkling, pouring and immersing. So the people in Acts may have been sprinkled, poured on, or immersed.
My point is very clear. So where is the straw man?
Excellent post, Ruy.
The transition of the word is a reality. These usages are a reality.
Those who wish to discredit pouring or sprinkling have only a lexicon to argue from. We have the actual practices of the bible in hand.
Only Scripture.
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