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John was already baptizing.

Metmom asked something similar.

St. John the Baptist's was not the Christian baptism that remits sin, it was merely a sign of penance. Ritual ablutions indeed were nothing new to the Jews even before St. John; it is not like Jesus taught us how to bathe.

By giving us an example of Himself being baptized, and God making the appearance, the Lord showed that baptism that He gives is the baptism that brings us into the sonship of God.

Note, too, that Jesus has no sin, and certainly had no lack of faith in His Father nor His own divinity, so His baptism is not for His own need, and not a sign of conversion, but for our edification, so that we know that baptism saves.

St. John the Baptist's was not the Christian baptism that remits sin, it was merely a sign of penance. Ritual ablutions indeed were nothing new to the Jews even before St. John; it is not like Jesus taught us how to bathe. By giving us an example of Himself being baptized, and God making the appearance, the Lord showed that baptism that He gives is the baptism that brings us into the sonship of God. Note, too, that Jesus has no sin, and certainly had no lack of faith in His Father nor His own divinity, so His baptism is not for His own need, and not a sign of conversion, but for our edification, so that we know that baptism saves.

In the Jewish religion, mikvahs are used symbolically for MANY purposes. Jesus going through John the Baptist's baptism was for His being set apart for His ministry beginning. Of course it wasn't to cleanse Him from sin, nor was it to bring Him "into the sonship of God", since He WAS the Son of God. The Christian ordinance of baptism was not even known about when that event happened.

Adjust your view outside of a pigeonhole idea of a word (i.e., baptism) and you'll be able to understand the concept and purpose of what baptism is really about.

Note, too, that Jesus has no sin, and certainly had no lack of faith in His Father nor His own divinity, so His baptism is not for His own need, and not a sign of conversion, but for our edification, so that we know that baptism saves.

"WE" do?

HMMMmmm...

It must be one of those LOGICAL things again.

St. John the Baptist's was not the Christian baptism that remits sin, it was merely a sign of penance.

Kinda like circumcision is a 'sign' of being one of God's chosen - Genesis 17:11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you.

Yet by the time Acts 15 appears; the OFFICIAL teaching was that it was a REQUIREMENT - or ELSE!