January 4 - Symbols from Jesus' Baptism - Evangelical Caucus/Devotional

“Jesus answering said to him, ‘Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness’” (Matthew 3:15).

The most important symbol Jesus’ baptism gives us is a perfect example of obedience to God the Father. Our Lord always modeled obedience in all things (e.g., Phil. 2:6–8; cf. Matt. 17:25–27). In submitting to baptism, Jesus affirmed the validity of John’s standard of righteousness and demonstrated that baptism was God’s will to which every believer should be obedient.

Furthermore, Jesus’ baptism is a profound, symbolic identification with sinful humanity. Hundreds of years earlier the prophet Isaiah stated that the Messiah “was numbered with the transgressors; yet He himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors” (Isa. 53:12). The sinless One took His place among sinners, and that in part entailed submitting Himself to a sinner’s baptism.

Finally, Jesus’ baptism is a symbol of His death and resurrection, and therefore a prefigurement of our Christian baptism. Concerning His death, Jesus later said, “I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!” (Luke 12:50). In pointing to His obedient identification with sinners (cf. Isa. 53:11; 2 Cor. 5:21) and His subsequent atoning death and bodily resurrection, the key symbols stemming from Jesus’ baptism remind believers of their need to faithfully obey and be baptized.

He became one of us, identifying with our sin. Marvel again at the amazement and immensity of this truth. What grace! What humility! What kind of worship should flow from this reality? Worship Him today as the One who was not ashamed to take your place, who stooped down so that you could stand.

Thank you, metmom, for your continuous, diligent labors to daily present meditations that exercise and challenge the reader's pursuit of a meaning for one's Christian life.

John MacArthur's comments help one to focus on the life-changing effects of particular Biblical doctrines. Here, he mentions two different baptisms, the one being John's baptism unto repentance under the Old Covenant; the other being the rite of induction of professed Christ-following individuals into a local chapter of the indivisible Church of Christ.

But neither of these events can explain what principle of John's baptism of Jesus serves, or the implication it represents in God's dealings with mankind. This one, never-to-be-repeated procedure, has a singular purpose, a unique narrative, and an implication that any of the other ones mentioned in the Bible have. And it happened for only one purpose.

Jesus told John what the purpose was, which was the coming true of, the fulfillment of, the one Biblical prophetic event foretold by Jehovah to Isaiah, an validation procedure that was to be executed by John Baptist as commanded to him by Jehovah, which process was to: (1) identify the Person Who Is the Messiah (i. e., The Christ) of Israel's God; (2) to announce His physically literal Advent to eyewitnesses; and (3) to personally introduce Him to the observers of the congregation present at the event. The uniqueness of this event (the visibly descending dove-like Spirit, the heavenly voice of the Father) certified to the rabbis of John's authority to conduct his duties as the long-awaited prophet of God.

That is it, the full singular meaning of Jesus' command to John.

The implication is that after fifteen centuries of accountability of the Jews to the stipulations of God's Law, and four hundred years of Jehovah's silence to them, that finally the silence is ended, the last true prophet of the Law, John, appears to announces the arrival in Person the a Second Adam Who Alone will fulfill every one of the stipulations of Jehovah's Will perfectly in behalf of the First Adam including all his progeny; to dismiss the Old Fulfilled Covenant; and to initiate the New Covenant of Grace.

Under this New Covenant another kind of baptism, a new birth into the Holy Spirit's realm will confer to the convicted and fully convinced repentant human the pardon from sins that accompanies the undeserved gift of eternal life of communication with God, and as His Child, willingly serves His Begotten Son and Friend.

It is the identification and introduction of the advent of the Messiah that fulfills the prophetic promise, with the descent of the Spirit in the physical form of a dove as the true visible symbol that the fulfillment has taken place.

i think that this is the clear message that in this article John MacArthur has neglected to emphasize, but the reader needs to hear and preserve with his/her complete attention and understanding.

What in this life could be of greater comfort?

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