Ephesians 4:3-6; One baptism, part 8. Ceremonial vs. true cleansing.

Class Outline:

 

Tuesday May 25, 2021

 

When Jesus began His ministry, He presented true cleansing to a Jewish world that concentrated only on ceremonial cleansing.

 

It’s not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out of his heart. Jesus condemned the religious leadership of only being concerned with the outward show of their lives while completely neglecting the inner man. It is the inner man that needs cleansing and then the purity that flows from within will vindicate the outward man. Paul would write, “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

 

A cleansed man has a heart of love, compassion, selflessness, humility, goodness, graciousness, self-control, wisdom, contentment. Jesus Christ alone can make a man this way.

 

Hence, when it is accomplished in a believer’s experience, he is actually greatly humbled by the gift from God rather than becoming prideful about it.

 

HEB 9:9-10

Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, 10 since they relate only to food and drink and various washings (baptismos), regulations for the body [sarx - the flesh] imposed until a time of reformation [diorthosis - to set things right, here referring to the time of grace and the church as a result of Christ’s sacrifice].

 

“reformation” - diorthosis = to set the crooked straight, to set things right. Christ would make the nature of men clean and set all things right.

 

Fallen man is crooked. Cleansing ceremonies could not fix him, but they did foresee the One to come who would fix him. The ceremony was imposed until the time came when the unclean heart of man was set permanently straight. Things would be “set right” (“reformation,” HEB 9:10) when Christ cleansed mankind within; through and through their very nature.

 

The water baptism of the church (Acts) was a ceremony that depicted the cleansing all believers receive at salvation when they are baptized by the Holy Spirit.

 

The explanation as to why it is still done is not much different from Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai’s answer for why the ashes of a dead animal cleansed from contact with a dead animal - God told us to. The most common reason given for water baptism in the church is that we were told to by Christ. Since God doesn’t give us answers as to why we should continue to water baptize after He said that “John baptized you with water, but you shall be baptized by the Holy Spirit,” and that we are all cleansed in Christ, and despite the fact that we can’t be totally sure of its purpose (public declaration, teaching tool, personal witness, etc.), we can only say that we do so because we are told to.

 

MAT 28:16-20

But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17 And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

 

Being strictly a literalist, biblicist, textualist, I take no opposition at all against the practice, but I also do not require it for church membership. No believer can be forced to partake of a ritual. It is voluntary. Still, nothing in the scripture tells me that it is necessary for spiritual growth or maturity, but there are fine pastors out there who claim that to be true. I personally don’t think it is certain in these words from Jesus or any other passage that water baptism is needed for spiritual growth or maturity. If it were, I’m sure it would be plainly stated, since maturity in conforming to the image of Christ is the very point of our Christianity.

 

Baptism in Judaism before John

 

Proselytes - Gentiles converting to Judaism before and during the time of Christ.

 

What it written about the practice begins around 200 AD and afterwards. We cannot say for sure what the practice was before Christ, or before John’s baptism, and a lot is written by Christian and Jewish teachers about the connection of John’s baptism to it. There are several similarities and several differences. Scholars are pretty sure that the practice of converting proselytes was done for at least a hundred years before Christ, and that the process was finalized with baptism.

 

The proselyte was to learn the doctrines and precepts of the Jewish religion (written and oral) and when ready, he was circumcised and baptized.

 

The baptism of proselytes, as described by the rabbis from 200 A.D. and afterwards, is different in several ways than the Levitical washing under the law, but was a special development from the Levitical system. Proselyte baptism, performed after circumcision (for men), was a complete immersion for the cleansing of the entire body. The convert was naked, as were the baptisms of the early church, and in the presence of witnesses, and in contrast to John’s baptism, they baptized themselves.

 

One view is that the Jews required the baptism for the purpose of removing Gentile impurity.

 

Proselyte baptism was seen as more than a ritual. The convert was to have a true repentance from his old life and unto the Law and be sincerely converted, thus the immersion symbolized a change in heart and expressed a self-dedication to a new way of life. In this way, it is like John’s baptism as well as Christian baptism.

 

John’s baptism: confessing sins, repentance for the forgiveness of sins (“for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”) and then immersion into the Jordan and out again.

 

John’s baptism shared with Jewish washings the theme of purification or cleansing. In continuity with the message of the prophets, John linked purity with a call for moral transformation and spiritual cleansing.

 

However, if John was only doing what was prescribed by Jewish washings, why did he create such a stir? The likely reason is John’s insistence on the connection between repentance and the forgiveness of sins.

 

The phrase used of John’s baptism is unique: baptism of repentance.

 

LUK 3:3

preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins

 

MAR 1:4

John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

 

Early church baptism was likely related to repentance, Act 2, but in Act 8, 10, 19 repentance is not mentioned.

 

ACT 2:37-45

Now when they heard this [Peter’s message], they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?" 38 And Peter said to them, "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 "For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself." [that they had faith is in vs. 44] 40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation!" [that generation were under the unpardonable sin of claiming Jesus did miracles by the power of Satan. Jerusalem would fall in about 40 years] 41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls. 42 And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

 

43 And everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 44 And all those who had believed were together, and had all things in common; 45 and they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.

 

Their baptism, certainly after their faith and repentance [Jesus was not a demon possessed revolutionary, but Messiah], was a public declaration of their faith before all the other Jews who were in Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost.

 

Peter’s instructions to baptize remove the option of believing in Jesus as Messiah, but then keeping it secret to avoid persecution.

 

Overtly revealing their faith and standing unafraid of the certain persecution to come upon them by their fellow Jews was vital to the building of the early church. As we have seen many times, it would only take a century and a half for Christianity to be all over the Roman Empire and the East. Such evangelism, the call to make disciples of all the nations, could not be done by Christians who were hiding their faith out of fear.