INTRODUCTION

In Chapter 17 of the Fourth Gospel, Jesus is in prayer to the Father and we hear him say: 

[14] I have given them thy word;
[17] Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth.

Verse 17 contains a very condensed definition of "truth."  It is "thy word," which is the Word of the Father.  

But what is the Word of the Father?

Verse 14 settles that question.  It is thy word that Jesus has given them.  It is very definitely not the entire Bible, the Scriptures or the Testaments as a whole -- it is the Words Jesus received from his Father and relayed to his disciples. These Words, the essential ones, have been preserved for us in those documents called "gospels."  The most accessible of these are the four gospels in the New Testament canon.

If you truly believe in Jesus, or are considering believing in him, you should understand that this involves more than believing something said about him.  You must actually believe him -- that is, what he said.  When he speaks, you must believe what he says if you believe in Jesus.  It follows that you must believe what he said above, that he gave the Word of the Father to his disciples and this Word is truth.

Does it not follow, if you want to know the truth about any subject touched on by Jesus, that you should go to Jesus to get it?

Therefore, if you want to know the truth about baptism, which is one of the topics of Jesus' teachings, should not you go to his words to get it?

That is what we are doing here.  I want to know the truth about this controversial subject, and I want you to partake of this truth also.  Therefore, in what follows, we will go to Jesus to learn the truth about baptism.  We will learn the answers to these questions and others as he teaches us:

1. What is the correct mode of baptism? Sprinkling?  Effusion?  Dipping?
2. What is the appropriate baptismal formula? (associated words)
3. What is the significance of the act of water baptism?
4. Is water baptism essential to salvation?
5. Who is authorized to administer water baptism?

The truth about baptism will be very difficult for many to receive because of long exposure to the doctrines of the churches, which are the products of twenty centuries of obfuscation.  We now proceed to the Word of Jesus to discern the truth about baptism.  


THE RELEVANT WORDS

Our first task is to isolate those utterances of the Lord that pertain to our subject.  To this end we will visit those utterances that contain the words, baptize, baptism, baptizing and baptist.  We will also visit a selected utterance that some have thought to address baptism, although without these words, and also incidents in which any of these words are used in connection with his actions.  By this means we hope to bring to consideration every relevant word of the Lord and also his example.

It is also necessary to examine each relevant utterance carefully to ascertain its authenticity.  It is a sad fact that some have thought to amend and edit even the precious words of the Lord.  For whatever reason, the Holy Spirit, charged with the responsibility of preserving the Word in the world, has permitted a few redactions to slip in.  The present controversial subject is surely a prime candidate for such intrusions, so we must first examine each utterance for authenticity.  Below are the utterances, presented in parallel columns when they appear in the synoptic gospels, and colored in red.  I have pruned from this collection those utterances that utilize one of the above words but that have nothing to say about the subject of baptism, such as references to John the Baptist that make no comment on baptism.  You will observe also that I have included a comment of Jesus about baptism, but that does not contain the words.

Baptism From the Synoptic Gospels

Matt.3 [13] Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. [14] John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" [15] But Jesus answered him, Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he consented. [16] And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; [17] and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Matt.20 [20] Then the mother of the sons of Zeb'edee came up to him, with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. [21] And he said to her, What do you want? She said to him, "Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom." [22] But Jesus answered, You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink? They said to him, "We are able." [23] He said to them, You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father. Matt.28 [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.

Mark.1 [9] In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. [10] And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove; [11] and a voice came from heaven, "Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased. Mark.10 [35] And James and John, the sons of Zeb'edee, came forward to him, and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." [36] And he said to them, What do you want me to do for you?" [37] And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." [38] But Jesus said to them, You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized? [39] And they said to him, "We are able." And Jesus said to them, The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; [40] but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared. Mark.16 [15] And he said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. [16] He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. [17] And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; [18] they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.

Luke.3 [21] Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, [22] and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, as a dove, and a voice came from heaven, "Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased. Luke.12 [50] I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished! Luke.24 [46] and said to them, Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, [47] and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. [ 48] You are witnesses of these things. Acts.1 [4] And while staying with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, you heard from me, [5] for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit. [6] So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" [7] He said to them, It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. [8] But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Sama'ria and to the end of the earth.

Baptism from the Fourth Gospel John.3 (Used by some to justify baptism of infants, on the assumption that "born of water" means to baptize.  See below.) [1] Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicode'mus, a ruler of the Jews. [2] This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him." [3] Jesus answered him, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God. [4] Nicode'mus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" [5] Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. [6] That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. [7] Do not marvel that I said to you, `You must be born anew.' [8] The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit. [22] After this Jesus and his disciples went into the land of Judea; there he remained with them and baptized. [23] John also was baptizing at Ae'non near Salim, because there was much water there; and people came and were baptized. John.4 [1] Now when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John [2] (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples),. . . ..

CERTIFYING THE UTTERANCES

When one defines the source of Truth as the words uttered by Jesus of Nazareth, every word uttered becomes most precious, they being relatively few.  It follows, if someone has inserted words into the record that Jesus did not utter, that the inserted words have the potential for wreaking havoc with the Truth, being also deemed by his disciples to be true.  Additionally, since from the beginning his words have had wide circulation and power as the source of Truth, attaching perverse ideas to the body of his utterances has been attempted by false prophets and, perhaps, also by mistaken but sincere scribes.  It is prudent, therefore, to check the available records for signs of adulteration of the original words.  That is what we will do here before drawing any conclusions as to baptism in the teaching and example of the Lord.

Did you noticed how few are the utterances of Jesus relative to baptism? You may have noticed also that the utterances collected above, from the synoptics, are the parallel accounts from only three separate incidents in the Lord's ministry, which I have separated in the table by horizontal lines in each column.  These are 1) words spoken at his baptism, 2) words spoken to the disciples, James and John on the occasion of their (or their mother) seeking special favor with him, and 3) words spoken to the disciples just prior to his ascension.  Luke gives another account of this last one in the first chapter of Acts, which I have inserted in his column.


THE FIRST UTTERANCE

The words spoken at his baptism were addressed to John the Baptist, who was objecting to baptizing Jesus on the ground of his unworthiness, but Jesus convinced him to proceed with these few words:

Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.

This utterance, spoken about his own baptism, is surely authentic, even though Matthew is the only one of all the Evangelists who recorded it.  This fact alone does not make it questionable, for it is just as reasonable to consider that Matthew had Mark before him and was careful to include an authentic saying that Mark had omitted, as it is to consider that the lack of redundancy speaks against authenticity.  Luke's failure to include it could be significant, for he was a careful historian who named his sources. They were "those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word." (Luke 1:2)  This becomes less significant, however, when we consider that this utterance came prior to the beginning of Jesus' preaching, teaching, and calling of the first disciples. Luke's sources could have included the apostles, but we have no record to indicate that they were witnesses to this encounter with John the Baptist since it came before they were called to follow him.

We should also check to see if the manuscript evidence is affirmative for the utterance. Speaking for myself, having checked my available resources, I see no problem with this.

There is another factor, which is the judgment of individual disciples who have learned from Jesus during a prolonged period.  They will have become well acquainted with him, assuming their hearts were truly open to his teaching, and they may be able categorize an utterance based on their familiarity with his message.  So, each of us should ask, "Is this something Jesus, as I know him, would have said?"  In this case, I can freely answer positively.

In conclusion, we will accept this, Matthew 3:15, as a valid utterance of our Lord, one to be carefully considered and regarded as consistent with that which is True.


THE SECOND UTTERANCE

Only Matthew and Mark attempt to preserve a story line setting for this utterance, and their stories differ in that Matthew has the Mother of James and John seeking to use her influence on behalf of her sons, whereas Mark has the boys go directly to Jesus.  It is easily conceivable that this request came from both sources at different times, with James and John going first as in Mark, and then asking their Mother to intercede when their direct attempt failed.  Luke omits this event altogether and records a similar utterance in another context.  

Matthew and Mark differ also in recording Jesus' response, for Matthew has him making no reference to baptism, but only to the cup.  But Luke supports the baptism utterance, and it is surely something Jesus was likely to have said.  Additionally, I am aware of no significant problem with the manuscript sources. This is a valid utterance, and we accept it wholeheartedly.

THE THIRD UTTERANCE

There are serious problems with these words that were supposedly spoken immediately before Jesus ascended to the Father.  They pretend to be his last words to his disciples, but we have very good reasons to doubt them.  We first examine Matthew 28:

[19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
[20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.

Actually, the only problem is with the second phrase of v. 19, which is our baptism reference:

. . . baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

I confess that I spent more than twenty years, as a young Baptist preacher, preaching and believing -- without reservation -- that this is an essential part of this Great Commission.  I baptized converts by these words!  Then years passed as the Lord mercifully drew me out of the mire of Baptist doctrine and I became much better acquainted with him.  I began to confront these words with growing doubt because they no longer sounded like something Jesus would have said.  The words are peculiar to Matthew 28:19.  No other gospel supports them, and in no gospel, other than here, do we find Jesus making a positive reference to the Trinity in this way.  Furthermore, I had realized that there is not a case on record, in all the New Testament, where any one was baptized using these words. The first disciples of Jesus baptized only in the name of Jesus, which Luke documents in Acts.  Yet many more years passed during which my reservations continued to grow.

Now I must make another confession, which is that I only recently made a careful study of the source of this utterance, after the prospect of again baptizing other disciples appeared.  I searched the Web and quickly learned that this study, very thorough, was made years ago by a gentleman in Birmingham, England and published in 1961.  I suggest that you go to this site and see his results first hand.  It is a very thorough study that has been copied and republished by many others in recent years, and can be found on many sites. Very briefly, his study established the following:

1. The oldest manuscripts uniformly supports the utterance.
2. The oldest manuscripts date from the Fourth Century.
3. Third century copies in Latin and Syriac are missing the end of Matthew.
4. There were three hundred years when changes could have been made.
5. No earlier copies of Matthew have survived.
6. The best clues to the earlier texts is in quotations from early writers.
7. There are several of these writers, but Eusebius is the most telling.
8. He lived from 370 to 440, and was, or became, a Trinitarian.
9. He presided at Caesarea, as bishop, and over the great library there.
10. This library, with all its contents, was destroyed in 303 AD.
11. Eusebius was present at the Council of Nicaea, 325 AD..
12. The Trinitarian Creed was hashed out at Nicaea.
13. His quotations of Matthew 28:19 prior to Nicaea omit the phrase.
14. His quotations subsequent to Nicaea include the baptism phrase.

When we consider that Eusebius must have had copies of much older manuscripts of Matthew during his tenure at Caesarea, and that they were the source of his quotations, it follows that the older copies omitted the phrase, hence it was not part of the original utterance of Jesus.  It also suggests strongly that the phrase was inserted at or shortly subsequent of the Council of Nicaea to sustain the trinitarian doctrine and creed thrashed out at that time and supported by Eusebius.  

The study goes on to point to other "internal evidence" in the scriptures that, to my mind, is even more convincing than the above.  This evidence that had long fueled my doubts.  This, combined with the evidence from Eusebius and other early writers who quoted Matthew 28:19 without the phrase, and the realization that it is incongruent with the body of Jesus' teachings and utterances should be enough to convince anyone.  

This is not a genuine utterance of the Lord.

What then did the Lord say?

The following excerpt from the study to which I referred you above gives the best evidence for the genuine utterance; I quote from it:

I have, after a moderate search in these works of Eusebius, found eighteen citations of Matthew xxviii. 19, and always in the following form: 

Go ye and make disciples of all the nations in my name, teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I commanded you.

This is our best supported version as quoted by Eusebius from the ancient texts.  It not only omits the trinitarian formula for baptism -- it omits any reference to baptism or any command to perform it!  We are drawn to only one reasonable conclusion: this is the genuine utterance, therefore the baptism phrase in Matthew 28:19, is not a genuine utterance of the Lord.

Now we consider Mark's version of this event, in Mark 16, reproduced here again:

[16] He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
[17] And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
[18] they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.

I have long entertained the same reservation here as to Matthew's version.  This, in total, simply does not sound like something that Jesus, as I know him, would have said, especially verse 18 with its "signs" specifically promising that the disciples of Jesus will not be injured by serpents or the ingestion of poison.

There have been many attempts to either verify or discredit these words, but none are conclusive and the scholars are divided.  One professes to verify the utterance by showing evidence from the Greek text to indicate that the "signs promise" applies only to the original apostles, including Paul, who was bitten by a serpent on Malta and "suffered no harm." (Acts 28:5)  Another raises the question of motivation for inserting this utterance and concludes that it is much more likely that it would have been removed from the original writing (indicated by the most ancient texts) than to have been inserted, and confesses that he cannot think of any reason why anyone would insert these words promising such signs.  This seems a good point, until we consider that one of Paul's disciples may have inserted it to provide evidence that Paul, who had suffered a serpents bite with no ill effects, was a true believer.

What is not disputed is that the entire context, consisting of verses 9-10, constitute what is termed "the longer ending of Mark," it being one of three different endings that have been found in the witnesses. The others, "The Shorter Ending" and "The Freer Ending" both omit these words.  Without one or the other of these endings, the gospel ends at 16:8, which, to some, leaves the story line incomplete for it omits any record of Jesus' post resurrection appearances and his ascension such as appear in the other gospels.

After taking all of these factors into consideration, I have to conclude that all the endings are spurious and that the surviving genuine text of the gospel ends with 16:8, in agreement with Morna D. Hooker who writes in The Oxford Companion to the Bible:  

The gospel of Mark ends abruptly, at 16:8, and early attempts to add an ending show that it was felt to be incomplete.  It is possible that the book was never finished or that it was damaged at an early stage.  Yet it may be our knowledge of the other Gospels that makes us expect this one to end with appearances of the risen Lord.  Certainly, it ends in an appropriate way for Mark -- with fear, human failure, and the call to discipleship: it is those who respond and who follow the risen Lord who will see him.

The entire "Longer Ending" consisting of verses 9-20 is not part of the original gospel, which therefore gives no testimony of Jesus concerning baptism. This is not a genuine utterance of the Lord.

We proceed now to Luke's rendering of the Great Commission (Chapter 24), which I reproduce here:

[46] and said to them, Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,
[47] and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
[48] You are witnesses of these things.

There is no mention of baptism!  This can only support the above conclusion that neither version of the Great Commission, in Matthew and Mark, contain an utterance of Jesus that mentions baptism.

When we compare Luke's other version of this event in Acts Chapter 1, we find significant differences.  This naturally leads one to wonder why Luke would compose one account, from Acts 1, that differs so much from his previously published version.  But, when we place these two versions side by side as in the table below, we find they have a fundamental similarity in the final verses.

From the Gospel Luke.24 [46] and said to them, Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, [47] and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. [ 48] You are witnesses of these things.

From Acts Acts.1 [4] And while staying with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, you heard from me, [5] for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit. [6] So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" [7] He said to them, It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. [8] But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Sama'ria and to the end of the earth.

It is easy to surmise that, during the period between writing the gospel and the Acts, Luke obtained additional data about the resurrection appearances of the Lord, including his promise of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and his response to the question concerning the kingdom. The Baptism comment of Acts 1:5 has a confirmation at Acts 11:

[16] And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

It is very probable that Peter was himself the source of Luke's additional data!  If this is the case, Luke would have been motivated to rewrite the event in Acts precisely because he knew his already published gospel was lacking.  I know of no reason why this should not be considered a valid utterance of the Lord, and we will consider it so.  It is one other case in which Jesus made a direct reference to baptism, although only to the water baptism of John and the Holy Spirit baptism of the disciples.


UTTERANCES FROM THE FOURTH GOSPEL

There is not a single incident in which Jesus referred directly to baptism of any kind.  The incident with Nicodemus in John 3 does not refer to baptism, as Catholic interpreters and some others continue to insist.  This is a valid utterance of the Lord, and a very important one, but not from which to derive information about baptism.  An honest investigation of the context reveals that by "born of water" Jesus intends us to understand natural birth. He never speaks of baptism of any kind as a birth, and certainly not here.  The words are genuine, but they say nothing about baptism, which alone is the subject of this study.

SUMMARY OF THE UTTERANCES

It is time to review what we have learned and to summarize the data from the certified utterances.  We enumerate the following points that apply after subtracting the redactions from Matthew 28:19 and Mark 16:9-20:

1. Jesus' words designate three separate kinds of baptism -- John's baptism in water (Mat. 3:15, Acts 1:5), baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5), and the one indicated by the words: I have a baptism to be baptized with (Mark 10:38,39, Luke 12:50).

2. There is not one reference in the utterances of Jesus -- not a single one -- to Christian water baptism!  There is no valid evidence that he ever once mentioned the word and applied it thusly.

3. Jesus issued no command to anyone to be baptized -- none whatever.

4. After subtracting the baptism redaction from Matthew 28:19, Jesus commanded no one -- absolutely no one -- to baptize anyone.

5. The gospels contain no record of any specific disciple being baptized in water -- not one!  The Fourth Gospel does inform us that the disciples baptized others, but not that they were themselves baptized.  It specifically informs us that Jesus did not baptize (John 4:2), therefore we know he did not baptize his disciples. John 3:22 and 4:1 suggest, contrary to this, that Jesus did perform baptisms.  John 4:2, shown in parentheses in the text by the translators, suggests that this was inserted by an editor who knew better than to infer, as the gospel does to that point, that Jesus baptized others. What we write here supports the editors clarification.  Other interpretations force one to acknowledge a contradiction in the Fourth Gospel.

6. These things being true, we find no association in the gospels, none whatever, of baptism in water with the personal salvation experience.


THE TRUTH ABOUT BAPTISM

Here are the only valid utterances from which to draw the Light.  

Matt.3

[14] John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"
[15] But Jesus answered him, Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he consented.

Mark.10

[38] But Jesus said to them, You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?
[39] And they said to him, "We are able." And Jesus said to them, The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;
[40] but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.

Acts.1

[4] And while staying with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, you heard from me,
[5] for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

That's it, folks.  There is all the Truth we need to know about baptism.  That's all the Truth there is to know.  Now, what does it tell us?  We look at each utterance in turn.


1. THE UTTERANCE AT HIS BAPTISM BY JOHN

Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.

This has been mercilessly butchered by modern translators, but the form given here is as good as any.  One's first impression might be to hear him saying, "You must be baptized like this, as John does it, to fulfill all righteousness." Or, in other words, "You must be baptized in water to be saved." Were this the case, we can be sure that Jesus would have had much more to say about water baptism than what we have found.  What then does he say here, if not this?

It is extremely simple; Jesus means exactly what he says.  The key is the word thus, that is the perfect translation for the Greek houtos that Jesus uttered here.  My MW Collegiate gives the primary English definition of "thus" as follows:

1 : in this or that manner or way

Thayer's Lexicon gives the primary Greek definition of houtos as follows:

1. in the manner spoken of; in the way described; in the way it was done; in this manner; in such a manner; thus, so.

You will notice that it could refer directly to John's baptism, but not necessarily so.  But if you do so apply it, the only valid conclusion to be reached is that only those who are baptized by John the Baptist in the waters of the Jordan, as Jesus was then baptized, can fulfill all righteousness.  If the details matter, then the details matter!  But then, had this been what Jesus intended us to understand, why didn't he simply say, By this we fulfill all righteousness instead of thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness?  

But the definition, in such a manner or way, can also mean, not by this, but in a way that resembles this.  This is surely the way his words are to be applied; otherwise, he would have expressed himself differently to avoid this very misunderstanding. For a confirmation, let refer to another utterance of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount:

Matt.5 

[14] You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid.
[15] Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
[16] Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works
and give glory to your Father who is in heaven

In v. 16, so is the translation of the same Greek word, houtos, which appears as thus in Matt. 3:15.  It is plain to you, I am sure, that Jesus does not mean that his disciples should light a lamp and put it on a stand in a house.  How would this cause men to see good works and give glory to the Father? As a child, I lit a lamp many times and placed it on a stand, in the house, and it gave light to all in the house, but it did not reveal my good works to anyone so as to cause them to glorify my Father!

No, the lamp is only a figure, a metaphor, to illustrate how one must enlighten the world. Likewise, in Matthew 3:15, the baptism of John is only a metaphor that illustrates what one must do to fulfill all righteousness.  There is a fundamental similarity, a pattern.  The details don't matter!

Now, in what way could the baptism of John resemble the fulfillment of all righteousness?

This requires that we know what John actually did when he baptized anyone.  The very word, baptize, tells it all.  The English word is merely a transliteration of the Greek, baptizo.  Thayer provides this applicable definition:

1. to immerge, submerge (of vessels sunk) 

John was fully immerging (immersing) people in water, submerging them, putting them fully under, then raising them up from the water.  That is the essential meaning of the word; that is what John was doing; that is what he did to Jesus, and that is the pattern that resembles that which is the fulfillment of all righteousness.  The Fourth Gospel lends confirmation to this interpretation as follows:

John.3

[23] John also was baptizing at Ae'non near Salim, because there was much water there; and people came and were baptized.

Much water was not required if he were pouring it over the heads, or sprinkling them with a little of it. You see how one knows Truth by listening carefully to Jesus?  The words have been few, but they are packed tightly with Truth.  We have learned exactly how John baptized and how he baptized Jesus, and that it is a pattern of the fulfillment of all righteousness.  Look just as carefully at that word all.  Not just some righteousness, but all of it!
 

2. THE UTTERANCE TO JAMES AND JOHN

The words are:

Mark.10

[38]You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?
[39] And they said to him, "We are able." And Jesus said to them, The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;

From Luke, the words are so:

Luke.12

[50] I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished!

I understand these utterances to refer not at all to John's baptism (immersing) in water, which Jesus had already experienced as we have seen above.  No, these refer to a baptism that he had yet to experience. They refer to a baptism that follows a drinking from a cup, and so are associated with the cup in the mind of Jesus. Therefore, as early as his baptism by John, Jesus knew that he must yet experience something similar to that baptism so as to fulfill all righteousness, and here he implies that Peter, and anyone who would be glorified with him, must also drink from that cup and experience that baptism. Furthermore, it was to be an experience for Jesus that would release him from his constraints -- and how I am constrained until it is accomplished!

Does this imply that Jesus was yet to be again baptized in water?  It could, for that submerging is what water baptism in literal fact is.  But no, because we have no record of Jesus having been again immersed in water. We have already learned that Jesus thought of water baptism in metaphorical terms, as resembling something else that is the fulfillment of all righteousness.  It is therefore reasonable to suppose that he is doing the same thing here, by applying the word, baptism to something he is yet to experience, that will resemble baptism and that will fulfill of all righteousness.

Is this baptism unique to Jesus?

No; we have already seen that Peter is to be so baptized, and we should also note the plural in the utterance from the time Jesus was baptized by John.

Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.

It is not only Jesus who fulfills all righteousness by this means;  it is us.

We need only seek something in the experience of Jesus, subsequent to this utterance, that resembled the pattern of baptism.  It is not difficult to find it in all the gospels, for as John buried him in water and then raised him up out of the water, just so Jesus was buried in the earth and raised up out of the earth to the glory of the Father, all constraints removed!

We can further confirm this identification of the baptism with which I am baptized by observing that it is paired with something spoken of as the cup that I drink.  This corresponds to the vinegar that he drank immediately prior to his death on the cross, following which he expired and was buried.  It thus corresponds to his bodily death, and in this two fold similarity recorded by Mark, we have the representation of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.  We therefore confidently conclude that this is the experience Jesus spoke of as the baptism with which I am baptized and I have a baptism to be baptized with.

Please consider also that, like the baptism of John to which Jesus voluntarily submitted, as did all of those who came to John for Baptism, so also Jesus voluntarily submitted to his cup and final baptism when he refused to resist the Jewish authorities who came to Gethsemane to arrest him, and as he refused to mount a defense before his judges. This willing submission is an essential, characteristic feature of this baptism. There have been many forced water baptisms through the centuries, including the continuing modern practice of infant baptism, but the evidence from the gospels is that a true baptism is one freely chosen, as Jesus freely submitted to John's baptism and as he freely chose to take up his cross and yield up his life on earth so as to rise from the tomb and ascend to the Father.

Now consider also that we cannot fulfill all righteousness until we have fulfilled the Father's will and purpose for us, which is that we come home to him in heaven, as Jesus did when he ascended from the earth.  When we set our hearts on anything less than that, or other than that, we violate the Great Principle; we are seeking our own will and that is unrighteousness.  Therefore, hearing our Lord and learning these things, we understand exactly what Jesus meant when he said to John the Baptist,

Let it be so now;for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness.

He spoke of the "baptism" according to which he would willingly submit to a death, burial, and resurrection -- immersion in the earth -- so as to go to the Father.  This, and this alone, is the fulfillment of all righteousness.

We have commented on the plural, us, that appears here.  Now we are in a position to confirm that the doctrine of substitutionary atonement, that sees the crucifixion of Jesus as a death according to which he, alone, made his righteousness available to human beings, so fulfilling all righteousness for us, is absolutely false.  Were this teaching true, then Jesus would have said something more like this:

Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for me to  fulfill all righteousness.

Jesus was not a lamb of sacrifice in our behalf; he is the Good Shepherd, opening the strait gate for us and leading his sheep out to the greenest pasture.  He leads, we follow, into and through this baptism that is baptism indeed.


3. THE POST RESURRECTION UTTERANCE FROM ACTS

Repeating this last reference of Jesus, to baptism as recorded by Luke in Acts 1, it reads as follows:

[4] And while staying with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, you heard from me,
[5] for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

Having already recognized this as a valid utterance of our Lord, we need only suggest why Luke, alone among the evangelists, preserved it.  His motive would have been to explain what had taken place on the Day of Pentecost, and which he was to record in the next (second) chapter of Acts.  Knowing of the event, he would have considered it so important that surely the Lord would have spoken of it.  The other evangelists were no help, for they did not write of a baptism of the Holy Spirit.  So, he must have dug deeper and finally found a disciple, perhaps Peter, who confirmed the utterance that Luke recorded in Acts 11:16.  

We should carefully consider that this baptism in the Holy Spirit is a promise Jesus made only to the Apostles, less Judas the traitor. Luke was careful to record the names of the Eleven who received the promise (Acts 1:13). It is beyond the scope of this paper to expand into the early events as recorded by Luke in Acts, but you can read the Acts and draw your own conclusions as to who was baptized in the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.  This was the final mention of baptism in the teaching of Jesus, and therefore it is vain to go afield from his words to receive the Truth about it.


THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS

Jesus submitted to the water baptism of John, and so set an example for his disciples who seek to follow him.  Beyond that, however, we are hard put to demonstrate any example on the part of Jesus wherein he water baptized others or taught that others are to be baptized.  There is no commandment of Jesus, in his genuine utterances, either to baptize or to be baptized. The Fourth Gospel evangelist first tells us that Jesus baptized, but soon corrects himself (or a later editor inserted a correction) by explaining that it was the disciples who did the baptizing.  But were the disciples baptized?  If they were, who did it?  Not Jesus, who did not baptize. In pursuing these questions, It may be that the following utterance of Jesus from Acts 1 provides our answer:

[4] And while staying with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, you heard from me,
[5] for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

Think about it.  Why did he contrast the coming baptism with the Holy Spirit with the water baptism of John, If he had initiated his own ritual of water baptism? In that case, he should surely have said,

I have baptized you with water but before many days you shall be baptized by the Holy Spirit.

Why hark back to John for this contrast, if they knew a more immediate water baptism?

Yet again, why did John limit himself to this comparison also, if Jesus was to institute his own baptism in water?  John said:

Mark.1

[8] I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

Finally, why did Peter do the same?  Why are all the contrasts between Spirit and water baptism limited to John's water baptism, if Jesus had instituted his own water baptism?

These questions, if important enough to have answers, must all be answered by the truth about baptism that is all contained in the few  words Jesus addressed to the subject, where we find three baptisms:

1. The water baptism of John

2. The fulfillment (of all righeousness) baptism of Jesus

3. The Spirit baptism of the Holy Spirit, promised to the Apostles.

If one is to follow the teaching and example of Jesus, then one only needs John's water baptism and the fulfillment baptism of Jesus.  The Twelve also received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but Jesus did not promise it to other disciples.  In any case, Jesus is not said to have been "baptized" with the Holy Spirit so as set an example.


THE FORMULA FOR WATER BAPTISM

Having concluded that the baptismal formula of Matthew 28:19 is not a genuine utterance of Jesus, and that the only water baptism in the record is the baptism of John -- in whose name should one be baptized if following the example of Jesus?  We do not have a specific instruction, but we do have ample evidence in the gospels to answer this question.  If you will check, we should find that everything Jesus' disciples do should be done in the name of Jesus, and only in the name of Jesus.  Here is a typical teaching:

Matt.18

[5] Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me;
[20] For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

In addition, we have found that the reading of Matthew 28:19 in the early manuscripts, as quoted by Eusebius, is:

Go ye and make disciples of all the nations in my name, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you.

Again, strongly suggesting that "in my name" is the language of Jesus, although not applied specifically to baptism.

Finally, by reference to the Acts, we find that the apostles and earliest disciples baptized as follows:

Acts.2

[38] And Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts.8

[12] But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
[16] for it had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Acts.10

[48] And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.

Acts.19

[5] On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

When we see that Jesus instructed his disciples to do other things in his name, and in his name only, and that the valid reading of Matthew 28:19 is in his name only and further, that the first disciples baptized only in the name of Jesus, we confidently conclude that this is the way the Lord would have us do it.


BAPTISM AS SALVATION EXPERIENCE

I have included this discussion of Baptism in a series on salvation experience because so many people see it as an essential part of that experience.  It is not.  It does portray, in graphic visual form, the fulfillment baptism that in essential to salvation, and therefore is closely related to the experience of salvation.


CONCLUDING SUMMARY

We find from the Word of Truth that there are three different baptisms in the teaching and example of Jesus.  These are, again:

1. The water baptism of John
2. The fulfillment baptism of Jesus
3. The spirit baptism of the Holy Spirit

We have these three, no more.  

We have found also that Jesus neither commanded his disciples to be baptized or to baptize, and that the only water baptism to which he referred is that of John. Nevertheless, since we have seen that Jesus accepted baptism as a symbolic act, a metaphor of the fulfillment baptism, it is safe to conclude that his disciples should follow his example and both baptize and be baptized, but in his name only.  

Jesus emphasized the qualification for eternal life (salvation) repeatedly, but he never included water baptism as a qualification.  Therefore this baptism is not essential to one's salvation.  

Jesus did place his own interpretation on John's baptism, and we have good reasons to believe that he specified a baptismal formula, "in my name." His interpretation of it is that it symbolizes the fulfillment baptism that is dictated by the Great Principle, which alone leads to salvation and eternal life.  These two things makes it uniquely the water baptism of Jesus rather than that of John.  While not essential for salvation, it is a dramatic statement of the faith of the believer, who receives it voluntarily by the exercise of free will.  We have no reason to see in it any mystical powers, but only the vivid testimony, of the disciple being baptized, of commitment to that baptism which alone is essential to salvation -- the fulfillment baptism of Jesus.  The only valid mode of baptism is immersion, because that is the only mode that offers the symbolism of fulfillment baptism and the Great Principle.

One view, thoroughly mistaken in its essence, is that of the Southern Baptists, to which I once subscribed. Here it is, as stated in the Southern Baptist Faith and message, adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention on June 14,2000.

Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus.  It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead.

It is flawed in several points.  The baptism of Jesus, while  by immersion, is not in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, but only in the name of the Son; it is not an act of obedience, never having been commanded by the Lord.  Its symbolism with respect to the Saviour is correct, for it displays the crucified, buried, and risen Saviour; but the symbolism with respect to the believer is precisely the same, whereas the Baptist statement relates it to the believers life in the world (to walk in newness of life) about which Jesus said nothing in connection with baptism. Yes, the believer's new life begins in association with the decision to follow Jesus, and so be baptized, but it is the life in heaven, in the Father's house, that is the focus of baptism according to Jesus. The final sentence in the statement is acceptable, except that is has no authorization from our Lord and is not necessary.

It is easy to see how these deficiencies arose, for this statement reveals complete ignorance of the Great Principle of Jesus by erroneously making water baptism symbolize the rising to live a new life, here in this time, on the earth -- whereas it truly symbolizes our hope of new life in Glory. It is easy to understand how such an error was dictated by the love of life in this world, which to Jesus is anathema.  

I began with a list of questions often raised on this subject, and promised to visit them again.  We should be qualified to comment on them now that we know and understand the significance of baptism in the Word of Truth.  Here they are listed again:

1. What is the correct mode of water baptism? Sprinkling?  Effusion?  Dipping?
2. What is the appropriate baptismal formula? (associated words)
3. What is the significance of water baptism?
4. Is water baptism essential to salvation?
5. Who is authorized to administer water baptism?

1. What is the correct mode of water baptism?

Only immersion provides the required symbolism.  Nothing else will do.

2. What is the appropriate baptismal formula?  

The name of Jesus, and no other.