Theological Term of the Week
Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 7:20PM
rebecca in theological terms

baptism of Jesus
John the Baptist’s baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River at the beginning of his ministry.

  • From ESV Bible study notes on Matthew 3:15:
  • Jesus’ baptism inaugurates his ministry and fulfills God’s saving activity prophesied throughout the OT, culminating with his death on the cross (cfJohn 1:31–34). In so doing, Jesus also endorses John’s ministry and message and links his mission to John’s. Although he needed no repentance or cleansing, Jesus identifies with the sinful people he came to save through his substitutionary life and death (cf2 Cor. 5:21).
  • From The Gospel According to Luke by Leon Morris:
  • It is at first sight puzzling that Jesus should have accepted baptism at the hands of John, for this baptism was ‘a baptism of repentance’. Since Luke depicts Jesus as without sin it is not obvious why he tells us He was baptized in this way. But Jesus saw sinners flocking to John’s baptism. Clearly He decided to take His place with them. At the outset of His ministry He publicly identified Himself with the sinners He came to save.
Learn more:
  1. From Scripture: In addition to Matthew 3:13-17 quoted above, see Mark 1:9-11 and Luke 3:21-22.
  2. GotQuestions.org: Why was Jesus baptized?
  3. Allen Ross: The Baptism of Jesus
  4. Brian Borgman: The Baptism of Jesus (audio)
  5. John MacArthur: Why Was Jesus Baptized? and The Significance of Jesus’s Baptism (video)

Related terms:

Filed under Person, Work and Teachings of Christ

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Article originally appeared on Rebecca Writes (http://rebecca-writes.com/).
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