What Lies Beneath Baptism

Baptism. It is a sacrament and a fundamental aspect of the Christian faith, and yet often is fundamentally misunderstood. It is instructed as the essential first step in making the decision to follow Christ, yet it is often either delayed or treated as optional and unnecessary. Many questions continue to swirl regarding its practice, application, and purpose, and part of the issue lies in the fact that its ancient Near Eastern meaning is lost on a modern, Westernized audience. But baptism is neither a mystery, nor mystical—it is merely symbolic and prophetic. So, if you've ever wondered what in the water is going on, you're not the only one a little wet behind the ears. To discover the beauty and imagery utilized in this act of faith, you just need to rediscover the five different baptisms explicitly described in the Bible.

The Surface: The Baptisms of John and Jesus

The confusion may begin with the fact that the word baptism isn't an English word. While most biblical terms and phrases are translated in English Bibles, baptism is simply transliterated. When a word is translated, its meaning is carried over into the new language, though often imperfectly. But when a word is transliterated, its sound is carried over, also rather imperfectly.

Proper names are often transliterated rather than translated, so the Hebrew Yoshua or Yeshua, became the Greek Iesous, which became the German and then English, Jesus. If the intermediate languages are skipped, the Hebrew Yoshua is transliterated more accurately, but still imperfectly, into English as Joshua. It often surprises people I meet to learn that my given name is the same as Jesus' because they are unfamiliar with the permutations and corruptions associated with transliteration. But translate the name, and the relationship becomes crystal clear, as both Jesus and Joshua come from the same Hebrew root words and mean the Lord saves.

Likewise, the English words baptism and baptized are slightly corrupted transliterations of the Greek words baptisma and baptizo respectively. But to understand the meaning of these words, we need an English translation. However, there isn't really a word in English that carries the same meaning, which is why translators opted to simply transliterate the word and allow the context to do the heavy lifting. But baptisma simply means, to dip, immerse, or submerge for a religious purpose. But the dictionary definition does little to explain the beauty, symbolism, or purpose of the immersion, so we must dive a little deeper.

John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance

for the forgiveness of sins.

MARK 1:4 (ESV)

Though baptism is a theme that runs throughout Scripture, the word itself is Greek and is confined to the New Testament in usage. The first time we see it in the Bible is in the Gospels in relation to John the Baptist, who clearly riled some religious feathers in his ministry. Part of that was due to the content of his message, but his use of immersion in water as a physical act of repentance was rather novel at the time, and the Pharisees and Sadducees were not exactly known for exuberantly embracing new ideas—or even new understandings of old ones.

But the concept of baptism wasn't entirely new, John was simply broadening the application of an existing practice. Ritual washing was common in the ancient world, even among pagan societies. In Judaism, ritual cleanliness was quite strict and applied to the home and objects as well as people. The imagery and symbolism is pretty straightforward in this sense as clean, spotless, and pure are understood as the opposites of dirty, blemished, and impure. In many cases, it wasn't even purely symbolic, as "clean" often didn't simply require dipping something in holy water, but scrubbing it with soap and actually keeping or cleansing it from bacteria, fungus or other contaminants.

But John didn't bring soap or shampoo, and his immersion wasn't in holy water, but in a river. His baptism wasn't about being clean, it was about being repentant. It certainly prepared the way for the cleansing of sin as John's ministry prepared hearts for Jesus', but the baptism in and of itself was wholly incapable of accomplishing that feat, just as the Levitical sacrifices were.

For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

HEBREWS 10:1-4 (ESV)

So, we understand that the baptism of John merely prepared people for the baptism of Jesus. It was not the same as the baptism of Jesus in either purpose or symbolism, nor could it be used as a substitute. We see this clearly in the book of Acts when a Jew named Apollos was described as teaching about Jesus, but knowing "only the baptism of John" (Acts 18:24-25), and Peter then is recorded further clarifying the distinction in the following chapter.

And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John's baptism.” And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

ACTS 19:1-5 (ESV)

So, if John's baptism wasn't symbolic of ritual cleanliness, but of repentance, what is the baptism of Jesus symbolic of? Well, it also is not pointing to ritual cleanliness or the washing of sins. Scripture is clear that sins are cleansed by blood, not water, so we all should probably be grateful the symbolism of the baptism of Jesus has nothing to do with sin. What Scripture does describe is believer's baptism being symbolic of death and resurrection.

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

ROMANS 6:3-5 (ESV)

...having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.

COLOSSIANS 2:12 (ESV)

It won't become clear why water is symbolic of the grave until we explore the Old Testament foreshadowing of baptism. But for now, it is clear that immersion into the waters signifies that we will die and be buried as a consequence of our sin. It is also a statement of faith, a public declaration of it, in fact, that we believe that due to the power of Christ over sin, we will be resurrected from the grave and be given eternal life. At the same time, it declares that we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, that it is no longer we who live, but Christ in us. Believer's baptism is therefore a prophetic act which demonstrates our faith in Christ as well as publicly proclaiming it.

The Shallows: The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

The baptism of the Holy Spirit differs from that of John and Jesus in that it is symbolized by fire rather than water. It is still called a baptism, however, as it maintains the Greek meaning of the word in that it is an immersion or saturation for a religious purpose. It inverts the theme, however, as rather than a physical act symbolizing a spiritual reality, it is a spiritual act symbolizing a physical reality.

The physical reality is that redeemed men and women have been called to the supernatural ministry of redemption. This entails spreading the good news of Jesus Christ to every nation, tribe, and tongue by healing the sick, casting out demons, and performing miracles so that the world might believe. As Greek thinkers, we often assume preaching the Gospel merely entails communicating Scripture, theology, and apologetics, being equipped with knowledge and good arguments, but Paul makes clear that such a presentation is not sufficient.

For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

1 CORINTHIANS 1:22-24 (ESV)

And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on

the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

1 CORINTHIANS 2:1–5 (NASB)

For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

1 CORINTHIANS 4:20 (KJV)

I devote more time to the necessity of the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the book Mere Spirituality and the article The Outpouring, so I won't belabor the point here. But what must be acknowledged in the context of our current discussion, is that the baptism of the Holy Spirit was foretold of in both the Old and New Testaments and that this reversal of symbolism is indeed called a baptism by both of those who initiated the previous baptisms—John and Jesus.

John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with

the Holy Spirit and fire.

LUKE 3:16 (ESV)

I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

MARK 1:8 (ESV)

And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now... But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

ACTS 1:4-5, 8 (ESV)

The purpose of this baptism is to anoint and equip natural man to do supernatural ministry and to defeat the works of the evil one. It serves as an encouragement to believers and a witness to unbelievers. Whereas the baptism of Jesus gives hope in death, the baptism of the Holy Spirit gives hope in life, offering supernatural power to both physical and spiritual problems in the here rather than just the hereafter. It offers evidence for our faith, and power to preach it, but it is not a final solution as all who receive or perform a miracle will still suffer death. In the age to come, this role of the Holy Spirit will also be quite unnecessary as there will no longer be any need for healing, prophecy, words of knowledge, tongues, etc. in the eternal presence of God in glorified bodies uncorrupted by sin. But until then, this role is vital.

The Depths: The Baptism of Moses

Though baptisma is a Greek word and a New Testament concept, it is not without Old Testament precursors and precedent. Indeed, the New Testament concept is built upon foundations laid clear back in Genesis and Exodus. It is actually the baptism of Moses which acts as the foreshadow of both the baptism of water and of fire.

For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.

I CORINTHIANS 10:1-4 (ESV)

And in the morning watch the LORD in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.” Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians,

upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.”

EXODUS 14:24-26 (ESV)

It is this symbolic act under the leadership of Moses, the Israelites were baptized "in the cloud and in the sea." While the sea was obviously water, we might have to look back at the Exodus passage to remember that the cloud was actually the pillar of fire which drove the Egyptians into the sea where they all died. So, here again, water is associated with death. The Israelites entered this watery death, but emerged on the other side with new life and freedom, while the Egyptians entered but were consumed by it. This event was also a very public declaration, witnessed by the Pharoah and his army, so we see all the foundational elements of the New Testament concept of baptism present.

It is the baptism of Moses which also harmonizes and makes sense of what many have found to be a confusing passage in Ephesians which claims there is only one baptism. There is indeed only one baptism into the faith, but there are obviously multiple baptisms in Scripture. However, those baptisms point to or foreshadow future baptisms which then fulfill them. The baptism of Moses foreshadows not only that of Jesus, but also of the Holy Spirit in one event, symbolizing death and resurrection through water, as well as supernatural power through fire, holding these elements together in unity.

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all,

who is over all and through all and in all.

EPHESIANS 4:4-6 (ESV)

Though this passage has sometimes been used to argue that the baptism of Jesus was the final fulfillment of the foreshadows or that no other baptisms exist, it's important to recognize a few fairly obvious elements present within these verses. Notice there is theme of unity, but not of singularity. It speaks of one body in Christ, but that body consists of many members. It speaks of one God, but that God consists of three persons. It speaks of one, but that one is over, through, and in all. So, we must also hold this tension with its mention of baptism—there is one, but multiple expressions, elements, or representations of that baptism which humanity has and can experience.

Indeed, the baptism of water and the baptism of fire are recorded as being experienced both simultaneously, and as separate events in the book of Acts. For the disciples of Jesus, it was obviously two separate events as they received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in John 20:22 when the resurrected Jesus breathed on them, but they did not receive the anointing or the power of the Holy Spirit until the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2.

In the previously mentioned passage where Peter found some disciples in the region of Corinth where Apollos was teaching, they had received the baptism of John, but not of Jesus or the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-4). The very next verses say that those disciples were then baptized in the name of Jesus, and also received the power of the Holy Spirit when Peter laid his hands on them. So, here, both the baptism of water and fire appear to be a singular event with faith in Christ, tongues, and prophecy all occurring simultaneously. In Acts 10:44-48, we even see the reverse in order—gentiles receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and began speaking in tongues first, and then were baptized in the name of Jesus.

Likewise, we see in Acts 8:14-17 believers in Samaria had only been baptized in the name of Jesus, but not the Holy Spirit. So, the church in Jerusalem sent Peter and John who then laid hands on them and they received the baptism of fire as well. With clear precedents of the baptisms of Jesus and of the Holy Spirit happening both at the same time, separately, and in reverse order, we must be content with holding this tension of one baptism, but different events or expressions. What we must not do is form a doctrine which excludes the possibility of one or more scenarios which Scripture obviously teaches and describes.

The Abyss: The Baptism of Noah

The fifth and final baptism explicitly named in Scripture is that of Noah. This baptism is the ultimate foundation for the entire biblical concept, and once properly understood, answers the question as to why water is associated with death and the grave.

...when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ...

1 PETER 3:20-21

Here is described of course, the great flood which wiped out all of humanity except for Noah and his family, who were saved from death by the grace of God. Like the symbolism found in the baptism of Jesus, the elect on the ark still had to endure the waters of death (they were adrift on them for over a year), but they were not overcome by them or abandoned to them as they were eventually restored to dry land. While a global flood which wiped out the vast majority of life on the earth might provide a satisfactory explanation for why the Jewish mind associated water with death, the reality goes much deeper.

As covered at length in the article Understanding the Underworld, the ancient Near-Eastern concept of the grave differed from the Western, Greek influenced ideas. While the Greeks thought of the underworld or the place of the dead as a hot, fiery, and dry affair in their concept of Hades, ancient Mesopotamian societies were much more conscious of the great deluge in their understanding. In the creation narrative of Genesis, Scripture describes water being the first element, and that the waters of creation were then separated by sky into the waters below and the waters above (for more detail, see the article Ancient Cosmology).

The waters below became the fresh waters both on and under the earth—lakes, rivers, seas, as well as all subterranean water. Genesis then records that during the flood, the "fountains of the deep" broke forth (Genesis 7:11), meaning a large volume of the flood waters, if not the majority, were actually loosed by subterranean chambers rather than by atmospheric rain. So, in contrast to the Greek concept, in ancient Near-Eastern thought, the underworld was a watery place. Hence, the place of the dead, known as Sheol in Hebrew, was a sea, and therefore death and the grave were associated with water.

But man dies and lies prostrate. Man expires, and where is he? As water evaporates from the sea, and a river becomes parched and dried up, so man lies down and does not rise. 

JOB 14:10 (NASB)

The departed spirits are made to tremble under the waters and their inhabitants. Sheol is naked before Him, and Abaddon has no covering. 

JOB 26:5-6 (NASB)

Thus says the Lord God, "On the day when it went down to Sheol I caused lamentations; I closed the deep over it and held back its rivers. And its many waters were stopped up..." 

EZEKIEL 31:15 (NASB)

This association was not peculiar or unique to Jewish cosmogony. The ancient Sumerians also believed creation began with a great freshwater primordial sea called the Abzu, which resided in the underworld and was the source of all freshwater on the earth. The later Akkadian civilization also held this belief, only altering the name slightly to the Apsu. Therefore, as spiritual beings associated with the heavens were regularly depicted in their iconography with feathers and wings, spiritual beings associated with the underworld were typically depicted with scales and fins.

This imagery simply gave a visual cue as to where the being depicted came from, not what it actually looked like. This is similar to how in Christian iconography, Christ and saints are often depicted with a halo around their head, not because that's what they actually looked like, but to simply identify the figure as holy. But the "fishmen" of the ancient Near-East are a prominent motif, and are associated with wisdom—particularly in the Abgal and Apkallu myths—and thought of as messengers of the gods.

While the Jewish understanding of wisdom and how God communicates it to humanity was radically different than that of her pagan neighbors, it agreed on the basic concept of the underworld and that spiritual entities resided there—primarily the dead. It also agreed that the source of the water on the surface of the earth was the underworld, the place of the dead. We see this clearly in the story of Jonah, who prayed from the belly of the fish.

"I called out of my distress to the Lord, and He answered me. I cried for help

from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice."

JONAH 2:2 (NASB)

Here we see that Jonah was terrified because he thought the fish was hand-delivering him to Sheol, the underworld or the place of the dead, as punishment for his disobedience. But God had other plans. Instead, God used the fish to deliver him back to shore, where Jonah then trekked to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria at the time. The Assyrian empire, like the Babylonian, Akkadian, and Sumerian before it, also adhered to the Apsu and fishmen myths. This is why Jonah, a Jew and a prophet of a foreign god, was taken so seriously by a wicked pagan city—even by the king himself. For Jonah was delivered to them by a fish from the underworld. He was seen as an Apkallu—a messenger of the gods.

"But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet, for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

MATTHEW 12:39-40 (NASB)

Here we see Jesus also drawing on this Jewish understanding, stating that he would die and go down to Sheol for three days before being resurrected. For Jonah, this death and rebirth was symbolic, but for Jesus, it would be literal. Yet, neither the religious elites, nor his own disciples understood he was predicting his own death, burial, and resurrection. But Jesus wasn't going to be the only one resurrected in this manner. Indeed, He was merely the firstborn of the dead (Colossians 1:18, Revelation 1:5). For at the end of the age, all would be resurrected from the grave and judged—some given eternal life, and others sentenced to the second death.

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 

REVELATION 20:13-14 (NASB)

Notice the all-encompassing language used to name the underworld here—death, Hades, and the sea. This language ensured that Greeks, Jews, and everyone in between understood what was going to happen at this one-time event at the end of the age: the underworld would be emptied and all the dead would be resurrected for judgement. Then death and the place of the dead itself are both thrown into the lake of fire. To those versed in the Old Testament, that meant that Sheol, the watery grave, will ultimately be thrown into the lake of fire. This echoes God's promise to Noah, that never again will He destroy the world by water (Genesis 9:11, 15). Indeed, at judgement, Sheol itself will be destroyed and death will be no more.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea... and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain;

the first things have passed away.

REVELATION 21:2, 4 (NASB)

This is what the baptism of Jesus symbolizes and why believers are instructed to undergo it as their declaration of faith. They are proclaiming that they understand the consequences of sin, and that they will die and be buried in Sheol, just as Christ was. But like Christ, Moses, and Noah, the watery grave will only need to be endured for a time, because there is coming a day when the trumpet will sound, Christ will return, Sheol will be emptied, and those who put their faith in Christ will resurrect to eternal life. This is the hope proclaimed in water baptism, and why the Scriptures can state with such confidence, O death, where is your victory? (1 Corinthians 15:55). Because though all die and go to Sheol, those in Christ will be ransomed from it.

I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol; I shall redeem them from Death. O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your sting?

HOSEA 13:14 (ESV)