Luke 3: 1-22
Four Baptisms

by Gary DeLashmutt

Introduction

Read vs 1-2. Luke dates the beginning of John’s public ministry by connecting it to six different historical figures who ruled from 26-37 AD. The fifteenth year of Augustus’ reign, however, is best understood to refer to 29 AD.

Read vs 3-6. Mark 1:5a describes a tremendous response to John’s ministry.  This would be like most of metro Columbus going out to hear some country preacher on the Licking River. Why this response?

John was an authentic Old Testament prophet (Matt. 11:9)—an inspired, authoritative spokesman of God.  After a continuous succession of prophets from Moses (1400 BC) through Malachi (400 BC), over 400 years of prophetic silence elapsed (acknowledged in the Apocryphal writings). Suddenly, John emerges with prophetic authority and appearance (Mark 1:6 indicates that he modeled himself after Elijah—see 2 Kings 1:8.

He was announcing the imminent fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. He was the promised forerunner of the coming of the Messiah and his kingdom (vs 4,5).

In vs 3-22, the unifying theme is "baptism." The word is used five times in this passage.

When we hear this word, most of us think of Christian water baptism (sprinkling or immersion), but in this passage there are no references to this kind of baptism. Baptizo means "to put into" and can refer to any kind of "putting into." There are 8 different kinds of baptisms referred to in the New Testament.

This passage, along with the parallel in Matt. 3, introduces four distinct baptisms, each of which signify a crucial truth concerning the biblical view of salvation.

The baptism of John (vs 3)

John was proclaiming that God would forgive them of their sins if they repented.  They were to express their repentance by publicly confessing their sins and submitting to water baptism by John. (Notice Luke does not say: “ . . . a baptism for forgiveness . . . ” but rather: “ . . . a baptism of repentance for forgiveness . . . ” The baptism was clearly not the cause of their forgiveness, but rather an act that symbolized their cleansing/forgiveness because of their repentance.)

In order to understand the significance of this baptism, we need to know something of Jewish theology and proselyte practice at this time.

Rabbinic theology taught that all but the most wicked Jews were assured of salvation because they were descendants of the fathers and therefore heirs of their merits. They taught that Abraham sat at the gates of Gehenna to turn back any Israelite who might by chance have shown up there. They said of Abraham: “Even if your children were mere dead bodies, without blood vessels or bones, your merits would avail for them.”[1] This is perversion of the Old Testament’s teaching on the Jews as God’s chosen people (EXPLAIN WHAT IT MEANS).

However, Gentiles who wanted to convert to Judaism had to submit to a water baptism, a ritual washing.[2] By doing this, they admitted that they were morally unclean and needed God's forgiveness. The GOOD NEWS: “You can become part of God’s family/people.” The BAD NEWS: “You are morally unclean—you must be cleansed.”

By insisting that his Jewish audience be baptized, John was rejecting the teaching of his day! They thought they were ready just the way they were, but he was saying, "You are no more acceptable to God than the Gentiles! You need to admit your sinfulness, your need for God's forgiveness—just like anyone else!" Read vs 7-9, which was evidently addressed primarily to Pharisees and Sadducees (Matt. 3:7).

By the way, this was the message of the Old Testament.  It is not that God changed the way to get his acceptance from works (Old Testament) to grace (New Testament). He has always taught salvation by grace through faith alone. It is that the Jewish rabbis had perverted this message, and John was restoring it.

John's baptism is crucial to understand because it teaches our part in receiving salvation.

What about you? What are you relying on for your acceptance by God?  Membership in a church? Descent from a "Christian family?" Baptized? Being a good person? As far as getting God's acceptance goes, these things count for nothing. You have the same false security that the Jews of John's day did.

But the good news is this (and I think this is why so many people were flocking to hear him): God is prepared to forgive you just the way you are if you come to him in repentance. What does repentance mean? Changing your mind about how you get God's acceptance: from works/descent to admitting your sinfulness to God and trusting God's mercy alone.

Read vs 10-14. John is not saying that good works are necessary for forgiveness; he is saying that good works will tend to flow from true repentance. These repentant people naturally want to know how God wants them to live. John does not tell them to leave their families or jobs, but to follow God’s ways within those arenas.

Jesus’ baptism with the Holy Spirit (vs 15,16)

Read vs 15-16. John is speaking to those who had been baptized. Note how careful John is to subordinate himself and his message to the One coming after him (Jesus). 

As great as he was (and Jesus later said that no Old Testament prophet was greater than John), the One coming after him was far greater.

As great as his baptism was, the baptisms of the One coming after him were far greater. He mentions two baptisms that the Messiah will perform: one with the Holy Spirit and one with fire.

The baptism by the Holy Spirit refers to the internal, personal union that is forged between Jesus and those who believe in him as their Savior (read 1 Cor. 12:13). By the agency of the Holy Spirit, we are identified with Jesus’ righteousness—which is the basis for the security of our salvation. We are also indwelt by him in order to personally assure us of our secure standing (e.g., relate to him personally, to experience his empowering to free us from bondage to sin, and to enable us to serve him significantly).

Understanding the baptism by the Holy Spirit clears up a number of passages that seem to teach that Christian water baptism is necessary for salvation. Explain 1 Pet. 3:20-21.

The most that John could do was to announce God's willingness to forgive us if we come to him in simple trust. But even better news is that Jesus baptizes us with the Holy Spirit to unite us with him in a permanent and personal union. This union enables us to be confident of our standing before God, to. None of this was available to the average Old Testament believer—or even to John himself (see Matt. 11:11)!!

John's audience had to wait for this baptism until Jesus died for their sins (Jn. 7:39). But we who  put our trust in Jesus as our Savior today receive this baptism immediately (Eph. 1:13-14).

Jesus’ baptism with fire (v. 16)

What about this “baptism by fire?” Many interpret this to be the experience of the disciples on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2: 3-4). This is classic "Pentecostal" teaching: that salvation is evidenced by an experience of this sort which they call the "baptism of fire." So you may have people ask you if you've had this baptism, and you may be urged to seek it. But it is clear from this passage that you should not seek the "baptism of fire."

Read v. 7. Explain Jewish threshing procedure. The wheat in the barn refers to believers in Jesus who are baptized by the Holy Spirit and thus safe in Messiah’s keeping. The chaff refers to those who do not trust in Jesus and are therefore judged by him in "unquenchable fire.”  So the baptism with fire refers to God’s judgment of those who refuse his forgiveness. The “fire” is a metaphorical description of hell, which is eternal, conscious alienation from God (see 2 Thess. 1:9).

This passage teaches another very important truth. Jesus will ultimately separate all people into two groups (those who belong to God and those who don't), and he will also ultimately designate all people to one of two destinies (heaven and hell). And the basis for this separation will be whether we have responded to God's offer of forgiveness with repentance.

This runs directly counter to Eastern religion and postmodern theology's universalism. Consider this quote from a New Age magazine:

“ . . . the New Age movement reveres Jesus . . . The religion of Jesus calls on every human being to grow in awareness to that same state of cosmic unity and wholeness which Jesus himself demonstrated . . . (as) that capacity for growth to a godlike state . . . Thus, the New Age movement sees Jesus not as a vehicle of salvation but as a model of perfection . . . The way to God is through an ascent in consciousness to that unconditional love which Jesus demonstrated . . . Heaven and hell are . . . are not locations . . . but states of consciousness . . . Only . . . self-realized union with God will . . . produce a new humanity, of which Jesus—the Second Adam—is an exemplar.  This is the sacred core of all the world’s sacred traditions, including the Judeo-Christian.”[3]

It is essentially dishonest for them to claim that the Bible and Jesus support their view here. They should just outright reject Christianity rather than pervert Jesus’ teaching.

Many of us don't want it to be this black and white, we want it all to be gray. But God says that while many things are gray, on this most important issue, it is black and white, in or out, for him or against him.  There is a point in time before which we are alienated from God and under his judgment, and after which we are eternally forgiven and united with him.  And the point in time that separates those two states is the point of decision about Jesus.

So these two baptisms tell us that Jesus is both Savior and Judge.

John's baptism of Jesus (vs 21-22; Matt. 3:13-15)

Read Matt. 3:13-14. Why does John want to prevent Jesus from being baptized by him?

Not because he knew that Jesus was the Messiah. Jn 1:29-34 informs us that John did not know this until after Jesus was baptized.

Rather, John's protest confirms the unique righteousness of Jesus' life up to this time. As Jesus' first cousin, his contact with Jesus testified to his moral integrity. Jesus is not a sinner and does not need Jesus' baptism.

This raises an even more intriguing question: why then does Jesus insist on being baptized in this way? 

Read v. 15. Jesus acknowledges that John's assessment is correct, yet he insists that he do it anyway. How does Jesus’ submission to a sinner's baptism "fulfill all righteousness?" The answer to this question takes us right to the heart of how God provides salvation: through Jesus’ substitutionary death.

God prefigured this through the Old Testament sacrificial system (DAY OF ATONEMENT). The New Testament states it directly in 2 Cor. 5:21 (read). Because Jesus who knew no sin was willing to become sin on our behalf, God is willing to impute his righteousness to us. Because Jesus was willing to take what he did not deserve (God's wrath for our sins), God is willing to give us what we don't deserve (Jesus' righteousness).

Seen in this light, it was indeed "fitting in this way for us to fulfill all righteousness." By submitting to John's baptism, Jesus was identifying with sinners and prefiguring the purpose of his coming.  His baptism, like his birth which we studied last week, is a picture of the cross. Apart from this, God cannot accept us without compromising his own character.

This baptism is by far the most important one we've studied today. Apart from this (and that which it prefigures), John's baptism would have been fruitless and the baptism of the Holy Spirit would be impossible. There would only be one baptism waiting for us—the baptism of fire.

This is why God the Father responded the way he did (read Matt. 3:16-17).  He added his confirmation that this was his Son and that this was the purpose for which he came.

Interestingly enough, the Father actually quotes from two Old Testament Messianic passages. "This is my Son" is from Ps. 2, which speaks of the ruling, reigning King-Messiah. "With whom I am well pleased" is from Isa. 42, which (along with the rest of the Anonymous Servant passages), speaks of the servant who comes to die for the sins of the people. Therefore, the Father is announcing that Jesus is the One who will fulfill both roles, first as the Suffering Servant, and then as the Reigning King.

Footnotes

[1] William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, vol. 1 (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1958), p. 39.