Water Baptism Part 4

Shall all cleansed lepers of our day do as this one was commanded? Shall we keep the law of Moses, circ.u.mcise our children and baptize with water, because Jesus sanctioned it in Judea?

Jesus, his disciples and the Judeans were all Jews and this was under the law before Christian baptism had superceded water baptism at Pentecost. Of course they baptized with water, circ.u.mcised the flesh and kept the law of Moses; but this is no precedent for us whether Jews or Gentiles in these gospel days; since the Holy Spirit is poured out upon all flesh in all the fulness we are able to bear.

Jesus was baptized in the Jordan, saying "_Suffer it to be so now_,"

[100] thus indicating that it should not be so always.[101] He was also circ.u.mcised, and in after life confirmed his early circ.u.mcision by fulfilling and not destroying the law and the prophets,[102] and by sending the cleansed leper to offer as Moses commanded, and by sending his apostles before Pentecost to preach to Israel (the circ.u.mcised) but not to Gentiles (the uncirc.u.mcised) until the son of man be come.[103]

He here recognized the covenant of circ.u.mcision[104] which G.o.d gave to Abraham and that it was not yet fulfilled.[105] He virtually said of circ.u.mcision the same that he had previously said of water baptism, "Suffer it to be so now." But we find no manifestation of his will that we should continue to observe the covenants and customs of that dispensation of which water baptism was one; and he never made any distinction whatever in favor of it but with his last words introduced his own baptism of the Holy Spirit as its immediate successor.[106]

Jesus exclaimed upon the cross: "It is finished," and the law and the prophets were fulfilled.[107]

He opened to us a more excellent way under his own glorious gospel dispensation of which that of Moses was a shadow.[108] He took away the first covenant that he might establish the second.[109] He purchased our redemption by his blood shed on Calvary. He died and was buried, he arose and ascended. Angels said to his disciples: Why stand ye gazing up into Heaven?[110] This same Jesus shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into Heaven.

The disciples returned to Jerusalem and tarried there as Jesus had previously commanded them. Upon the day of Pentecost he came again as the angels had said and as he had often promised his apostles and disciples.[111]

He came as the comforter, the Holy Spirit to teach us all things and to abide with us forever.[112]

By this one spirit are we now all baptized into one body, Jews and Gentiles, Bond and Free, male and female, all one in Christ Jesus.[113]

All flesh, sons and daughters, servants and handmaidens, old and young.

By no other baptism can we all be baptized into one body. Water baptism diverts from this, one baptism into one body.

Farrar says: "That this first Pentecost marked an eternal moment in the history of mankind no reader of history will surely deny. Undoubtedly in every age since then the sons of G.o.d have to an extent, unknown before, been taught by the Spirit of G.o.d; undoubtedly since then to an extent unrealized before we may know that the Spirit of Christ dwelleth in us.

Undoubtedly we may enjoy a nearer sense of union with G.o.d in Christ than was accorded to the saints of the old dispensation and a thankful certainty that we see the days which kings and prophets desired to see and did not see them, and hear the truths which they desired to hear and did not hear them, and that this new dispensation began henceforth in all its fulness."[114]

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 68: Mark 1.2; Luke 3.4]

[Footnote 69: Luke 7.27; Jon. 3.28; Mat. 17.1, 8]

[Footnote 70: Mark 9.4, 8; Jon. 1.31]

[Footnote 71: Luke 1.80; Mat. 17.1, 8]

[Footnote 72: Mark 9.2, 8; Luke 9.28, 36]

[Footnote 73: Jon. 1.31]

[Footnote 74: Acts 10.28]

[Footnote 75: Jon. 4.9]

[Footnote 76: Concordance under Proselyte]

[Footnote 77: Britanica]

[Footnote 78: Mat. 3.5]

[Footnote 79: Mat. 3.5, 6]

[Footnote 80: Mark 1.7; Mark 1.8; Jon. 1.26, 33; Jon. 3.30]

[Footnote 81: Acts 1.5; Acts 11.16; Acts 11.16; Acts 2.16, 18; Joel 2.8]

[Footnote 82: Jon. 1.6, 34; Mark 1.8; Acts 1.4, 5; Acts 11.16]

[Footnote 83: Jon. 1.26, 33]

[Footnote 84: Acts 1.4, 5; Acts 11.16; Jon. 3.30]

[Footnote 85: Jon. 1.33]

[Footnote 86: Acts 1.5; Acts 11.16]

[Footnote 87: Acts 1.5; Acts 11.16]

[Footnote 88: Acts 2.16, 18; Joel 2.28, 29]

[Footnote 89: Acts 2.16, 18; Joel 2.28, 29]

[Footnote 90: Mat. 3.11; Mark 1.8; Luke 3.16; Jon. 1.26, 33]

[Footnote 91: Mark 1.4, 5]

[Footnote 92: Mat. 4.19; Mat. 9.9]

[Footnote 93: Jon 4.2]

[Footnote 94: Mark 2.14; Luke 5.27]

[Footnote 95: Jon. 3.22; Jon. 4.2]

[Footnote 96: Jon. 3.22; Jon. 4.2, 3]

[Footnote 97: Jon. 7.22, 23; Luke 2.21, 24]

[Footnote 98: Luke 5.14]

[Footnote 99: Leviticus 14]

[Footnote 100: Mat. 3.15]

[Footnote 101: Luke 2.21]

[Footnote 102: Mat. 5.17; Luke 5.14]

[Footnote 103: Mat. 10.5; Mat. 10.23]