2. Baptism: Joy, Success, and Tradition

A Reason to Rejoice

The fact that someone’s ministry is being blessed by God with many baptisms should be a reason for us to rejoice! Can you rejoice in soul-saving baptisms? Is it something that brings profound joy to your heart? It brought joy to the Philippian jailer.

… he himself was baptized at once, and all those of his household. And he brought them [Paul and Silas] up into his house and set a meal before them, and rejoiced greatly that he had believed in God with his whole household (Acts 16:33-34; LEB).

The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas (Acts 16:29).

Joy, not theological debate, is the effect of baptisms in the stories of the New Testament. You will not find debates or theological arguments on the significance of baptism in the Bible because there is no debate. Baptism saves, and salvation must always a matter of rejoicing! When John the Baptist heard that Jesus was baptizing more people than him, even then, with his ministry in decline, his reaction was to rejoice.

‘… this one [Jesus] is baptizing, and all are coming to him!’

John answered and said… ‘The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete’ (John 3: 27, 29; LEB).

John the Baptist rejoiced that Jesus had a greater baptizing ministry than he did.

Jesus highlights rejoicing in three consecutive teachings: the story of the prodigal son, the parable of the lost sheep, and the parable of the lost coin. He concludes his lost coin parable with these words:

… in the same way there will be more rejoicing in Heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent… there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:7, 10).

Observe that Jesus mentioned rejoicing twice in the lost coin parable--and not just about rejoicing, but about rejoicing in Heaven by angels! Angels know what is good and what is bad, so we can trust that they're happy about something very good.

What are these angels happy about? Repentance. They're happy about sinners finding forgiveness. Now, ask yourself: In the life of the Church,  where do we see repentance most clearly demonstrated? In what activity? Where do we see sinners finding forgiveness? In the waters of baptism.

Jesus' Baptizing Ministry

According to the passage that says: ‘Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John’ (John 4:1), we can see that the Lord and the Twelve Apostles had more success than even John the Baptist in drawing people to the waters of baptism. That's impressive and it required a great effort.

But beyond his efforts, we want to know what Jesus’ purpose was. Why exactly were he and his apostles baptizing people? The Scriptures state what their purpose was: to provide purification of sins.

So a dispute occurred on the part of John’s disciples with a Jew concerning purification.

And they came to John and said to him, ‘Rabbi, he who was with you on the other side of the Jordan, about whom you testified [Jesus]—look, this one is baptizing, and all are coming to him!’ (John 3:25-26; LEB)

Did Jesus actually baptize people? What does the Bible say?

Now, it should already be obvious to you that baptism is for the purification of sins, but since so many false teachers in the Church today vigorously oppose this truth, and you're going to be influenced by them, we have to state the obvious. Sound doctrine is that baptism is for the purification of sins. This truth is clearly revealed by the disciples of John in the passage above. They spoke of purification and baptism synonymously. Purification and baptism are one and the same.

John: Greater Than All His Predecesors

As we compare Jesus to John the Baptist, we do well to recognize that although Jesus was greater than John, John was greater than everyone before him. Yes, every patriarch (including Abraham), every king (including David), every priest (including Aaron), and every prophet (including Elijah) prior to John, was less than John. John was greater than Moses too. Jesus asked:

… what did you go out [in the desert] to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet… I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John (Luke 7:26-28).

Jesus said ‘among those born of women there is no one greater,’ so let’s think this through: John’s greatness exceeds that of Melchizedek? Yes. But we know that Melchizedek was greater than Abraham (Hebrews 7:4, 7)! And we know that Abraham was greater than Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph—the patriarchs. John the Baptist excells all of these in greatness in God's eyes.

John the Baptist preaching in the desert.

Who could excel the greatness of God’s righteous servants Noah, Daniel, and Job? No one, until John the Baptist came along. God esteemed those three very highly, but he does not esteem them higher than John the Baptizer.

‘… if even the three of these men were in the midst of it [a country]—Noah, Daniel, and Job—they, through their righteousness, would save only themselves!’ declares the LORD Yahweh (Ezekiel 14:14; LEB)

So, what are we getting at? Here’s the big question: What does the greatness of John tell us about baptizing? It tells us that baptism is great. John did, after all, dedicate his life to baptizing people. Baptizing was John’s primary activity, and he was so well known for it that he was called the Baptist. At least five times in the Bible, he is referred to as the Baptist (Luke 7:33; Mark 1:4; Matthew 3:1; 11:12; 16:13).

An Ancient Ministry

Undoubtably, John’s title, a title God gave him, speaks of the greatness of the ministry of baptism. But today, such a ministry is not held in high repute, not even in Christian churches! You hardly ever hear people saying “Wow, that pastor has baptized hundreds of people!”

What a short memory the Church has. The Twelve Apostles dedicated their lives to baptizing people. Most of them had switched over from the ministry of John the Baptist to the ministry of Christ, so baptizing people for the forgiveness of sins was a well-established custom, something they participated in even before they knew Jesus.

How much firmer had that tradition become through Jesus?

Jesus at his baptism with John the Baptist and some disciples.

Christian Tradition

The Great Commission passages prove that baptism is truly a Fundamental experience of the Christian life. The doctrine of baptisms (Hebrews 6:1) is truly part of ‘the Faith once for all delivered unto the saints’ (Jude 1:3). Baptism was handed down to us by the Apostles as one of their “best practices.” It is a solid Christian tradition inherited from the Jews with their mikvehs, the Temple basins, and a man called the Baptist.

I praise you that… just as I handed over to you the traditions, you hold fast to them (1 Corinthians 11:2; LEB).

… brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions which you were taught (2 Thessalonians 2:15; LEB).

With the Lord’s Supper, there is no other Christian tradition that’s so fundamental to what we are and what we do as God's Church. But what pastor today in the Church explains it, promotes it, and practices it the way they should? Who holds fast to this marvelous tradition we call baptism?

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