Foreword

Water baptism...Spirit baptism. This book, Prepare the Way of the LORD, gives both emotional themes a necessary review. After almost two thousand years the vast Christian world is still encumbered with an array of conflicting teachings about these two vital subjects, a situation that begs resolution.

The confusion is not entirely surprising. At least six different New Covenant writers composed eleven books that include descriptions of several different kinds of baptisms. They used the Greek verb for baptize more than eighty times and two nouns for baptism more than twenty times.

Moreover, a major element that perpetuates the problem is the practice by long-established Christian confessions of defending traditional teachings handed down to them. This makes it difficult to face subtle, though crucial questions that challenge their views. The result: in place of the loving unity of “one baptism” we find the modern Christian world divided into camps, even when there is agreement on other basic tenets of the faith.¹

A Jewish Mind-set

If we really seek to improve our understanding of these subjects then it is imperative to evaluate New Covenant Scriptures from a Jewish mind-set of late second temple days. We must rightly appreciate the mind-set from which the Scriptures flowed.

This is only natural since the Jewish Apostle Paul informed gentile Roman believers that they, by faith, had been grafted in, contrary to nature, to a cultivated Jewish Olive Tree, Romans 11:17-24.

But in light of subsequent history it is no exaggeration to say that for many centuries Christian authorities refused to acknowledge dependence on this Jewish Tree, leading to the loss of a Jewish approach to Scriptures, which in turn led to all kinds of error.

The Main Points of this Book

Addressing Theological Errors about Baptism

In an attempt to help clear up the confusion, the following misguided views held by the Christian Church are addressed in this book:

1. The Christian world believes that Christ, after His resurrection, commanded Christian water baptism for all of His followers.

Though a breathtaking challenge to Christian theology, this book shows that Yeshua the Messiah, known to millions today as Jesus Christ, did not command a new water baptism. Rather, He continually and fully endorsed the end-time Messianic baptism to the repentant of the Jewish people, promised in the Hebrew Scriptures, initiated by John, and that was not intended for believers from the nations.

Messiah’s post-resurrection instructions in Matthew and Mark, which include use of the word baptize, are actually to be interpreted as meaning something far beyond a water ceremony. Such a method of interpretation should not be a surprise in light of many of Messiah's symbolic teachings, including, for example, His warning to avoid the “leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees” that had nothing to do with physical bread.

2. The Christian world believes John’s end-time Messianic baptism for Israel has been superseded by the Christian water baptism supposed to have been instituted by Christ.

This book shows that John’s end-time baptism for Israel is the only Messianic water baptism that there ever was. John performed the end-time baptism to reveal Messiah to Israel. The Jewish disciples performed it for new Jewish believers after Messiah’s resurrection by the authority of Messiah, i.e. in the name of Messiah.

3. The Christian world, by and large, does not see John’s baptism as the specific fulfillment of end‑time promises to Israel.

This book shows that John’s baptism began the fulfillment of the promised end-time purification of the nation Israel, prophesied in the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament) in Ezekiel 36:25.

4. The Christian world usually takes the word baptize in the New Covenant Scriptures to mean a water ceremony, with many holding the belief that baptize specifically means immerse.

This book shows that in ancient times Jews and Greeks used the Greek verb baptizo (baptize) in a highly flexible way to describe various events that caused a complete change in a person or object. Usage was by no means limited to the idea of immersion, much less immersion in water. For example, Greeks and Greek speaking Jews like Philo and Josephus wrote that a man drunk from wine was a man baptized.

Philo, On a Contemplative Life

"And I know some, who when they become slightly intoxicated, before they are baptized (completely drunk), provide, by contribution and tickets, a carousal for the morrow."

Josephus, Antiquities 10:9:4.

"Seeing him in this condition, and baptized by drunkenness into stupor and sleep, Ishmael leaping up, with his ten friends, slays Gedaliah and those reclining with him at the banquet."

The Jewish people also used the word in a religious sense to describe a change in status before God, which is especially evident in Paul's epistles, and is often associated with the idea of renewed or elevated purity.

5. In addition to the many conflicting ideas on the meaning and practice of water baptism between the denominations, the Christian world is divided on the meaning and interpretation of Spirit baptism.

This book shows that being baptized with the Spirit was and is a discernable spiritual experience beyond repentance that was anticipated by the first Jewish believers. The lesson learned by the Jewish followers of Messiah in the gentile house of Cornelius is that Spirit baptism provides the true purification before God, not water baptism. This baptism provides the true purification for all disciples of Messiah and is the universal “one baptism” mentioned by the apostle Paul.

A Promised Purification in Ezekiel – A Promised Outpouring in Joel

This book concludes that God initiated Messianic promises to Israel by sending John to purify Israel with water, beginning the fulfillment of Ezekiel 36:25. In other words, John's baptism IS the purification of Ezekiel 36:25. There has never been any other end-time Messianic water baptism. Neither Messiah nor the apostles performed anything other than John's baptism – Ezekiel's promised purification.

After Messiah ascended into heaven the disciples performed John's purification in Messiah's name and for His sake. Indeed, Messiah had publicly endorsed John's baptism to the leadership of Israel in Jerusalem in the very week before His crucifixion, expecting them to agree that it was "from Heaven."

Nevertheless, John, Messiah, the apostles and all disciples knew that Messiah would perform a much greater purification by pouring out the Holy Spirit, as promised further in Ezekiel 36 and in Joel 2. Messiah's Spirit baptism is the supreme baptism of this era. John's baptism remains important for Jewish believers in Messiah. Messiah's Spirit baptism is crucial for all believers in Messiah from every nation.

Because of the complexity of these subjects, and because so much has been written about them, I will begin with an overview that is a full chapter on its own. The overview covers the main points of this book without great detail, but provides enough information for those familiar with questions about water and Spirit baptism to grasp the reasoning behind this book. For those not familiar with the subjects, the overview lays out the main questions in a helpful way. Most of the material in the overview is covered in more detail in later chapters.

The chapters following the overview develop the main ideas in a generally chronological way. Discussion begins with Israel’s Messianic expectations at the time of the appearance of John. Then we move to Messiah’s relationship to both the Messianic water baptism, and to Spirit baptism. Following that we look at Paul’s understanding of water and Spirit baptism. Then come various articles related to baptism in the New Covenant, including a review of the beliefs of the early Fathers of the Church.

Scripture Quotations

Unless otherwise indicated Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc. Liberty has been taken to substitute Messiah and Yeshua for Christ and Jesus, and Torah for law.

Other translations used:

Author's rendering from Hebrew and Greek, noted in the text.

Foreword Endnotes

¹Recent decades have seen more readiness for dialogue than conflict between differing Christian confessions. Nevertheless, even a hopeful declaration published March 29, 1994 reveals major abiding disagreements, including over the meaning of baptism.

Evangelicals and Catholics Together

“...We do not presume to suggest that we can resolve the deep and long standing differences between Evangelicals and Catholics. Indeed these differences may never be resolved short of the Kingdom Come. Nonetheless, we are not permitted simply to resign ourselves to differences that divide us from one another....

“Among points of difference in doctrine, worship, practice, and piety that are frequently thought to divide us are these:...

“Baptism as sacrament of regeneration, or (baptism as a) testimony to regeneration.

“...Moreover, among those recognized as Evangelical Protestants there are significant differences between, for example, Baptists, Pentecostals, and Calvinists on these questions. But the differences mentioned above reflect disputes that are deep and long standing. In at least some instances, they reflect authentic disagreements that have been in the past and are at present barriers to full communion between Christians....

“Repentance and amendment of life do not dissolve remaining differences between us. In the context of evangelization and ‘reevangelization,’ we encounter a major difference in our understanding of the relationship between baptism and the new birth in Christ. For Catholics, all who are validly baptized [including infants] are born again and are truly, however imperfectly, in communion with Christ. That baptismal grace is to be continuingly reawakened and revivified through conversion. For most Evangelicals, but not all, the experience of conversion is to be followed by baptism as a sign of new birth. For Catholics, all the baptized are already members of the church, however dormant their faith and life; for many Evangelicals, the new birth requires baptismal initiation into the community of the born again. These differing beliefs about the relationship between baptism, new birth, and membership in the church should be honestly presented to the Christian who has undergone conversion. But again, his decision regarding communal allegiance and participation must be assiduously respected.”

While the generous intent behind the document above is commendable, there is no ease of conscience over unity at the expense of doctrinal compromise. In fact the document itself is no attempt at compromise, or exposition, but merely the laying out of differences.

Roman Catholics teach, “The Catholic Church has always understood baptism…as a sacrament which accomplishes several things, the first of which is the remission of sin, both original sin and actual sin.” This view then demands baptism of infants.

In contrast, there are Presbyterians, and other Protestants, who hold that, “The outward sign that one belonged to the redeemed community in the Old Testament was circumcision; the outward sign that one belonged to the redeemed community in the New Testament was baptism. The covenant is the same, the meaning of the sign of the covenant is the same; it follows that, in the absence of Scriptural instruction to the contrary, the application of the sign of the covenant is the same.” This idea arises in defense of non-sacramental infant baptism.

Yet further, the 1962 Southern Baptist Convention statement of faith on baptism reveals another view: “Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead.”

So we see in the three statements above major differences of opinion, and these statements focus on water baptism while making no mention of Spirit baptism! Spirit baptism generates even more diversity of opinion.