Overview“Salvation is of the Jews” The first followers of Yeshua the Messiah were loyal Jews. They practiced many different Jewish rituals called baptisms. Their Messianic hope was to see the fulfillment of prophecies of the Hebrew Scriptures, certainly including the national purification with pure water in Ezekiel 36:25. This book proposes that Ezekiel’s promised
purification to enter the Kingdom is the Scriptural source of the greatest
water ritual revealed to Those first Jewish followers were also promised a
change of heart through a supernatural out-pouring of the Spirit in the last
days. Ezekiel 36:27 specifies
that God would put His Spirit within the people of Both John the Baptist and Messiah Yeshua described that event as the Supreme Baptism of the Messianic age. That wonderful experience was expected and received by those first believers, and not long afterward, by non-Jewish believers who looked to Jewish apostles for guidance. All knew of a personal experience with the love of God through the out-poured Spirit of God. For the first believers, Spirit baptism, the most magnificent of all baptisms, had also been promised in the Hebrew Scriptures. On the other hand, the leadership and the greater
part of the Jewish nation would not repent, would not receive Yeshua as
Messiah and thus could not share in this end-time Gift. Moreover, only
decades later certain circles of Christians abandoned the Jewish backdrop of
the New Covenant. As a result they misinterpreted the Jewish Scriptures.
Concerning baptism, an experience with water replaced the promised experience
with the Spirit and that water baptism, touted as the gateway to God’s favor,
was based on misinterpretations of end-time promises to It is impossible to rightly interpret the crucial details of the New Covenant without factoring in the Messianic aspirations of the Jewish people. In modern times a growing appreciation of its Jewish character by wide sectors of the Christian world is reversing a centuries-long obsession. Still, recent Jewish scholar Ralph Marcus made a perceptive comment on the teachings of Paul which can be applied to the entire New Covenant. “Perhaps
historians of Christianity have not sufficiently appreciated the fact that
Paul’s...frequent elliptical references to Scriptural
narratives...and...rabbinical method of interpretation, would have been
practically unintelligible to the gentile members of his audience had there
been no learned Jews around to supply the missing links in Paul’s involved
and hurrying argument.”1 It is hoped that this book can provide some of those “missing links” for the difficult Jewish subject of baptism. A Call to Humility Yeshua the Messiah is revealed in Scripture as having expressed his holy emotions a number of times. · The Great Shepherd expressed mercy and compassion toward the sick and scattered. · The Man of Sorrows expressed distress and grief over the impending doom of the unrepentant. · The Righteous Judge of Israel expressed anger and exasperation over the stiff-necked. · Yeshua rebuked his closest followers for their lack of understanding and for being slow of heart to believe. We dare not imagine some feigned superiority to those first disciples and think ourselves immune from any expression of Messiah's displeasure. Those first followers received Yeshua's rebukes with renewed and deeper repentance, with a turning from their human reasoning to increasing dependence on the enlightening of the Holy Spirit. Shall we not also listen for the Master's still small voice, for his faithful but stern reprimands over any untoward conduct on our part. Repentance is not a one-time act. It is an abiding state of brokenness before God that we choose. And "salvation" means nothing less than a restored relationship with the Creator of the Universe, through Messiah the Son, by the beneficence of the Holy Spirit, made possible by our continuing repentance. In other words we are not merely believing a good idea and then hoping of going to heaven someday. Rather we know a joyous, moment-by-moment and eternal relationship with God, based on our growing knowledge of Yeshua the Messiah and his grace, and all that founded on our humility and repentance. Such being the case, should we not be all the more willing to make our calling and election sure, removing any possible hindrance or barrier to knowing Messiah and his will for mankind? Yeshua revealed his standards of righteousness when He castigated the hypocrites of the scribes and Pharisees. Matthew 23 contains his seven woes against their misconduct as God's representatives in the world. Messiah's first woe is arresting: "But
woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the Kingdom of
Heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those
who are entering to go in." Messiah's scathing remarks were directed against traitorous gatekeepers of the Kingdom. Yeshua was infuriated, not only because these chosen of God should have been helping others find a renewed relationship with the God of Israel, but especially because they who knew so much should have been the first to find that place of bliss with God themselves. But woe unto them! They who were so close were
actually so far away, and they did not even realize it. Make no mistake!
These scribes and Pharisees were convinced they were doing God's will. They
were absorbed with religious life and sought to bring people to their way of
observing the Torah, the divine teachings God had given The scribes and Pharisees believed they stood righteous before God by meticulous observance of their interpretations of the Torah. But though their lips and outward religious deeds made it seem as though they were close to God, their hearts were actually far away. Messiah knew their hearts, as He knows our hearts
today. While many a Christian has found it easy to repeat Messiah's woes
against scribes and Pharisees (they themselves having never met a Jewish
person in their life) it is not scribes and Pharisees per se that Messiah
condemns, but the reprehensible hypocrisy they displayed. Those who should
have been helping others enter the Yet how many people called Christians down through
the ages have done precisely what the scribes and Pharisees did? How many
Christians today are seemingly zealous for the Through the centuries there has been a basic failure of interpretation of certain Scriptures, accompanied by a certain hardness of heart among Christians that has prevented the proper insight from being grasped. Apparently the takeoff point for the faulty beliefs is a single issue, and that is that the vast majority of the Christian world has failed to express a hearty acceptance of Jewish believers, as Jews, within the Body of Messiah, what Christians believe is the "Christian Church." This negative attitude is seen in some of the earliest Christian documents that follow the New Covenant Scriptures and ranges from ambivalence and antagonism to downright anti-Semitism. In fact, through the ages more than one Jew who found Yeshua as their Messiah has also suddenly experienced ecclesiastical or cultural pressure to abandon Jewish practice. Today, even with growing re-appreciation of the Jewish origin of the faith, there is often still an undercurrent directed toward Jewish believers not to be too "divisive" in their observance of Jewish ceremony. More than five hundred years ago the Roman Catholic Church, in its fury, forced Jews into Catholicism. By the determined scrutiny of the Inquisition, and pain of death, the Spanish Catholic Church forced the Jewish "converts" to abandon all traces of their Jewish heritage. Today we look back and say "woe" to the Inquisitors. They claimed to be close to God and guardians of the way, but they were far away from his will. It seems hardly a coincidence that twenty-five
years after the Catholic expulsion of all Jews from Beyond all that, fifteen centuries before the Roman
Catholic Inquisition, the Shaliah Shaul,
known to millions as the apostle Paul, had written explicitly to the church
in Rome not to be haughty against the "natural branches" (the
people of Israel who did not believe Yeshua was Messiah), but to fear. For by
whatever measure the disbelieving of To the Jewish People First In this same epistle to the Romans the apostle Paul revealed a principle of God's relationship with humanity that must be honored by all who would serve him. Paul wrote that the Good News is the power of God for salvation to all that believe, to the Jewish people first, and to the nations, Romans 1:16. A few paragraphs later he said that tribulation and anguish come on every soul who does evil, of the Jewish people first, and of the nations, but glory, honor and peace to all who do what is good, to the Jewish people first, and to the nations, Romans 2:9-10. So in God's great plan of creation and redemption there is a distinction between Jewish people and people from the rest of the nations of the world! The divine order is still in place to this very day, whether anyone respects it or not. This continuing divine plan runs contrary to the widespread notion that the Jews were the first to hear the Gospel in the first century, but rejected it, experienced God's wrath, and from then on the Gospel goes to the gentiles. The fact is Roman authorities like Pontius Pilate obviously also rejected the Gospel. Not long after that, so did the Roman emperor before whom Paul stood after his appeal to stand before Caesar. So the idea that the Jewish people have already heard and have been rejected, being supplanted by the gentiles, is fallacious from the start. By whatever measure the Jewish people have been hard-hearted toward the Good News, the gentile world has been just as hardened. While there is no ultimate partiality with God, he did establish an order. The test for the Christian world is to acknowledge that God is still dealing with the Jewish people first, and then all other nations. The precedence of the Jewish people does not mean others are second class. Jews cannot be proud of themselves for the order that God has established, but neither can non-Jews ever be envious of God's plan. Not only should there be no envy of Jewish believers whatsoever, there should be positive support by believers from the nations for Jews who find Yeshua to be the Messiah of Israel. Paul wrote to Corinthian believers that any Jew who becomes a disciple of Messiah should not abandon his Jewish heritage, 1 Corinthians 7:18. How much more then should believers from the nations hearten their Jewish brothers and sisters in Messiah to observe their Jewish heritage. But how many Christians have ever preached affirmatively that Jewish believers in Messiah should remain observant Jews? In fact, for "historic" churches, preaching such a message would likely confuse many congregants who might not even realize Jesus is Jewish, nor all the first disciples. This Christian lack of conformity with God's will in regard to Jewish primacy in salvation, Jewish primacy in glory and honor, and Jewish primacy in righteous punishment, has resulted in fundamental, far-reaching errors in understanding the topics of salvation and baptism. Pure Water for Jewish Believers in Messiah As its name implies, the book of Hebrews was written with a Jewish audience in mind, though it certainly provides all believers with much rich encouragement in the faith. In Hebrews10:22 the Jewish audience is exhorted to draw near to God with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having had our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and having had our bodies washed with pure water. The reference here to "having had our bodies washed with pure water" is understood by many commentators as a reference to baptism. All commentators, whether they believe the verse speaks of literal water baptism or not, recognize that purification rites for the Jewish people are the basis for the verse. Here in Hebrews "pure water" is
specified, as is also mentioned in Ezekiel 36:25,
and the messages of both Hebrews and Ezekiel are directed to the nation of At this point, as regards the term "pure
water," we must note that God gave the people of So a pointed question must be asked: Does the wide
Christian world have any idea what those laws of purity involve? By and large
the answer is no. But in Such being the case, a seemingly shocking situation is exposed. Vast numbers of modern Christians have not been water baptized in accord with the Scriptural imperative for Jewish believers to have their bodies washed with "pure water." That would also mean that if water baptism was as important to Messiah as the Christian world has declared for long centuries, then Christian leadership has failed in part in its service to the Body of Messiah. But the fact is one would be hard-pressed to find an expositor on Christian baptism who ever said the point is to have our bodies washed in "pure water." So this verse in Hebrews strikes the unsuspecting Christian world with a momentous dilemma that arises exclusively out of lack of appreciation of Jewish believers who maintain their lives as observant Jews. In addition, I dare say most Christian leaders would oppose the idea that those vast numbers of sincere Christians now be correctly water baptized according to the demands of the Torah. Nevertheless, as far as I know, no Christian expositor has dealt sufficiently with the problem that this verse poses to the Christian world. Water Baptism for Jewish Believers Only? But permit me to ask a different, thought provoking question: What if the scriptural evidence actually indicates water baptism is relevant only to Jewish believers after all? Could it be that water baptism is part and parcel of the Jewish primacy of the Good News and is not directly applicable to believers from the nations? I must say that after all my investigation covering the nearly three decades of my salvation I believe this is precisely the situation. In short I conclude: Water
baptism is strictly for believers from For the Christian world this no doubt sounds like quite an extreme assertion in light of the long history of Christianity in all its branches and denominations. But, as mentioned above, other doctrines of New Covenant faith have been recovered after centuries of neglect, misunderstanding or willful distortion. So dear reader, please now consider a few facts of Scripture. The Contrast between Water and Spirit Six times in New Covenant Scripture we find a phrase of contrast between being baptized with water and being baptized with the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist declared, "I baptize with water, He (Messiah) will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
The four gospels and Acts record John the Baptist,
Messiah Yeshua, and the apostle Peter repeating this phrase of contrast over
a period of some 13 years. This phrase of contrast must have been viewed with
great significance by all early believers to have been recorded six times.
That is more times than the crucial term "New Covenant" is found.
In all cases the contrast does not refer merely to any generic water baptism,
but specifically John's end-time Messianic water baptism to John's Baptism, the greatest of a variety of water
baptisms for Moreover, although these six passages declare the
superiority of being baptized with the Holy Spirit, not one annuls the continuing
significance of John's baptism for No Command from Messiah in Luke-Acts for a new water baptism In light of the foregoing, a disquieting situation is exposed when we realize that the two volumes of Luke-Acts contain no command from Messiah for a new, universal Christian baptism for all believers. No serious student of Scripture has to be told that
Matthew cannot be taken as the basis for the background to understand Acts.
Rather Luke's gospel must be taken as the starting point. Luke's gospel does
not contain a command from Messiah for a new water baptism, nor does Acts. On
the contrary, Luke recorded Messiah's public affirmation of the importance of
John's baptism to the leadership of Not only is there no command from Messiah for a new
water baptism in Luke, but in the first few verses of Acts Messiah appear to
be laying a foundation for understanding baptism in Acts, "John baptized
with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." According to
the author Luke, Messiah was by no means silent about water baptism after his
resurrection. He refers to the greatest water baptism revealed to Some expositors suggest that though not mentioned
explicitly, water baptism is implied in Luke 24:47. In this verse the risen
Messiah commanded that repentance and remission of sins be proclaimed in his
name to all nations. But if so, John's baptism to Yet the early fathers of the Church, as well as modern Christian expositors, deny that John's baptism has relevance to "the Church." It appears that interpreting Luke 24:47 as Messiah's command for water baptism for all nations is more a result of Christian resolve to support preconceived notions about Christian baptism than about understanding God's will. In fact, it seems more likely the command purposefully omits reference to water baptism in light of the soon to come Spirit Baptism for the nations on the basis of repentance and faith in Messiah. Summing up to this point, there is no command for a new water baptism by the risen Messiah in either Luke or Acts, and Luke 24:47 does not suggest water baptism, but perhaps if anything, Spirit Baptism, which far supersedes John's Baptism. This means we must be ready to consider other reasons as to why the first disciples water baptized new believers in Messiah. When we cease trying to force the interpretation of Acts into a preconceived Christian mold, we discover that the Jewish apostles continued to administer John's Messianic baptism to new Jewish believers. This we will see below shortly. Luke and Paul Concerning Water Baptism The "we" passages in Acts apparently indicate that Luke was Paul's traveling companion. So it would not be at all surprising if we find similarities in Lukan and Pauline material as to the presentation of the faith. Not only is there no command in Luke-Acts for a new post-resurrection water baptism, but Paul tells schismatic Corinthians bluntly that Messiah did not send him to water baptize, 1 Corinthians 1:17. So apparently there is agreement between Luke and Paul on this issue. Moreover, if Matthew 28:19 really spoke of a new universal water baptism for all the nations, as Christians hold, then Paul's statement of not being sent to baptize in 1 Corinthians is surprising in the extreme. Paul was the premier apostle to the nations and he of all people should have appreciated and honored such a command by Messiah, if Messiah really intended water baptism in Matthew 28. So this strongly suggests that Matthew 28:19 refers to something other than a universal water baptism. Paul did baptize with water, as mentioned in
1 Corinthians 1, but the people mentioned apparently were Jewish.
Crispus the synagogue president certainly was Jewish. Stephanas and house,
being the first believers in the region (cf. 1 Cor.
Please recall as well that in this same epistle
Paul established that Jewish believers should remain observant Jews,
1 Corinthians 7:18. Furthermore, Paul wrote later in
1 Corinthians So there are reasons to believe that water baptism was practiced for believing Jews, but that all believers shared in a vivid experience of being baptized with the Holy Spirit. This situation also reflects the phrase of contrast found six times in New Covenant Scripture, that John baptized with water, but Messiah baptizes with the Holy Spirit. The Day of Paul's Salvation To rightly appreciate the meaning of the five passages in Paul's epistles that refer to baptism (to be discussed momentarily), one ought to take into account Paul's vivid description of the day of his salvation in Titus 3:3‑5. "For
we also were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and
pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But
when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by
works of righteousness which we have done (i.e. acts of the Law, or Jewish
observance), but according to his mercy He saved us, through the washing of
regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit whom He poured out on us
abundantly through Yeshua the Messiah our Savior." Paul was not mixing up water and Spirit into a single sacramental concoction as many historic churches believe, nor was he guessing about a murky spiritual feeling he had once had. Neither is this a description of personal sorrow and repentance. Rather he describes a powerful event, a defined turning point in his life, brought about the out-poured Holy Spirit. The fact that Paul writes that the Spirit was poured out abundantly, or richly, indicates he'd had a powerful personal experience with the Holy Spirit. Moreover, this was not solely Paul's experience, but rather the experience of all the believers he knew. That is evident by what he wrote, "He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit whom He poured out on us abundantly through Yeshua the Messiah our Savior." Thus in his other epistles Paul would not hesitate to refer to this powerful spiritual event because others too, like Titus, had a similar experience. This event transformed Paul's life, and as such he would not hesitate to use the words baptize and baptism, which carry the idea of complete transformation. Paul and Spirit Baptism At this point I will summarize the verses of Paul's five epistles that make explicit reference to baptism. Despite Christian tradition that for centuries has taken them as references to water baptism, there are modern Christian exegetes who believe they refer instead to Spirit baptism. Essentially the question boils down to whether or not the word "baptism" always refers to water. Obviously the New Covenant refers to Spirit baptism and it is this baptism that ought to be considered as the possible background for Paul's references. · "Those baptized into Messiah have put on Messiah" in Galatians 3.27--Just earlier in Galatians chapter 3 Paul argued extensively that participation in the blessings of the New Covenant is by receiving the promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit, not by works of the Torah. So it makes much more sense to believe that Paul refers to Spirit Baptism in verse 27 than a water baptism that would look exactly like a "work of the Torah." · "Baptism into HIS Death" in Romans 6:3-4--In Romans 5 Paul had reminded the Romans that the outpoured Spirit brought the love of God into their hearts. Then Romans 6 is an exhortation not to be bound by sin. All must admit that the power to overcome sin is found only in the Holy Spirit, but not by personal resolve after undergoing a ceremony. Moreover, Paul said we were baptized into "Messiah's death" and Messiah died lifted high on the cross, not in a grave. So baptism into Messiah's death has nothing to do with symbolizing our burial, but with appropriating the reality of being dead to sin, and alive to resurrection life in Messiah. · "With one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body" in 1 Corinthians 12:13--In this verse all believers are told of the great gift of the New Covenant age. Again, this is not a cloudy proposition for theologians, but a wonderful promise for ordinary believers. It is significant that Paul continued and said "whether Jewish, or whether Greek," all are part of one body of Messiah. In other words, there are Jews and Greeks that make up the body of Messiah. They are not expected to vanish or abandon their heritage. This verse should be kept in mind when reading Galatians 3:28 which says there is no Jew nor Greek, nor male nor female, in the body of Messiah. · "One Baptism" for the Body of Messiah in Ephesians 4:5--It would seem that the only baptism that could truly be called "one" for the Body of Messiah must be something not entrusted to the hands of human beings. The fact is the Christian world has a number of varied practices and meanings related to water baptism. But true Spirit baptism is accomplished by Messiah pouring out the Holy Spirit, and is only dependent on repentance and faith in him as Messiah, not works of the Torah. · "Co-entombed with Messiah in the Baptism" in Colossians 2:12--This co-entombment with Messiah is paralleled with a circumcision that is made without hands, which has to be a spiritual event. That would lead one to believe the baptism being described also is spiritual event and not physical. Moreover, as in Romans, water ceremonies do not have power to join a person to the realities of the crucified and risen Messiah. Only the "Spirit of Messiah" can bring that to the believer, and Paul used the term "Spirit of Messiah" in his epistles. Paul experienced both elements of the contrast between water baptism and Spirit baptism found six times in Scripture. He practiced the end-time Messianic water baptism for Jewish believers, but knew and declared the overwhelming superiority of being baptized with the Holy Spirit for all believers. So at this stage it is clear that neither Lukan nor Pauline material contain a command from Messiah for a new Christian water baptism, but rather reflect that contrast between the water of John's baptism with the superiority of Spirit baptism. It is now time to consider the gospels of Matthew and Mark and to pose a decisive question for the Christian world. Did Messiah Command Water Baptism? Based on Matthew 28:19 and Mark 16:16, the Christian world concluded long ago that Christ commanded every believer in him to participate in a universal Christian water ritual. But is this really true? Is universal water baptism really Messiah's will? Or is this idea a mistake, a monumental error that has bound the Christian world for centuries and distorted crucial aspects of the Good News? There are actually four passages in New Covenant Scripture that give us a direct indication of Messiah's intent after his resurrection concerning baptism: · 1 Corinthians 1:17 · Acts 1:5 ·
Mark · Matthew 28:19. As mentioned previously, in 1 Corinthians 1 Paul thanked God he did not baptize more than he did, saying Messiah did not send him to water baptize. Moreover, in Acts 1:5 the risen Messiah was not silent about water baptism, but the only water baptism He mentioned is John's end-time Messianic baptism to Israel, and Messiah superseded that with his Spirit Baptism. So, out of the four references, two stand clearly opposed to the idea that Messiah commanded a new water baptism. Mark The same may easily be true of Matthew 28:19. Many expositors point out that if Matthew 28:19 were recounting a "formula" for water baptism it would be unlike any other baptism recorded in the New Covenant. No water baptism recorded in the New Covenant resembles Matthew 28:19. Messiah Used Baptize and Baptism But we must draw this discussion to a point. Actually Messiah is recorded two other times in the synoptic gospels using "baptize" to describe real events that have nothing to do with water. "Can you be baptized with the baptism with
which I am baptized" (Mark Messiah also said, "I have a baptism to be
baptized with, and how I am straightened until it be accomplished" (Luke
The point to be made is this: If gospel writers twice recorded Messiah referring to being baptized with a baptism that has nothing whatsoever to do with physical water, then there is no way to guarantee that either Matthew 28:19 or Mark 16:16 speak of a water ceremony. Both Matthew and Mark could be referring to transforming purifications. In Mark, on the one hand, of believing the Good News and being transformed of spirit, and in Matthew, on the other hand, of defiled, idolatrous first-century gentiles submitting to the teachings of the Jewish Apostles and being purified by the knowledge of the living Triune God. A Foundational Error Though the Christian Church has taught for long centuries that the risen Messiah established a new universal water baptism, the actual scriptural data is far from certain. In fact on close inspection the evidence evaporates! Despite the long tradition affirming such a belief, upon close inspection of Scripture it seems the Christian Church has put words in Messiah's mouth that He never intended. If Messiah rebuked his disciples for misunderstanding him in the first century, how much then is He sorely displeased at the long-standing distortion of his grace to the world. The Christian Church, as keepers of the gates of the Kingdom, has proclaimed that in addition to faith in Messiah, all must undergo a religious rite to find God's pleasure. According to the Christian Church, apart from water baptism the repentant believer cannot find the fullness of God's grace in Messiah. It makes no difference whether the baptism is considered a sacrament or an ordinance. In effect the Christian Church implies that water baptism is of such importance in the eyes of God that it must be joined to the Sacrifice of Messiah. Faith in Messiah, and water baptism, then you are saved! Indeed, sacramentalists, whether Catholic or Protestant, mince no words but teach that apart from water baptism a believer in Messiah cannot be saved. Actually there are expositors holding a non-sacramental outlook who walk a tightrope, bending over backwards to come to grips with this dilemma. On the one hand they deny any salvific power of what they believe to be Christian baptism, but on the other hand they affirm Messiah's command for it to find God's satisfaction. As mentioned in the foregoing, the problem appears to be based in no small way on the lack of appreciation of Jewish primacy in New Covenant Scripture. Jews were/are obligated to observe God's commands of Torah and prophets, including the great revelation of John the Baptist of the nearness of the Messianic Kingdom. Yeshua himself, in the very week prior to his death
and resurrection, publicly declared the obligation
of the Jewish nation to submit to John's baptism. Did Messiah suddenly change
his mind after resurrection, secretly annul John's baptism to All the commandments of the Torah and prophets are still important to the Jewish people as a testimony of God's faithfulness in Messiah. The Jewish disciples in the first century never ceased to observe their Jewish heritage, even when it was fully recognized that nothing provides a restored relationship with God except faith in the risen Messiah, whether for Jews or for anyone else from any nation, Acts 15:7-29. That then is the reason for water baptism in the
New Covenant. It is a continuation of Jewish practices for Jewish believers
as a sign of God's faithfulness to The Christian Church wrongly concluded that Messiah must have commanded a new Christian water baptism simply because the first disciples continued to water baptize, as recorded in Acts. However, if the Church could appreciate and honor an exclusive Jewish relevancy for certain passages of Scripture, then it might easily see other reasons as to why the first believers administered water baptism in relation to faith in Messiah. John's baptism to Baptism in Acts We now reconsider salvation and water baptism in
the book of Acts. The first chapter contains Messiah's remark that John
baptized with water, but that the disciples would soon be baptized with the
Holy Spirit. Here is a clear reference to the greatest water baptism revealed
to Moreover, also in the first chapter of Acts, the replacement for the apostleship of Judas is chosen on the basis of his having been a follower from the days that John was baptizing. So here again is a clear indication of the importance of John's baptism in the thinking of the first disciples. The second chapter describes Shavu'ot
(Pentecost) with Jewish believers in the Jewish capital city on a Jewish
feast day. The 120 Jewish disciples of the Jewish Messiah receive the
outpoured Holy Spirit, and as far as anyone knows they themselves have only
been water baptized with John's end-time baptism to Note as well that like Paul, the author of Acts describes a vivid experience during the reception of the Holy Spirit: here on Pentecost, and with the Samaritans of chapter 8, as well as the gentiles of chapter 10, and the Ephesians of chapter 19. This is quite similar to Paul's declaration of salvation in Titus 3 of the richly outpoured Holy Spirit. In any case on Shavu’ot the twelve Jewish apostles proclaim the Good News to local Jews and Jewish pilgrims from the Diaspora gathered for the Jewish feast. John's Baptism Shavu'ot The 3,000 Jewish pilgrims who are cut in their heart at Peter's preaching are told to repent and be baptized, in the name of Messiah Yeshua, for the remission of sins, and they too will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. As mentioned above, recall that John's baptism to In other words, as regards Messianic faith, it
would be expected that the apostles would continue to command John's end-time
Messianic baptism to In fact John the Baptist himself testified that he
came baptizing with water that Messiah might be revealed to The point must be clearly made that the events of Pentecost are overwhelmingly Jewish and must not be applied indiscriminately to believers from the nations. Much can be learned here by believers from the nations, but not regarding the command for water baptism! The unjustifiable application of Acts 2 to all believers has been no end of mischief to the Body of Messiah, like trying to force a square peg into a round hole. Samaritans Moving on, the Samaritans of Acts 8 are Israelites
observing the Samaritan Torah and are well mixed by now with the outsiders
introduced in preceding centuries by Nevertheless, Yeshua did not argue with the
Samaritan woman at the well when she said it was "our father Jacob
who gave us this well" John Thus, the Samaritans in Acts 8 participate in
John's end-time Messianic baptism announced to Moreover, it would appear that the Samaritans'
schismatic background is precisely the reason why the Holy Spirit was
withheld for a time. God wanted two ranking apostles to be sent from The Samaritans, as disobedient Israelites, must
repent and resubmit themselves to the Davidic dynasty based in The Ethiopian The Ethiopian of Acts 8 had made an arduous trek to
worship in How would an uninstructed non-Jewish person be able to understand much from this book, and why wouldn't he be reading instead from the Torah, the Law of Moses, to learn the basics of the Jewish faith if he weren't already Jewish? Actually there are expositors who believe the man is Jewish, and that the word eunuch is not a description of physical emasculation, but describes his position in the royal court, like Joseph, Moses, Mordecai, Daniel, Nehemiah, or Ezra from Scripture, or like other Jews in post-biblical times. Also remember that on Pentecost Jews from all
around the Mediterranean world were celebrating in In fact, In any case, the Ethiopian Jew of Acts, upon faith
as a new believer from the Jewish diaspora, would
participate in the end-time Messianic baptism for The Salvation of the Gentiles Now in Acts 10-11 we witness a breakthrough in the comprehension of the great salvation in Messiah Yeshua by Jewish disciples. The house of Cornelius, though not Jewish, is humble and seeking God's will. An angel is sent to Cornelius who tells him to send for an apostle so that he could be saved. In other words, please notice, the Jewish apostles are not going to all the nations, nor are they water baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, here in Acts 10. The command of Matthew 28:19 apparently lies deeply submerged in the memory of the apostles and will not be awaked and remembered for yet some time. That also means that water baptism in Acts practiced up to this time is NOT based on the command of Matthew 28:19. In any case, Peter has a shocking vision of being commanded to eat unclean things forbidden to Jews, and comes to understand the meaning of the vision. Not that he now starts eating all things forbidden, but rather that God has the power to purify even the unclean, idolatrous nations by the sacrifice of the Messiah. At this point Peter understood that gentiles could now be saved. Nevertheless, as an observant Jew, Peter believed it was important to keep from being ritually defiled, and he did not instantly jettison that idea after seeing the vision. Instead it is more likely that Peter would conclude that gentile salvation also must include some kind of purification from ritual defilement, just as required of the Jewish people. Peter went to Cornelius' house and very briefly preached the Good News. Peter mentioned only the baptism of John, Acts 10:36-43. The gentiles believe and the Holy Spirit was poured out on them. Here things seem reversed from the Samaritans. Why? Was (may it never be!) Messiah too hasty? No, Messiah poured out the Spirit by faith alone precisely to show the defilement conscious Jewish witnesses that Messiah's Sacrifice, effected internally by the out-poured Holy Spirit, is what truly purifies, not the ordinances of Judaism, important as they are for Israel. In all actuality the gentiles had been made full partakers of all the wonders the New Covenant the moment Messiah poured out his Spirit on them. Recall again Paul's description of salvation in Titus 3:3-5. But what happens? Peter and the Jewish companions are stunned! Why would they be taken aback? They are shocked as a result of their deeply ingrained Jewish mind-set which says that gentiles as well as Jews are susceptible to defilement. Prior to Peter's vision, gentiles were considered defiled to the point of Jewish avoidance of them. Now, though, after the vision, they certainly are not more pure than the Jewish people who have to observe no end of purification from defilement. In other words, in Peter's mind, even for Jews, God could not pour out the Holy Spirit without some ritual of purification. In their mind, that would mean that God could never pour out his HOLY Spirit on defiled gentiles without some kind of ritual cleansing. That is what they'd thought. Notice that as the episode continues Peter did not immediately make any command, but asked his Jewish companions if they could forbid baptizing the gentiles verse 47. In fact the word forbid appears to be Jewish technical term related to the application of, or release from, obligations of the Torah. In this case Peter does not seem sure of himself, and so turns to his Jewish companions for confirmation. That does not sound like the authoritative application of an established command from Messiah to baptize all the nations! Obviously it is not. Peter and companions were struggling from their Jewish mind-set to understand what was going on and decided the gentiles ought to at least be purified with the end-time Messianic baptism–i.e. having their bodies washed with pure water, as in Hebrews 10:22. This appears to be indicated by Peter's question, "can anyone forbid the water?" In the Greek a definite article for water indicates a specific kind of water, not just any water, and that appears to be a reflection of Jewish purification practices that require certain water that is considered pure. So the house of Cornelius is water baptized after having been Spirit baptized by faith alone in Messiah. Please note carefully that this episode can hardly be considered a norm on which to base baptismal practices of the Christian Church. Compared to typical modern Christian practice it is highly irregular. Nevertheless, the Christian Church believes this episode reflects Messiah's command for water baptism for all believers. From the Church's perspective, water baptism, rather than the greater Spirit baptism by faith in Messiah, is emphasized in this passage. Despite typical Christian belief, this is not the end of the story, as if this somewhat reluctant water baptism has now joined the gentiles to the Christian Church. Unfortunately a chapter break was added long after Luke composed Acts that makes it seem as though we enter a new episode rather than continue on with the same story. Actually the arbitrary breaks in Acts between chapters 10 and 11, and between chapters 18 and 19, have served to confuse a lot of readers over the centuries. By the time Peter returns to So again, there is no indication that Matthew 28:19 was remembered as a command to go to the nations here, as late as Acts 11, some ten years after Messiah's resurrection. Luke's motif in Acts 10-11 is the contrast between the Jewish understanding of physical defilement under the Torah, and the new True Purification available by faith in Messiah that is not only for Jews, but for all nations. Luke is not describing the expansion of the "Christian Church" in the typical sense of most expositors in this passage. Rather, he describes a great revelation to the Jewish disciples of Messiah that his Sacrifice can purify even the nations. John Purified with Water This is made all the more clear when Peter recounts
all the events that led him to Cornelius' house to the observant Jewish
assembly in Take note here! It is this phrase of contrast that settles the argument for Jews who dread the defilement of the gentiles. How so? Because for Jews of the first century, the Greek word baptizo carried the idea of being transformed, especially of being purified when used in a religious sense. It is this sense that is often found in the New Covenant. Thus in Acts, to paraphrase, the Jewish believers
in Let me drive home this point by asking what possible enlightenment the Jewish disciples could have gained if this phrase meant solely, "John immersed in water, but you will be immersed in the Holy Spirit." How would such an understanding resolve the controversy over gentile defilement? The fact is it would not. Only an understanding of purification here bears any comprehensible meaning. It is also quite apparent that Peter remembered
Messiah's word of contrast between water and Spirit some length of time after
he ordered the house of Cornelius baptized with water, precisely during the
chapter break between chapters 10 and 11. He certainly does not mention to
the 1 Peter 3:21 At this point it is appropriate to mention that 1 Peter 3:21, written some two decades after Peter's experience in the house of Cornelius, would necessarily reflect his mature understanding of salvation following the events in Acts 10-11, and not what he believed in Acts 2 on Shavu’ot, the day of Pentecost. In other words, when Peter's epistle says baptism saves, not by the putting off of the defilements of the flesh, but of a good conscience, he is speaking of Spirit baptism, the very baptism revealed to provide salvation for the house of Cornelius. In fact, Peter explicitly makes a contrast between the baptism that saves and the baptism that puts away the defilements of the flesh (Jewish water baptism) so that there would be no mistake. In spite of that precaution, what has much of the Christian world done? It has postulated a completely different "Christian baptism" that is neither a Jewish purification, nor the promised baptism with the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately there simply is no evidence for this "Christian baptism." Peter's first epistle speaks of Spirit baptism in contrast to typical Jewish water baptisms, including John's, that put away the defilements of the flesh. Spirit Baptism is Preeminent in Acts Returning to Acts, from the above evidence it is
certain that for Luke, the author of Acts, there is only one end-time
Messianic water baptism, John's. It provides purification for And now, from this point on in Acts, should we anticipate that after this great revelation of God's overwhelming redeeming power through the outpoured Holy Spirit that the author of Acts makes every subsequent use of baptism refer to the water baptism that was just revealed superseded by Spirit baptism? Generally the Christian Church says baptism in the New Covenant means water baptism unless explicitly stated otherwise. Nevertheless, the phrase of contrast between water and Spirit is found twice in Acts. If this phrase were not crucially important to the propagation of the Good News it would likely not have been recorded twice. But here it is found again, the very key to unlock the Jewish believers' minds to grasp gentile salvation. But the Christian Church of yesterday, and today, simply does not understand it. Most modern expositors exhibit some lack of comprehension of Acts 11 as to why the phrase of contrast between water and Spirit is important. Their Christian predispositions of what they think ought to appear here simply do not match the data. In spite of the typical Christian lack of understanding, it seems clear enough that from this point Luke builds on the foundation laid by Messiah, and that was discovered through the first eleven chapters of Acts, that John's baptism with water was and is important for Israel, but it is Spirit Baptism that is the central issue in this new age of the New Covenant. When carefully examined, the remaining references
in Acts to being baptized may easily refer to Spirit baptism and not water.
The house of That means we must rely on previous context to
determine what Luke means. On the basis of the revelation of the superiority
of the Spirit to water in Acts Moreover Luke says the Jailer's house was baptized "at once," or "immediately," or perhaps "instantaneously". The Greek word for "at once" is parachreema and is found in six other places in Acts, all used in describing a miraculous event. In fact it is found describing the scene when the earthquake struck the jail and all the doors opened "at once." The word does not suggest human activity, as if someone was scurrying around opening doors, but rather supernatural intervention: the doors miraculously sprang open. So when just a few lines later Luke says the Jailer and house were baptized "at once" it is much more reasonable to see this as the supernatural Spirit baptism, not a humanly administered water baptism. The Ephesian Disciples of Acts 18:19-19:9 The passage of the Ephesian disciples in Acts 18:19-19:9 is not simple to understand. But on close investigation it is seen not supporting the notion of a new universal water baptism in order to join the Christian Church. In fact, Paul's direct question to the Ephesians if they had received the Holy Spirit appears to set a tone related expressly to Spirit baptism. The passage begins with Apollo, a Jewish believer
from So Apollo was ignorant of either: 1) Spirit baptism by faith in Messiah, or 2) A different universal water baptism posited by the Christian Church Remember again that up to this point in Acts there
is no evidence that Messiah commanded a new water baptism to supersede John's
Messianic baptism to Paul returned to After that Paul returned and founds "certain disciples," Acts 19:1. Are they disciples of Messiah Yeshua? The answer appears to be yes. In fact there are competent expositors from a variety of theological outlooks who conclude they must be disciples of Messiah, no matter how deficient their experience in faith. In this case the preceding episode of Apollo preaching the Good News in the Ephesian synagogue clearly appears to provide the background for the disciples that Paul discovers. Then too, it is impossible to imagine that Paul would walk up to a group of "disciples" of the Pharisees, or Sadducees, or of John the Baptist, and begin his conversation asking if they had received the Holy Spirit. No one receives the Holy Spirit apart from faith in Messiah Yeshua. So if these "disciples" weren't believers in Yeshua, Paul would never have asked them about receiving the Holy Spirit, but instead would have preached the Good News of Messiah. Spirit Yet GIVEN The disciples respond that they'd not heard that the Holy Spirit is yet given. The Greek in this response is similar to John 7:39 where we are told the Holy Spirit was not yet given. In any case, these disciples apparently were not ignorant of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise Paul again would have taken sufficient time to explain the reality of the Holy Spirit. So Paul does not proclaim Messiah, nor teach of the reality of the Holy Spirit, but turns directly to the question of baptism. This would mean that Paul believed either that: 1) These disciples have not yet participated in the end-time Spirit baptism, or else 2) They need to undergo another water baptism to be able to receive the Holy Spirit With evidence lacking for a new universal water baptism it appears the first alternative is correct. The Ephesians reply that they had been baptized with John's baptism, an answer that certainly appears to link these disciples to Apollos who'd been boldly proclaiming Yeshua the Messiah, but only knew of John's baptism. Paul explained John's baptism as a baptism of repentance which is precisely what the apostle Peter preached on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:38. So it would seem that John's baptism in Acts 19 is directly indicated in the Messianic baptism of Acts 2. Moreover, as far as anyone knows, the 120 disciples were only baptized with John's baptism and did receive the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. The story continues and we are told the Ephesian disciples heard and were baptized into the name of the Lord. If baptize in this verse means water, then there assuredly must be a universal Christian water baptism. But if Luke intends something greater, which seems much more likely in light of the chapters 1-11 of Acts, then he may be saying that Spirit baptism is what actually joins the Ephesian disciples to the name of the Lord. And this occurs when Paul lays his hands on them and they are filled with the Holy Spirit. The choice in this passage is clear. On the one hand, either Spirit baptism is intended and is described as joining disciples in a real way to the name of the Lord. Otherwise, the implication is that incorrectly baptized disciples likely do not have the Holy Spirit. Such disciples are then supposed to be water baptized correctly to rectify that problem, in addition to the laying on of hands. This seems quite beyond the simplicity of the Good News in Messiah. Also notice that the supposed "formula" of the supposed water baptism is unlike the supposed "formula" of Matthew 28:19. So, in light of all the foregoing, it appears the first alternative is correct, that Spirit baptism is intended and it is that magnificent baptism that actually joins a disciple to the name of the Lord. More details on this passage and others are found in following chapters. This concludes the overview. Overview Endnotes 1Ralph Marcus, ‘The Hellenistic Age,’ Great Ages and Ideas of the Jewish People, Modern Library, Random House, N.Y., 1956, p 128.
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