Category: Musings on Baptism
John's baptism
Matthew 3:1-2: Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
3:5-6: Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea, and all the district around the Jordan; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.
3:11-12: "As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. And His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
John was preaching to Israel (not to Gentiles). His call was for the Jews to repent of their sinful ways in preparation for the imminent kingdom of heaven. The Jews flocked to John and he baptized those who admitted their sinfulness in the river. He declared that the Messiah will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Then he immediately explained that the Messiah will separate the wheat from the chaff, collecting the former and burning the latter.
Luke 3:3: And [John] came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Acts 13:23-24: "From the offspring of [David], according to promise, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, after John had proclaimed before His coming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel."
The content of John's preaching was "a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins." There was a correlation between baptism and forgiveness.
Jesus was baptized
Matt: 3:16, 17: And after being baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."
Jesus came to John to be baptized (even though He had no sins for which to repent). Upon His baptism, God declared His divine Son-ship.