the Notion of Baptism

©1999 Jeffrey Brian White

It goes without saying that almost any prolonged exposure to the New Testament text or to the Body of Christ will bring an individual into some kind of contact with the notion of BAPTISM and/or one of the various teachings regarding it. My guess is that most teachings regarding Baptism approach it as a sacrament of some kind which functions to either seal or testify of one's conversion to Jesus. And certainly this can be said of Baptism within Water. Some equate sprinkling of water with immersion in water. Some consider Baptism as an optional rite to be performed in a kind of ceremony. Jesus said: »He that believeth and is BAPTIZED shall be saved...«(Mk 16:16, KJV).

One of the interesting paradoxes said of Baptism in Scripture is that there is ONE BAPTISM (Ep 4:5) on the one hand, and the DOCTRINE OF BAPTISMS (Hb 6:2) on the other. This paradox of Singular versus Plural has been the point over which many have no doubt argued in the past and will no doubt form the content of future contentions. Personally, I believe that both the Singular Baptism and the Plural Baptism are absolutely true and not in any real contradiction with one another.

The key to understanding this paradox is found in the basic semantic notion or concept of what BAPTISM really is. First of all, we must look at the preaching of John the Baptist, whom Jesus called the greatest of all prophets:

It would appear on all counts that John here is speaking of three baptisms. The concept of three which are one is certainly attested in Scripture. First and foremost, we have ho Theos (singular), that is, Elohim (plural) or God, presented as the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost in Matthew 28:19. In this verse, his »name« is in the Singular, that is, Jesus' command was that they should baptize them in the one name of the three persons. Given the revelation which Moses received, we might say that this name be the name YAHWEH. However, in the book of Acts, everyone is baptized in the name of JESUS. So, I think we can safely deduce that JESUS (singular) is name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (plural). So, it should come as no surprise that Yahweh instructed Moses to build the Tent of his Presence (singular) as a three-part structure consisting of the Outer Court, Holy Place, and Most Holy Place (plural). Similarly, Adam was created as a triune being, the one person (singular) consisting of Spirit, Soul, Body (1Th 5:23). So it is possible for the three baptisms (plural) to be one baptism (singular).

We should take the basic Greek definition of the verb baptizein into account:

baptizô = "to make whelmed (i.e. fully wet)" [#907G, abbreviated] from baptô = "to whelm, i.e. cover wholly with a fluid; in the N.T. only in a qualified or spec. sense, i.e. lit. to moisten (a part of one's person), or (by impl.) to stain (as with dye)" [#911G]

This definition by Strong shows us one important aspect of baptism: it is immersion, not sprinkling. But to really see the beauty of John's prophecy concerning the immersion with the Holy Spirit and with fire, we should look at Liddell and Scott's definition:

baptizô = "to dip repeatedly, dip under; to bathe, to baptize" [L&S, abbreviated] from baptô = "to dip, dip under, Lat. immergere; to dye, colour, steep; to fill by dipping in, draw" [L&S, abbreviated]

So maybe we should retranslate John's prophecy concerning Jesus using some of these definitions for added clarity and at the same correct for the proposition en (= 'within') in the verse. Note that the suffix -zô in baptizô denotes a reptitive action, so that baptizô essentially means the same thing as baptô, but repeated over and over again.

All of this is contained within the definition of the word BAPTISM. Repeated dipping, bathing, baptizing, dying, colouring, steeping, filling by dipping in. Whether John truly knew it or not, this is what he was prophesying about the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away sin. This repetition of the action then forms cycles of baptizings. Dipped again and again within the Spirit of Yahweh. Bathed repeatedly by Jesus within Holy Spirit. Every pass a new experience. Increasing saturation with the Spirit of Elohim as we are dyed over and over with his colours. Steeped as it were like a tea bag in hot water until the soaking of the leaves releases the essence of tea, and the leaves, once dry, through absorption are filled with the water. Not only is this true with regard to the Spirit of Christ, but also of the Fire, the very consuming Presence of our God (Hb 12:29).

I must note here that we have no record of believers being repeatedly baptized within water, except at Ephesus, where Paul met some disciples of John who had been baptized under his ministry. These were then baptized in the name of 'Jesus'. I don't know if water baptism was repeated much among the Christians. What is great, though, is that the repeated usage of the Laver in the Tabernacle of Moses by the priests foreshaddowed the repeated action of Jesus in the Baptisms within the Holy Ghost and within Fire, and this while it remained in the Outer Court. So then, this Outer Court furniture piece was truly pointing toward experiences in the Inner Court and in the Most Holy Place.

And our God, Yahweh Elohim, has so created baptism that all baptisms are nothing less than aspects of our Baptism into Christ, the Anointed One, the Holy One of Israel. He covers it all. He is the Laver of old and the Baptizer of all Baptizers. No one is as much the Baptist as Jesus Christ (I don't mean the denomination/doctrine type).

And so, we convert and are converted to Christ, and the cycles of the Lord's dealings begin in earnest.

TOTAL SATURATION with his very manifest Presence unto Immortality is his goal!

And let us not forget, that as we are crucified with Christ (Ga 2:20), so are we also to be buried with him in Baptism:

the Notion of Baptism