Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Why was Jesus baptized?
At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:9-11 NIV).
I use to daydream about teaching the New Testament Survey course at Colorado Christian University when I was a student there. I loved that class. Contemplating what textbook I would use, I never landed on a sure choice until now. A book I am currently reading by Dr. Robert Stein is Christ-centered, academic, and reads smoothly. I think the book has a shortcoming, yet overall I think it is a classic.
The big question so poignantly raised by Dr. Stein is: Why did Jesus need to get baptized if He is without sin? Dr. Stein stated repentance and baptism go hand in hand, and I agree, based on verses such as Mark 1:4 - “And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (NIV). Dr. Stein gave the explanation that the baptism of Jesus was unique, serving the purpose of kicking off His messianic mission. I agree, yet I think there is even more to His baptism.
Dr. Stein makes the observation that Mark uses the same term to describe the opening of heaven after the baptism of Jesus as he used to describe the ripping of the veil in the temple after the death of Jesus. That fact became the connection for me in answering the question. I think the reason Jesus demanded baptism was that as He was “fulfilling all righteousness” as is recorded by Matthew, he was repenting on behalf of people. Now His baptism was not vicarious as His atonement on the cross was. Rather it was a repenting of sins in conjunction with people. He who had no sin was identifying with our sins. It was an act to start His ministry on earth which would lead to His taking the sins of people upon Himself and becoming the sacrificial atonement on the cross. He was not getting baptized for Himself. He was getting baptized for us.
Think about it: Jesus, who was without sin, got baptized, and then heaven was torn apart and God spoke in an audible manner. Repentant people were blessed to hear the voice of God the Father, and to learn that Jesus was the Son of God. A special interaction with God and people had begun. About three years later, Jesus was the substitute for sins, dying on a cross. After the Atonement was made, the curtain which separated the Most Holy Place, where the presence of God was signified over the Ark of the Covenant, and the Holy Place, was torn in two. That torn veil symbolized that people now could be united with God. That was the messianic mission from the beginning.
I add that some people base their theology regarding water baptism based on the details of Jesus baptism. Jesus commanded that believers be baptized (Matthew 28:19). But Christ’s baptism, and Acts 2:38, are reasons a number of Christians think that in order to get baptized with the Holy Spirit a person first needs to be baptized by water. Yet we should not take our baptism doctrine from this great event, because Jesus’ baptism was unique. He who had no sin was confessing sins on behalf of humanity, and as Dr. Stein explains, it was the monumental occasion when the Anointed One was anointed with the Holy Spirit to carry out the messianic mission. (1) In order for a person to be baptized by Jesus with the Holy Spirit, a person needs to believe in Jesus, the Anointed One, who took the consequences of sins and spiritually and physically died in our place.
Hunter Irvine
(1) Robert Stein, Jesus the Messiah: A Survey
of the Life of Christ (Downers Grove: InterVarsity
Press, 1996), 97 and 100.
Friday, April 15, 2016
Baptism
“…baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” (Matthew 28:19 NIV).
Today is my 26th spiritual birthday and I am grateful to God! I did something great last year during this week – I got baptized in water as a believer in Jesus. Quite unusual for a person who had been following Jesus for 25 years and who does vocational ministry work. Yet I was totally blessed.
My parents had me baptized as a wee infant. They were not Christians at the time, but considered it a proper cultural practice. Twenty-two years later, on April 15, 1990, I truly believed in Jesus, receiving Him. Later that year I worshiped in a church near my home. One Sunday the minister baptized two adult twin brothers, an act I had never seen, having only witnessed an infant baptism.
Watching the caring minister baptize those two young men, I had an urge to be baptized. But I was familiar with the Nicene Creed which was recited frequently in the Anglican church I attended in the months preceding my conversion. That historic creed includes the statement, “We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.” Thus I figured you were not supposed to get baptized again. And only a few months later I returned to that church which had been a blessing for me before I turned to Jesus. I ended up committing there for over six years, yet I never forgot the baptism urge I had as a new Christian.
As I grew in the love and knowledge of Jesus in my early Christian years, I became convicted from the Bible that water baptism should be the personal choice of a person who believes in Jesus. Yet I remained in the same Anglican church and accepted my infant baptism. I still tried to be an influence for correct doctrine, which brought some strife in my church life. It finally came to the point after I started serving as a youth pastor that when the minister performed infant baptisms, which was infrequent, I would leave the sanctuary of my church and pray in the foyer, not making a scene. But several times I was vocal in expressing my conviction, once to a bishop I admired in that denomination. He actually took my conviction better than many. I realize now I brought hardship upon myself remaining so long in a community which did not better fit my doctrinal convictions. I am thankful that when I was in churches of that denomination, I was loyal to my brothers and sisters, and I still love them though I have left.
What I did not realize was infant baptism is a practice extremely rooted in Christian history because of it’s solidification by Bishop Augustine. That man advocated all infants should be baptized in water because his Biblical interpretation was a person needs to be baptized in water in order to be saved from hell. Thus in order not to leave out children, which was caring, he advocated infant baptism. Questions then arose: How do we know if an infant is truly going to believe? What about the infants who are not baptized because their parents are not Christians? Augustine then injected his doctrine of predestination saying everyone’s salvation is totally in God’s hands since God predetermined before time who would be saved and who would be designated to hell, so we do not need to worry about the details, rather just try and baptize all the infants you can. (1) The crazy thing is I was a Christian for many years before learning about all this. I also learned from the same book that John Chrysostom was not in agreement with Augustine concerning the predestination doctrine. Though Augustine’s doctrine was not the sole doctrine, his writing was the most influential down through all these centuries, and he is still influential today.
Yet I am in utter agreement with many followers of Jesus throughout the centuries and today who interpret the Bible to teach that the atonement of Jesus was unlimited. Jesus Christ died for everyone! And He gives us the free will to decide as to whether we want to receive His gift of salvation. And I am in agreement with many followers of Jesus who interpret the Bible to teach salvation by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. There is nothing more you need to do to be saved. All believers should be baptized in water, but that is not what brings salvation. For the person who believes in Jesus, he or she is then forgiven of his or her sins, and then that person is baptized with the Holy Spirit by Jesus (John 1:33)! Baptism by the Holy Spirit should precede baptism done by a human, since water baptism is meant to be an outward sign of what has spiritually taken place in a person’s heart.
To complete my personal story, one summer day I was invited by a friend to view a baptism carried out by his church at a nearby river. I had never seen folks baptized in a river and it increased my longing to be baptized. The final kicker was when I took “Introduction to Theology” at Colorado Christian University. After writing an eight page paper on baptism, I enthusiastically committed to be “re-baptized.”
After being turned down by two people who I asked to baptize me, because both thought they had no such authority since they were not vocational ministers,(which I do not agree with), the time finally came in a big way. Four days after my 25th spiritual birthday, in a church which has numerous students worshiping on any given Sunday during the school year from Cornell University and Ithaca College, I was baptized in water. All candidates at that church must give a testimony. I was so emotional I had to read what I wrote rather than just saying it from memory. I was so emotional, several times I had to restrain myself from crying. It was a powerful.
I requested to be baptized in a forward manner, since for years I had been nervous watching people immersed backwards, which is a long story. Plus most of them hold their nose. Going forward I did not need to hold my nose. And in some denominations, such as the Brethren, forward baptizing is the standard practice.
The bottom line is it was a great day. I was on a cloud the entire week after being baptized.
Jesus Christ died on a cross for the forgiveness of sins of anyone. He was the substitutional sacrifice for the wages of sins which is spiritual death. If you believe in Jesus, you will have everlasting life with Him, the One who was resurrected from death for evermore. Your salvation is not dependent on an act done by a human. However, if you have not been baptized in water, you should do so. It was a commandment of Jesus! And Jesus baptized people in water Himself (John 3:22)! If you are a believer in Jesus and you were baptized with water as an infant, it is my Biblical interpretation you can accept that infant baptism, though a number of ministers disagree, however I assure you a decision to be re-baptized will be a blessing you will treasure always! And being re-baptized will be a big witness to others who need to know Jesus as their Savior, Lord, and best Friend.
Hunter
Only if you want to see my baptism:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4ubsCidqcU
(1) Christopher Hall, Learning Theology with the Church Fathers (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2002), 152-153.
Today is my 26th spiritual birthday and I am grateful to God! I did something great last year during this week – I got baptized in water as a believer in Jesus. Quite unusual for a person who had been following Jesus for 25 years and who does vocational ministry work. Yet I was totally blessed.
My parents had me baptized as a wee infant. They were not Christians at the time, but considered it a proper cultural practice. Twenty-two years later, on April 15, 1990, I truly believed in Jesus, receiving Him. Later that year I worshiped in a church near my home. One Sunday the minister baptized two adult twin brothers, an act I had never seen, having only witnessed an infant baptism.
Watching the caring minister baptize those two young men, I had an urge to be baptized. But I was familiar with the Nicene Creed which was recited frequently in the Anglican church I attended in the months preceding my conversion. That historic creed includes the statement, “We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.” Thus I figured you were not supposed to get baptized again. And only a few months later I returned to that church which had been a blessing for me before I turned to Jesus. I ended up committing there for over six years, yet I never forgot the baptism urge I had as a new Christian.
As I grew in the love and knowledge of Jesus in my early Christian years, I became convicted from the Bible that water baptism should be the personal choice of a person who believes in Jesus. Yet I remained in the same Anglican church and accepted my infant baptism. I still tried to be an influence for correct doctrine, which brought some strife in my church life. It finally came to the point after I started serving as a youth pastor that when the minister performed infant baptisms, which was infrequent, I would leave the sanctuary of my church and pray in the foyer, not making a scene. But several times I was vocal in expressing my conviction, once to a bishop I admired in that denomination. He actually took my conviction better than many. I realize now I brought hardship upon myself remaining so long in a community which did not better fit my doctrinal convictions. I am thankful that when I was in churches of that denomination, I was loyal to my brothers and sisters, and I still love them though I have left.
What I did not realize was infant baptism is a practice extremely rooted in Christian history because of it’s solidification by Bishop Augustine. That man advocated all infants should be baptized in water because his Biblical interpretation was a person needs to be baptized in water in order to be saved from hell. Thus in order not to leave out children, which was caring, he advocated infant baptism. Questions then arose: How do we know if an infant is truly going to believe? What about the infants who are not baptized because their parents are not Christians? Augustine then injected his doctrine of predestination saying everyone’s salvation is totally in God’s hands since God predetermined before time who would be saved and who would be designated to hell, so we do not need to worry about the details, rather just try and baptize all the infants you can. (1) The crazy thing is I was a Christian for many years before learning about all this. I also learned from the same book that John Chrysostom was not in agreement with Augustine concerning the predestination doctrine. Though Augustine’s doctrine was not the sole doctrine, his writing was the most influential down through all these centuries, and he is still influential today.
Yet I am in utter agreement with many followers of Jesus throughout the centuries and today who interpret the Bible to teach that the atonement of Jesus was unlimited. Jesus Christ died for everyone! And He gives us the free will to decide as to whether we want to receive His gift of salvation. And I am in agreement with many followers of Jesus who interpret the Bible to teach salvation by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. There is nothing more you need to do to be saved. All believers should be baptized in water, but that is not what brings salvation. For the person who believes in Jesus, he or she is then forgiven of his or her sins, and then that person is baptized with the Holy Spirit by Jesus (John 1:33)! Baptism by the Holy Spirit should precede baptism done by a human, since water baptism is meant to be an outward sign of what has spiritually taken place in a person’s heart.
To complete my personal story, one summer day I was invited by a friend to view a baptism carried out by his church at a nearby river. I had never seen folks baptized in a river and it increased my longing to be baptized. The final kicker was when I took “Introduction to Theology” at Colorado Christian University. After writing an eight page paper on baptism, I enthusiastically committed to be “re-baptized.”
After being turned down by two people who I asked to baptize me, because both thought they had no such authority since they were not vocational ministers,(which I do not agree with), the time finally came in a big way. Four days after my 25th spiritual birthday, in a church which has numerous students worshiping on any given Sunday during the school year from Cornell University and Ithaca College, I was baptized in water. All candidates at that church must give a testimony. I was so emotional I had to read what I wrote rather than just saying it from memory. I was so emotional, several times I had to restrain myself from crying. It was a powerful.
I requested to be baptized in a forward manner, since for years I had been nervous watching people immersed backwards, which is a long story. Plus most of them hold their nose. Going forward I did not need to hold my nose. And in some denominations, such as the Brethren, forward baptizing is the standard practice.
The bottom line is it was a great day. I was on a cloud the entire week after being baptized.
Jesus Christ died on a cross for the forgiveness of sins of anyone. He was the substitutional sacrifice for the wages of sins which is spiritual death. If you believe in Jesus, you will have everlasting life with Him, the One who was resurrected from death for evermore. Your salvation is not dependent on an act done by a human. However, if you have not been baptized in water, you should do so. It was a commandment of Jesus! And Jesus baptized people in water Himself (John 3:22)! If you are a believer in Jesus and you were baptized with water as an infant, it is my Biblical interpretation you can accept that infant baptism, though a number of ministers disagree, however I assure you a decision to be re-baptized will be a blessing you will treasure always! And being re-baptized will be a big witness to others who need to know Jesus as their Savior, Lord, and best Friend.
Hunter
Only if you want to see my baptism:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4ubsCidqcU
(1) Christopher Hall, Learning Theology with the Church Fathers (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2002), 152-153.
Monday, April 4, 2016
Inspired by God - 2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness… (2 Timothy 3:16 NIV).
Recently I tabulated all of the Christian books I have ever read since I began to follow Jesus over 25 years ago. This does not include textbooks I read at CCU where only selective chapters were assigned. The grand total of books is 103! I am grateful to God.
If I had to do it again, I would read a little less and spend time with people a little more. Yet the vast majority of books I read were a blessing to me. God used each one of those 103 books to teach me something.
I make two points: first, my favorite book continues to be Basic Christianity by John Stott. Though I have some doctrinal differences with Dr. Stott, he is my favorite author, and Basic Christianity gets to the foundation of the Gospel for me.
Second, one of the 103 books I read was picked out of a sales bin in a Christian bookstore years ago. I had not seen it before, and I have not seen the book in any store or library since. The book was quite unmemorable except for one statement which has ever stuck with me. The author said he treasures reading the works of certain Christian authors, and that he even thinks of those authors as friends. However, he said his most important reading is always the Bible, the book which is inspired by God.
Indeed the Bible is the book which God has given humanity which reveals information about God which we people could never have learned on our own accord. The Bible is inspired by God, as the Holy Spirit truly worked in the hearts of the authors in a miraculous manner. We often benefit when Christian brothers and sisters give some illumination for us. And we need caring interpretation assistance from people sometimes. Yet every person who follows Jesus has the Holy Spirit in his or her heart to help him or her understand the Scriptures. As we reason and learn from these sacred writings, may we continue to rely daily on the Holy Spirit.
+: Thank You Holy Father for your gift of the Scripture!!! It is through the Glorious name of You Lord Jesus I pray. Amen.
Hunter Irvine
Recently I tabulated all of the Christian books I have ever read since I began to follow Jesus over 25 years ago. This does not include textbooks I read at CCU where only selective chapters were assigned. The grand total of books is 103! I am grateful to God.
If I had to do it again, I would read a little less and spend time with people a little more. Yet the vast majority of books I read were a blessing to me. God used each one of those 103 books to teach me something.
I make two points: first, my favorite book continues to be Basic Christianity by John Stott. Though I have some doctrinal differences with Dr. Stott, he is my favorite author, and Basic Christianity gets to the foundation of the Gospel for me.
Second, one of the 103 books I read was picked out of a sales bin in a Christian bookstore years ago. I had not seen it before, and I have not seen the book in any store or library since. The book was quite unmemorable except for one statement which has ever stuck with me. The author said he treasures reading the works of certain Christian authors, and that he even thinks of those authors as friends. However, he said his most important reading is always the Bible, the book which is inspired by God.
Indeed the Bible is the book which God has given humanity which reveals information about God which we people could never have learned on our own accord. The Bible is inspired by God, as the Holy Spirit truly worked in the hearts of the authors in a miraculous manner. We often benefit when Christian brothers and sisters give some illumination for us. And we need caring interpretation assistance from people sometimes. Yet every person who follows Jesus has the Holy Spirit in his or her heart to help him or her understand the Scriptures. As we reason and learn from these sacred writings, may we continue to rely daily on the Holy Spirit.
+: Thank You Holy Father for your gift of the Scripture!!! It is through the Glorious name of You Lord Jesus I pray. Amen.
Hunter Irvine
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