This can be seen in the following verses:
The Cleansing Act of
Baptism
There are many references to baptism in the New Testament.
But what about the Old Testament? You can search by way
of a Concordance and you won’t see any references to
baptism. Many think of the rite of baptism as a New
Testament phenomenon only. Where did the ordinance
originate? Why isn't there a mention of it in the Old
Testament? Did God think of the idea after His Son came
into the world?
The ordinance of BAPTISM follows the pattern:
1. Repentance
2. Burial
3. Resurrection
2Pe 2:5
Romans 6 :1-5 What shall we say then? Shall we continue
in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. We who died to
sin, how shall we any longer live therein? Or are ye ignorant
that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized
into his death? We were buried therefore with him through
baptism unto death: that like as Christ was raised from the
dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in
newness of life. For if we have become united with him in the
likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his
resurrection
Baptism is an "act of purification and initiation"? Is this
a principle found in the Old Testament Scriptures? If we look
for examples of purification, we may find the origins of the
ordinance of baptism.
John the Baptist was a son of a Levite Priest, Zacharias, who
had a Levite wife, Elizabeth. John would no doubt have been
familiar with the practice long before he began his ministry.
John 1:33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to
baptize in water, he said unto me, Upon whomsoever thou
shalt see the Spirit descending, and abiding upon him, the
same is he that baptizeth in the Holy Spirit.
Let’s see two examples where baptism is anti-typed in the
Old Testament.
Noah
We're all familiar with the story of Noah being saved with his
family in an ark.
Gen 7:16
And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as
God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in. And
the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters
increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the
earth.
Gen 8:1 And God remembered Noah, and every living thing,
and all the cattle that was with him in the ark…..
And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth
person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood
upon the world of the ungodly;
So Noah was saved by the hand of God. But how is that
anything to do with the ordinance of baptism? The Apostle
gives the answer:
1 Peter 3:18 – 21 GNB
For Christ died for sins once and for all, a good man on
behalf of sinners, in order to lead you to God. He was put to
death physically, but made alive spiritually, and in his spiritual
existence he went and preached to the imprisoned
spirits. These were the spirits of those who had not obeyed
God when he waited patiently during the days that Noah was
building his boat. The few people in the boat---eight in all---
were saved by the water, which was a symbol pointing to
baptism, which now saves you. It is not the washing off of
bodily dirt, but the promise made to God from a good
conscience. It saves you through the resurrection of Jesus
Christ,
Peter is saying here that the saving of Noah and his family in
the flood points to the ordinance of baptism, and is the means
of our salvation, not in the physical sense, but in the spiritual,
through the resurrection of Jesus. At baptism, we promise to
give our life over to Christ, and He promises to save us by a
resurrection into his Kingdom. The Apostle Paul alludes to
this event as a baptism.
Another Old Testament example of the principle of baptism is
shown in the story of Moses and the Israelites.
Moses
When Moses led the children of Israel across the Red Sea,
with the waters rising up on either side, they were
experiencing a type of baptism or immersion.
Exo 14:13; 21 -22
And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the
LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all
that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were
divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the
sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto
them on their right hand, and on their left.
And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the
midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and
his horsemen.
The Apostle Paul alludes to this event as a baptism:
1Co 10:1,2
Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant,
how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed
through the sea;and were all baptized unto Moses in then
cloud and in the sea.
So we see two examples of how the principle of baptism can
be seen throughout the O.T and in fact is extant throughout
the whole Bible.
The principle is that of being spiritually cleansed. That’s what
God has always wanted ever since Adam. He wants us to be
free of, to be washed of sin. David said in his repentant
Psalm 51:
Psalm 51: 3 – 12 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and
my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I
sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be
justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother
conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts:
and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know
wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash
me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Create in me a clean
heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not
away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from
me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me
with thy free spirit.
Note the progression:
Repentance verses 3 -6;
Baptism: verse 7;
Holy Spirit: verses 10 - 12
So we see there are many examples of “cleansing to atone
for sins” in the Old Testament.
Atonement Rituals
On the Day of Atonement, the High Priest went into the Holy
of Holies to make an atonement for the people.
Lev 16: 30
For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to
cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before
the LORD.
The Levites needed to be cleansed before doing the service
for the Lord. Moses’ sprinkling of the water of purification
upon them is an act of cleansing, signifying the application by
faith in the shed blood of Christ upon us for our service to
Him.
Another type of Baptism
But let’s see that other type of baptism John the Baptist
referred to: a baptism of the Holy Spirit to be performed by
Christ Himself, referring no doubt to the Day of Pentecost in
Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit was sent to the disciples as a
promise of the Father:
Acts 1: 4 - 7
And, being assembled together with them, commanded them
that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the
promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized
with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they
therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying,
Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to
Israel?
And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or
the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
John the Baptist spoke about the Judgment to come, by an
analogy:
Luke 3: 16-17.
John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you
with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of
whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you
with the Holy Ghost and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand,
and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat
into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire
unquenchable.
Cleansing of the Church
Ephesians 5: 25 -27
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the
church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and
cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he
might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot,
or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and
without blemish.
Throughout the Bible God has given instructions for that
cleansing. We saw it in the Old Testament examples:
• Noah and Moses in symbolic enactments;
• Atonement rituals;
• Consecration of the Levites for the Temple service;
We see it in the New Testament with all the many familiar
examples of baptism.
The principle is clear. God wants a clean people, not
cleansed by having a bath in water to wash the physical
grime, but a spiritual cleansing of the soul.
God wants a clean world, a clean society, a clean church; He In the meantime, we have to continually ask Him to wash us
always did! And He will have it!! of sin as we miss the mark throughout our daily walk in this
present evil world.
All of us who have been baptized would have come to a state
of seeing ourselves as God sees us. We counted the cost of By H. Robertson
what we were getting in to, and said OK.
It was so easy to say OK in the office of the minister; there
was no immediate demand to put our life on the line, no gun Distributed free by:
being held at our head. That may come later, but at the
time, we thought: let’s get this baptism done.

At the very least we repented of our wrong ways of living and

determined to follow the ways God has outlined.

But what should we be doing now on a daily basis? We

should be in a constant state of repentance!! Mustard Seed Evangelistic Work
Raul de Asis Hipe
As we ask for our daily bread…. For Inquiries, email: mseedwork@yahoo.com
As we ask for forgiveness of our sins, we should define them
a little more.

Rev 8 : 3, ..talks about another angel who offered up “much

incense” with the prayers of all the saints,

Like incense cut up very fine, instead of asking God to

“forgive our many sins”, we should be more definitive,
detailing some specific sins and striving to be spiritually
cleansed.

In other words, throughout the day, when we see we have

missed the mark of God’s perfect standards, we should
acknowledge that in our prayers and ask for forgiveness.

We already have the Holy Spirit within us to help us.

Our baptism started the process;

Passover renewed the covenant we made at our baptism;
In between times, on a daily basis, let’s strive to be spiritually
cleansed. That is what God is what God is looking for in his
people.

But that will only be fully accomplished in us when we are

changed from our fleshly form into a perfect spiritual form at
Christ’s return.