32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
In 21st century North America, infant baptisms have become an fairly commonplace institutional practice. In some cases, the religious implications of such an event are lost in clichéd ceremonialism. For example, it would not be surprising if a non-Christian showed up invited to a baptism and missed the very meaning of it. Baptism, in some circles, has become nothing more than a ritual, a rite of passage. Then there are the divisive controversies concerning baptism. There are hosts of Christians that are embroiled in the debate between infant baptism and believer’s baptism. Churches and denominations have split over this contentious issue. Needless to say, the ordinance of baptism has strayed from its intended purpose.
To truly appreciate baptism, one must look to the baptism of Jesus. In one sense, John’s account of Jesus’ baptism is not unique. All three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22) record this event; all three Gospels mention the Holy Spirit descending like a dove on Jesus; all three Gospels state that God calls Jesus his beloved Son; all three Gospels are clear about how God was pleased with Jesus.
John’s gospel corroborates the fact that the Spirit descended on Jesus. But what was the purpose of this event? It is made clear through a prophet in Isaiah 42:1, “Behold my servant, whom I uphold,my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.” Jesus’ baptism is a means to an end, and that end is an end to the unjust. Someone could intuit from this that God would send a mighty king who would rain destruction on the nations with armies and weaponry. Counterintuitively, however, Jesus would secure the victory by going to the cross to die. The resultant justice, spoken of in Isaiah, is the justification that we received through Jesus’ death and resurrection (Romans 4:25).
This baptism was a means, but it is also a sign. First, it is a sign of the Trinity. To be Christian, means that you believe in a trinitarian God. Second, it is a sign that God is with us. When God’s Spirit descended on Jesus, it was a visible demonstration that God will also bless others with his Spirit, in accordance with the Old Testament prophecies (Isa. 32:15; 44:3; Ezek. 36:25–27; Joel 2:28–32). John Calvin explains, “he received the Spirit not only for himself, but for his people; and on that account his descent was visible, that we may know that there dwells in him an abundance of all gifts of which we are empty and destitute”. The baptism of Jesus was not necessary for God. He always had the Spirit. But the early Christians needed to see this unity to understand what it meant for the Spirit to be on them. In truth, the baptism of Jesus was more necessary for those Christians, and for us as well.
There is yet one more encouraging observation we can make about the discourse. John’s gospel differs from the Synoptics by adding to the phrase: “[The Spirit] remained on him.” In other words, the Spirit did not leave him. God does not abandon the man who is called the “Son of God” (John 1:34) which can also be translated as “the chosen one of God”. But Paul tells us that we have been chosen by God as well, through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:4). That means that when God’s Spirit dwells in us, he will not leave us. He remains on us, much like how he remained on Jesus. In this hope, we are saved forever.
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