Baptism in water: is it from heaven or from men? This is question taken directly from scripture, and the answer is very meaningful in the great debate over water baptism.
This question is taken from a debate that Jesus had with the chief priests, scribes and elders.
In Luke 20:1-8, the scribes, chief priests, and elders come testing and questioning Jesus, “By what authority are You doing these things?” (v. 2); that is, preaching the gospel of the kingdom (v. 1). But Jesus puts the question back on them. He asks them about the baptism of John: “Was it from heaven or from men?” (v. 4).
Here is how the story finishes. “(5) They reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ (6) But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” (7) So they answered that they did not know where it was from. (8) And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
Notice two separate things we learn from this passage about the practice of water baptism.
First, Jesus affirms that the water baptism associated with John the Baptist (which is a precursor to Christian baptism found later in Acts and the epistles) was not derived from Jewish tradition. There is a theory (emphasis on theory) that when John the Baptist came immersing/baptizing in the 1st century, he adapted this practice from a Jewish purification ritual wherein they immersed in a pool of water called a mikveh (origin appx. 100 B.C.). Associating these two religious ceremonies is intended to prove that water baptism as seen in the New Testament really has no association with salvation any more than those mikveh rituals did. This was a man-made tradition.
But Jesus’ answer rules out this theory that associates John’s baptism and Christian baptism with Jewish purification rituals. Jesus says without saying, “John the Baptist is inspired by the Holy Spirit, and his commanding people to be baptized in water has its origin in heaven from God.” The leaders surrounding Jesus know this is the answer but play dumb.
Second, Jesus’ affirms that water baptism is not a meritorious work that man came up with to circumvent salvation by grace through faith. The scriptures state very clearly that John’s baptism was “for the remission of sins” (Mark 1:4). Likewise, the scriptures are very clear that Christian baptism taught by Jesus and the apostles is also “for the remission of sins” (aka: forgiveness of sins) – Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:16; John 3:5; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:26-27; Colossians 2:11-12; 1 Peter 3:21. Many leaders surrounding us today know this is true but play dumb.
The way that many within “Christianity” talk about water baptism, you would think that man came up with the idea to be baptized in water.
“I’ve got it! If we want to achieve salvation, we need to go jump in a lake!”
That’s not how baptism in water came about. As Jesus indicates, baptism in water for the remission of sins is from heaven (God).
God saves man by His grace. God is the one that set conditions on His grace. The conditions? Obedient faith (John 3:36 NASB, ESV; 12:42) or works done by faith in God’s grace to save, not ours. Faith is a work (John 6:28-29), meaning it requires man exercising his mind and will to accomplish. Baptism is a “work of faith” (1 Thess. 1:11), if it is done with the understanding that God’s grace is the saving principle, and I’m simply doing what God told me to do, trusting in Him while I do it. There is nothing holy, mystical in the water. It’s simply a condition to grace that God came up with.
God could have said, “I’ll save you by my grace if you stand on your head.” But He simply said to be immersed in water by faith (Mark 16:16) much like Naaman (2 Kings 5).
So, I ask you the same concluding questions from Jesus’ conversation with the leaders of Israel. If baptism is from heaven, why then don’t you believe and obey by getting baptized for the forgiveness of your sins? If baptism is from men, do you even believe the scriptures which have so much to say about this?
