In the 700's BC, Isaiah prophesied of "one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord" (Isa. 40:3). Around 430 BC, God spoke through Malachi, prophesying, "Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me" (Mal. 3:1). In the context of both prophesies, the way is to be prepared for the coming of Jehovah, the God of Israel. Jehovah Himself is coming to His people and a voice will announce His coming in the wilderness before He arrives. 

All the gospel writers point to John as the fulfillment of these prophesies (Mt 3:3, 11:10, Mk 1:2, 3, 7:27, Lk 3:3-6, Jn 1:23). 

John prepared the way for Jesus by "preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins" (Mk 1:4, Lk 3:3). The Messiah came to call sinners to repentance (Lk 5:32) and save us from our sins (Mt 1:21). John prepared the way so that when the apostles taught repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins, the people had been prepared for several years (Ac 2:38).

Why was Jesus baptized?

John was surprised when Jesus came to him to be baptized. He knew he needed to be baptized, not Jesus (Mat. 3:14). If John's baptism was for the remission of sin, why did Jesus come to John to be baptized?

When John hesitated to baptize him, Jesus told him it was to fulfill all righteousness (Mt 3:15). Jesus is our perfect example in everything. This makes it right and necessary for Jesus to be baptized before He began His work so He can be our pattern. 

At baptism, Jesus received the Holy Spirit and was declared to be the Son of God (Mt 3:16-17, Mk 1:10-11, Lk 3:22).  After His baptism, Jesus never went back to the carpenter's shop. His life completely changed. 

We are sons of God through faith because we have been baptized into Christ and put on Christ (Gal. 3:27). 

• Like Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit in baptism (Ac 2:38, 5:32) 
• We become temples of the Spirit (1Co 3:16, 6:19, Rm 8:9)
• Our lives should never be the same again (2Co 5:17). 

Jesus was publicly declared to be the Son of God at his baptism and was filled with the Spirit and then led by the Spirit out into the wilderness (Lk 4:1). We become sons of God in baptism and receive the Spirit. We are to be filled the Spirit (Ep 5:18) and be led by the Spirit after we receive the Spirit in baptism (Rm 8:14, Gal 5:18). 

Jesus continued to work through the Spirit (Lk 4:14, Mt 12:28) until He was taken up to heaven (Ac 1:2). As disciples of Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we become filled with joy, peace and hope (Rm 15:13). This is part of the renewing of the Spirit (Ti 3:5), as we are transformed into the image of Christ (2Co 3:18). 

Difference in Jesus' baptism and our baptism

Jesus is the sinless Son of God who is always in perfect fellowship with God. In contrast, our heart is so deceitful and desperately wicked that no one can understand it (Jer. 9:17). Before we can receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and become a holy temple (Eph. 2:21), we must first be cleansed of our filth and sin. This is why our baptism is for the remission of sins (Ac. 2:38). We must be cleansed of our sins before the Holy Spirit will move in us.  

We are baptized into the death of Jesus (Rom. 6:3) so the body of sin can be done away with (Rom. 6:6), and we can be freed from sin (Rom. 6:7). 

Paul used circumcision in a similar teaching on baptism. Our baptism is a circumcision made without hands. Christ is the one who puts off the body of the sins of the flesh (Col. 2:11). After we are buried and raised in baptism (Col. 2:12), God makes us alive because we are now forgiven of our sins (Col. 2:13). 

Baptism is also called a washing because we are washed clean of our sins (Ac. 22:16, Ep. 5:26, Ti. 3:5).

Jesus was declared to be the Son of God and was given the Spirit His baptism. We become children of God and are given the gift of the Spirit. Jesus was the sinless Son of God when He was baptized. We must be forgiven of our sin so we can become sinless children of God.  

We are cleansed in baptism so we can receive the Holy Spirit  

• Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins   (Ac. 2:38).
   
• Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins.   (Ac. 22:16). 
   
• Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.   (Rom. 6:3-7).
   
• In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses.   (Col. 2:11–13).
   
• Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word.   (Ep. 5:25–26).

The gift of the Holy Spirit

We now have the living water the Jews in the Old Covenant never received (Jn 7:38-39). It is the living water that gives eternal life (Rm 8:11), fills us with love (Rm 5:5), righteousness, peace, joy (Rm 14:17, 1Th 1:6) and hope (Rm 15:13) and helps us overcome sin (Rm 8:13). 

Paul prayed for the Ephesians "to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man' (Ep 3:16). 

Why we need strength through the Spirit:

• So that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith 
• To make us rooted and grounded in love 
• So we can know the love of Christ which passes knowledge
• So we all may be filled with all the fullness of God  (Ep 3:17-18).

Notice the end goal of the strengthening of the Spirit. It is for all of us to be filled with the fullness of God. We are to become children of God with the image of God restored in us. The apostles could see God when they saw Jesus (Jn 14:9). As disciples of Christ, we are to grow so that people can see God when they see us.  

We must not miss the main point in Gal. 3:26-27.

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

The main point is not baptism. The main point is we are sons of God because have we put on Christ.  We initially put on Christ when we are baptized into Him. The command to rise up in newness of life refers to the continual process of learning how to put on Christ in everything we do (Rm 13:18).

What keeps us from being in the image of God? Sin. How do we restore the image of God? Get rid of sin. We are washed clean of our sin in baptism and continue to grow into the image of Christ from that day on (2Co. 3:18, Col, 1:27). 

We must obey the gospel

...when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven 
with His mighty angels, in flaming fire 
taking vengeance on those who do not know God, 
and on those who do not obey the gospel 
of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(2Th. 1:7-8)

The time has come for judgment to begin at the 
house of God; and if it begins with us first, 
what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 

(1Pe. 4:17)

The gospel can be summed up as the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (1Co 15:1-3). To obey the gospel, we must die (Rom 6:3) and be buried, and then rise again (Rom. 6:4-5).

Love and obedience cannot be separated. Jesus loved the Father, and proved it by His obedience (John 14:31). Do we love the Father and the Son? (John 14:14, 21, 23, 24, 1Jo. 2:5, 3:10, 17, 18, 4:20, 21, 5:2, 3). God knows who loves Him (1Co. 8:3) and He is not mocked (Gal. 6:7). 
 

When we are baptized into Christ, we put on Christ (Gal 3:27). This is the point we become Christians learning to walk in our Master's footsteps. Faithful Christianity is putting on Christ in baptism, growing closer into His image throughout our lives (2Co. 3:18), until we become like Him for eternity (1Jo. 3:2). 

Questions? Comments?