What Was the Purpose of John's Baptism?

The idea that water baptism is required for salvation, is in part, due to misunderstanding John’s Baptism. Well, either that or neglecting Scripture altogether. Why did John really come baptizing with water? Did he advertise baptism as a requirement for salvation? Let’s see what the Bible says.

First, let me say this is not an opposition against water baptism. It’s a stand against false teachings about baptism that confuse or become stumbling blocks for believers, and above all, rob God of his glory.

Jesus and Spirit baptism are emphasized in the New Testament. As such, focusing so much on water immersion places the focus on our own works, rather than Christ and his divine baptism, which is not what John intended. The below passages confirm this.

Acts 19:35 “So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (NIV)

Acts 11:16… “And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’”

In Matthew 3:11, John tells the people, “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire “(NIV).

The people were already familiar with baptism for spiritual purity. Water immersion was John’s way of connecting a new message to an old idea to point to the one who would follow Him – Jesus the Christ. In the Old Testament, God used prophets in this way. They were instructed to use real-life situations as symbols when conveying spiritual messages (Is. 20:1-4; Jer. 27; Hos. 1:2; Ezek. 4)..

Essentially, John says, “Just as I baptized with water, one is coming after me who will baptize in a spiritual sense.” In the same way you immerse yourself in water, he will immerse you in God’s power. It will be through him that the kingdom of heaven manifests on earth in all kinds of signs, wonders, and miracles.

Submitting to his authority will be like dipping into the water and being surrounded by powerful currents— you’ll be surrounded by his power and glory. Just like water streams from your mouth, nose, and ears after you emerge from the lake, so will living water flow out of you when you rise to new life (Jn. 7:38). When all of this happens, remember my words so you can put your faith in the Messiah.”

There were others who claimed to be a messiah or an “anointed one.” How were the people to know who to trust? Unless God clearly revealed his identity, how would they know who to follow? Scripture says of John: “He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world” (John 1:7-9 NIV).

In case that was misunderstood, John clearly states the reason for his baptism. He says, “I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel” (Jn. 1:31 NIV).

Now, are we actually not reading the Bible, or do we simply choose to ignore this for the sake of producing doctrine that aligns with our own beliefs? In what sense can this statement made by John be interpreted as a doctrine that demands water baptism for salvation?

It was John’s mission as a prophet of God, to bear witness to the Messiah (Isa. 40:3-5, Jn. 1:23). The Messiah was unknown to John, but a specific method would be used to reveal his identity. Baptism was used to accomplish this. As people came to baptize, God used this opportunity to identify the Christ.

John said, “And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’” (Jn. 1:33)

Matthew 3:16-17 reads, “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.

Jesus fit the description.

And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Is. 42:1-4) God wasn’t simply bragging about his Son. It’s as if he pointed a giant finger down from heaven saying: “In case you missed the sign, this is the man! This is my beloved Son, the one I have chosen! He’s the one I told you about. Obey Him!”

Following this foretold event, and receiving confirmation of Christ’s identity, John began to testify that Jesus was God’s Chosen One, encouraging the people to follow him.

John 1:32… “Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.”

John 1:34… “I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

To conclude, John never commands water baptism for the purpose of salvation, forgiveness of sin, or membership in God’s church. However, repentance was certainly the reason for his baptism. To put it in a more understandable way, his baptism was performed for the purpose of repentance, that is, for the ultimate purpose of turning people to God, through trust in Jesus Christ. That is in a nutshell, what it means to repent.

John’s Gospel shows that this purpose was somewhat fulfilled. Following a dispute with Jewish opponents, we read that “…Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” And in that place many believed in Jesus “(Jn. 10:41-42).

It was God who sent John to baptize with water so that the Messiah could be identified. After the Christ was made known at John’s baptism, John then testified to Israel, pointing them to Jesus as the Messiah.

Water baptism has never been a requirement for eternal salvation and it won’t ever be.

Visit my personal blog for a more in-depth post on water baptism.

**Unless otherwise noted, the thoughts expressed in this post are my own, and are intended to guide, not replace one’s own conviction and study of Scripture.

What Was the Purpose of John’s Baptism?