Why Did Jesus Need to be Baptized?
Why Was Jesus Baptized for Repentance?
It is easy to be confused as to why Jesus was baptized. In fact, when Jesus came to John the Baptist in order to be baptized by him, even John was somewhat confused. John initially objected to baptizing Jesus and even tried to prevent Him before Jesus convinced John that it was good and right.
So, why did Jesus need to be baptized? John was baptizing people with a baptism for repentance. John was calling for them to confess their sins and to flee from the wrath to come. Since Jesus is the sinless Lamb of God it is natural to question (and even to object) why Jesus would need to be baptized for repentance. Although all four of the Gospels mention Jesus’ baptism, only the Gospel of Matthew records Jesus answering this question directly. When John tried to prevent Christ from being baptized, Jesus said, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). While Jesus Himself knew no sin and had no need for repentance personally, the ministry of Christ as the Savior of all required Him to fulfill all righteousness on behalf of those whom He came to save. Jesus came to die in the place of sinners who are in need of being baptized for repentance. The Bible affirms that salvation is completely by the grace of God, received through faith in His appointed Messiah. Therefore, Jesus did everything necessary to fulfill all righteousness on behalf of all who trust in Him. Part of this righteousness included being baptized for repentance.
Let’s dig a little deeper into this fascinating topic.
A Perfect Savior
I’ve been in ministry a while now. I’ve heard the doctrinal question many times: Do you believe baptism is necessary for salvation? Sometimes people are shocked when I say, “Yes… and that’s why Jesus was baptized.” That pause tends to make some people very uncomfortable.
For some, you can see the objection rise up in their throat. You can almost hear the shout of “heresy” ringing in their mind. Their passionate attempt to preserve the doctrine of salvation being exclusively by the grace of God through faith in Christ alone is understandable. The desire to defend any addition of works to what Christ has done is commendable.
And to be clear, I do not believe or teach that our works contribute in any way to our salvation. Hence, the necessity of the full answer: “That’s why Jesus was baptized.”
Jesus is a perfect Savior. As a perfect Savior we must not attempt to add to or take away from His perfect and complete work. Perfection stands on its own. Attempting to add to perfection is just as detrimental as trying to subtract from it. You can’t make perfect better. You can only ruin it.
(You may enjoy our related article on the immutability of God. Click this link to read it.)
Jesus came to fulfill all righteousness. Not some righteousness. Not most. All.
The Apostle Paul put it this way:
For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:3–4)
We could never be saved by our own works. If any could have attained righteousness on our own, then Christ died for nothing (Galatians 2:21). We’ve all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). This is why we all need salvation as a gift of God’s grace. This gift of grace is found in Christ alone (Romans 3:24; 1 Timothy 2:5; Acts 4:12; John 14:6).
Christ, the perfect Savior, came to fulfill the Scriptures. He came to achieve the perfect righteousness that we all require to be reconciled to God the Father and to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus taught, “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Perfection is needed. That’s what Jesus came to fulfill.
Jesus is much more than an example. He is much more than a teacher of morals or precepts. The Scriptures teach that Christ came to willingly lay down His life as a substitutionary sacrifice for the sake of all who will believe upon Him.
In other words, Jesus didn’t come to tell us how to live. He didn’t come to show us how to live. He did something far more astounding. Jesus came and lived the perfect life that is required and He actually fulfilled all righteousness. Then, He willingly suffered and died as a vicarious substitute for sinners. The punishment we deserve fell upon Him (Isaiah 53:5–6). The perfect righteousness He achieved could then be freely bestowed upon all who trust in Him by the grace of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
In brief: Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist for repentance because the people Christ came to save needed to be baptized for repentance. Jesus completed all the righteous requirements needed for our salvation so that our salvation could be freely received to the praise and glory of His great name. Those who receive this gracious gift through faith, therefore, have no reason to boast in themselves but only to exult in the amazing gift of God.
Water Baptism?
So, if Jesus fulfilled all righteousness, does that mean believers shouldn’t be baptized after coming to faith in Jesus?
Of course we should be baptized!
The message of the gospel calls people out of darkness into light. Once we were rebellious toward God. But now the grace of God has set us free in Christ to willfully submit ourselves to Him. We no longer live for ourselves but for the praise of His glorious grace.
This freedom should not be used to continue walking in darkness and sin (1 Peter 2:16). Look at how the Apostle Paul brings the symbolism of baptism together with the teaching of grace:
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:1–4)
Christians are not called to obey God in order to earn His favor. Instead, we demonstrate our love for God by abiding in His commandments. Jesus taught, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15).
The symbolism of water baptism is both beautiful and vivid.
It represents our immersion into Christ that we are hidden in Him and participants in His life.
It represents the sober truth that we were buried with Him in His death in order that we may participate in His life.
It is also a public declaration to all that we are not ashamed to be associated with Jesus or His people—the church.
For any who refuse to obey Christ’s command to His people to be baptized (Matthew 28:19-20), it is right to question whether they have truly believed the gospel or not. We are not saved by our obedience. However, the Bible is clear that part of the fruit of genuine salvation and grace will be the obedience of faith (e.g., Acts 6:7; Romans 1:5; Romans 16:26).
Jesus fulfilled all righteousness in order to be a perfect Savior. For those who have received His perfect salvation, we ought to truly walk in newness of life. This newness includes obeying His commandments as His people. The first step of the life of faith is publicly declaring we no longer live for ourselves but we now live for Christ through water baptism.
The Apostle Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, explained it well:
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ-- this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”
Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. (Acts 2:36–41)
What About Passages that Teach Baptism is Necessary for Salvation?
Unfortunately, there is a fair amount of controversy and argument amongst Christians on this topic. While we understand that people take different views, we also affirm that, when properly kept in their context, no passages ever teach that Christians contribute to their salvation by being baptized.
Water baptism is not the mode or instrument of our salvation. The grace of God applied by the Holy Spirit to the one who has faith in Christ is the mode of our salvation. We are placed “in Christ” by the direct ministry of the Holy Spirit, not by the means of sacramental grace. The water of baptism is symbolic of the reality experienced by those who have already been hidden in Christ by the Holy Spirit through faith in the gospel.
One of the biggest difficulties in this issue lies in the fact that “baptism” is a word that is most often transliterated instead of translated. In Greek, the noun is baptisma (βάπτισμα) and the verb is baptizō (βαπτίζω). Even without being a Greek scholar, you can see the resemblance to the English words baptism and baptize. The literal definition of this Greek word is “to dip or immerse.” It is common practice that instead of translating this word into its literal meaning, the English transliteration “baptism” or “baptize” is used.
The problem is discerning whether or not “water” has anything to do with this baptism. Often, people read this into the text because of their preconceptions of what baptism is. Since this term is loaded in English, we sometimes think the text explicitly says something that it actually does not.
Since not everyone agrees on when water is in view and when it is not, it is not at all hard to see why people disagree so vehemently on this topic. One example should suffice. The Apostle Paul stated: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4–6).
Is this “one baptism” describing the ordinance of water baptism? Or, is it describing the work of the Holy Spirit when a person believes in Jesus and is “immersed’ or hidden “in Christ”?
While believers may disagree on this point, we can only affirm how we understand the Scriptures. The one baptism that Paul is describing in the book of Ephesians is a work of the Holy Spirit who supernaturally places the one who believes “in Christ.” This is a huge part of the teaching of the book of Ephesians (e.g., Ephesians 1:13; 4:3–4).
In this understanding, all who believe are immersed in Christ at the moment of their salvation by the Holy Spirit. Then, believers should begin walking in the obedience of faith from that point on. This obedience includes being baptized in water as a visual and symbolic representation of what has already taken place by the grace of God.
When this is understood, it clarifies passages that seem to directly teach that the ordinance (or sacrament) of water baptism actually saves people. These passages can then rightly be understood with the teaching of the rest of Scripture and not at all in contradiction:
Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you-- not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience-- through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him. (1 Peter 3:21–22)
The Apostle Peter was speaking of Noah being preserved through the flood by being hidden safely inside the Ark. In verse 21, Peter uses symbolic language when he says “corresponding to that” – that is, just as Noah was saved by being immersed in the Ark, so are Christians saved by being immersed in Christ. For more on this, see our article on Jesus: The Promised Seed and Ark of Salvation.
Just to be sure that he isn’t misunderstood – although he is still very commonly misunderstood! – Peter adds the qualifying statement that salvation is not by the removal of dirt from the flesh but by an appeal to God for a good conscience. That is, it is not the water that cleanses us. It is repentance and faith in Christ that saves us.
Water baptism is a symbolic representation that shows we are hidden in Christ and trusting Him to preserve us through the wrath that is to come. Since Jesus alone saves, we must be found hidden “in Christ” on the day when God’s righteous wrath is revealed. When we believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit seals us “in Christ” and we will be saved from the wrath of God through Him (Romans 5:9).
When a person hears the gospel and turns to Christ in humble faith, it is this appeal for a clean conscience that God rewards. The Holy Spirit then seals this person in Christ and bids them to walk in the obedience of faith. Since Christ is the perfect Savior we need, He fulfilled all righteousness — from beginning to end — so that all who are hidden in Him can enjoy His perfect salvation. Nothing we do could ever contribute to what Christ has already done on behalf of His people. Those who are saved should delight in doing His will and obeying what He has commanded so that in all things God would receive the glory, honor, and praise that is due to His name.
Related Questions
By what method was Jesus baptized? Jesus was baptized by full immersion in the waters of the Jordan River. The location is clearly specified in Mark 1:9 and also in Matthew 3:13. Matthew 3:16 also records that they “came up immediately from the water” signifying baptism by immersion.
Did Jesus baptize anyone? John 3:22 seems to say that Jesus was baptizing along with His disciples. If we continue reading, John 4:2 says, “(although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were).” This statement clarifies that the disciples were baptizing as part of their ministry under Christ’s supervision, but Jesus Himself did not baptize anyone personally.