How can instruction on baptisms be considered a foundational doctrine? It’s something that is rarely talked about in most Christian-oriented assemblies beyond the need to get baptized when you join up. But the below verse says there’s multiple (even implying more than 2).
Hebrews 6:1b-2
let us be carried forward, not again the laying of the foundation of repentance from dead works and faith towards God,
of instruction in baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
The above is my own translation of the Greek.
Many people of course know about the classic Christian baptism, being put into the water backwards by someone else, which spiritually is literally you dying to your worldly desires and works, and coming out of the water living renewed in Jesus (יהושוע).
Romans 6:6-11
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
But where are the baptisms? How are these foundational? What I’ve found is that the baptisms are in fact central to what God is doing with us and for us even though we don’t talk about them much.
So let’s dig into what our Bible says about baptisms.
A Change of State
Baptisms have a purpose. There is a pattern of peoples, individuals and even Israel itself going from one structure of life to another. We have a beautiful first example.
Matthew 3:13-17
Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
The highlighted immediately jumps out to me, saying to “fulfill all righteousness” indicates a different type of baptism than our typical Christian one-time conversion through immersion. And it indicates that something was commanded before the New Testament.
A that righteousness is coming from the Torah (the Old Testament that still teaches us how to be righteous). And consider this, Jesus (יהושוע) is being baptized but John’s baptism for the people was for repentance.
Mark 1:4-5
John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.
Jesus (יהושוע) does not need to repent, having never sinned. So how could he be required by the Torah, to be baptized? Let’s go look for examples.
Israel Leaves Slavery Through Water
When we start the book of Exodus, Israel (Jacob) has taken his entire family of 70 people, to Egypt to live there on account of the famine. Protected by his son Joseph, who had been sold into slavery in Egypt but became its ruler.
Israel has grown immensely from that point through many children (but also from what I see, also through many people joining them).
Exodus 1:8-9, 13-14
Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.
And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:
…
And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.
And it’s important to be aware, Israel and Egypt had nothing in common, despite the fact that Israel was in Egypt, they had a separate land called Goshen, they were pastors which the Egyptians looked down upon.
As Jacob and his family arrive in Egypt, this is the advice that Joseph gives them in coming before Pharaoh.
Genesis 46:33-34
And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation?
That ye shall say, Thy servants’ trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen;
for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.
Notice how Joseph is intentionally setting up Israel to be separate, not accepted into the traditional Egyptian society. And Egypt wasn’t looking to accept them in the first place.
Genesis 43:32
And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him,
by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians.
Note, Israel are all Hebrews.
This is all clearly connected to our modern day society (in prophecy, our modern day western world powers are spiritually the same as Egypt).
Israel are pastors, they rely on the land (or better stated, the blessings of God) to make them fruitful, if there is no rain, they suffer. They need to take care of other living beings to have food, resources and this requires a mindset of selflessness to have success.
The Egyptians on the other hand, hate this. They want to be gods themselves, independently powerful and accountable to no one. They generally seek to make their money in socially acceptable ways that give them this power and status. Like collecting it from other people, wars, trading, investing, gambling or social media.
Other people, animals, they are unreliable. They want their money in the bank, ready for them to use and enjoy when they so please. Hopefully, you can see the not-so-subtle connections to our modern-day kingdoms.
But while Israel has grown very large, they are not prospering, they are living under the oppression of Egypt. Why?
Deuteronomy 28:
But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day;
that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field…
And it continues on to a very long list of terrible things that will happen to those who forsake the instructions of God. Our Bible (Torah) is patterned, the same judgments, instructions and processes are happening over and again over since the beginning of creation.
These instructions and commandments are Jesus (יהושוע). Jesus was always the Savior of Israel, and He still is.
John 1:1-4
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
This also happened in Daniel’s time when Israel, after having built a great, powerful and prosperous kingdom starting with David and then Solomon, Israel again ends up in slavery in Babylon (another “head” of the evil Egyptian empire).
Daniel prays this beautiful prayer of repentance, from Babylonian captivity.
Daniel 9:11
Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice;
therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God,
because we have sinned against him.
This is all to say, this is the pattern that God uses, to show us things are not right, that we have left His blessings for the temptations of Egypt. But while Egypt on the surface, seems to have many great things (cell phones, and technology, and stores full of every type of food), at it’s core it’s always heading towards oppression and slavery of the people.
Egypt doesn’t care about you, or love you. But God does and He wants you to rely on Him for your bread, for your provision and protection.
You Get Baptized When You Choose to Leave Slavery
So Israel has had enough of Egypt, God calls them to leave Egypt and through power and miracles God brings them out. And then what happens?
Well it’s not easy, Pharaoh chases them with a mighty army. Remember, Israel were slaves, pastors, builders, they are not soldiers prepared to fight. It’s as if where I live, the country of Panama, tried to stand up to the US military right next door, it’s an absurdity. Impossible. Panama doesn’t even have a military and no one in the world stands up to the US military (yet).
And yet God brings Israel out, through the water.
Exodus 14:21-28, 31
And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness?
wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?
And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.
And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians,
And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.
And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.
And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.
…
And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.
This is real, and it is for us, we’re scattered throughout “Egypt” struggling to get by, to live basic faithful lives under the world’s oppression.
Wanting a better life but looking at the sea of water in front, and an impossible situation behind us.
And like us, Israel is not very faithful at this moment. Just like many of us, when we partook in a Christian-style baptism, may not have known what was on the other side of the Red Sea (aka Sea of Reeds).
I can tell you, while I had read my Bible quite a lot at the point of my baptism, for several years, all I really knew is that I wanted to follow God even though I was scared and in pain, my life was heavy upon me and I only had a tiny bit of hope left, that let me push through one more day, each day weighing heavily upon me.
And in comparison, when I had been in “Egypt”, I had an easy job that paid very well, lots of free time and money to do whatever I liked. And just getting to this point of being baptized had cost me all this, and then several months later I lost the ability to walk for 6 weeks.
What?!
Aren’t we supposed to be blessed? To enjoy the blessings, the protection and the riches of God? Yes we are, but those things come by trying your best to follow the instructions of God. At this point, I was still a mess. I hadn’t left my worldly desires yet. I liked wasting lots of time playing video games and pointless Youtube videos, and my various worldly desires still had lots of control over me.
But I can happily report to you now, my life is happier and more joyful full of the blessings of God. I am still quite physically weak, and I don’t have a bank account full of money ready to go like I used to, but I have no anxieties or fears in these difficulties. Why would I? I serve God and He is my provision, my bank account, my comfort. God has shown it to me over and over again at this point, I don’t need those things I had, and I never did. I just need God.
And now, I don’t procrastinate any more, I easily and joyfully learned 2 languages in under a year. I received the thing I wanted most in life which was to wake up and enjoy the tasks I have before me. I serve the people around me instead of serving myself. It’s like, the person I used to be doesn’t exist any more, everything about the way I am, while not perfect, is intended to be functional towards God and His kingdom, of which I am a bondservant.
It is extremely joyful, I just hope as many people as can receive this gift. It’s worth whatever the price you have to pay.
Matthew 13:45-46
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
So what was my baptism? My baptism was the real start of being a disciple of Jesus (יהושוע). It was me declaring my intention to God, that I was going through the Red Sea (Sea of Reeds) into a new God-seeking life. That I wanted Him to work with me. That now there was a big sea between me and my old life in Egypt.
And that’s what I think the first baptism was for Israel and for all of us, it’s declaring your intent by going through God’s process of redemption just like Israel, choosing of your own volition to seek Him and have Him work with you.
And I suffered after this, but I learned and I’m grateful every day that God didn’t leave me in my sins. I’m not saying you will have to suffer like this, perhaps you have more faith than I did.
But we need to hear God’s true Word, and have faith that impacts the way that we walk. When we get baptized, we start the process. I am not in any way warning against it, you should get baptized and start the process, whatever it costs, it is worth it.
But that is what I think the first baptism is.
Acts 8:36-38
And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
The Dove and 40-Day Patterns
Going all the way back to where we started, Jesus (יהושוע) is baptized by John.
Luke 3:21-22
Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
This is not the first time we’ve seen heaven open and a dove go out.
Genesis 8:6-8
And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark [heaven] which he had made:
And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.
Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;
How is this relevant to Jesus’s (יהושוע) baptism?
Well, the temple seems to have fallen in 70 CE (at the Passover), which would be 40 years after Jesus (יהושוע) gets baptized here, being 30 years old.
Luke 3:23a
And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph,
Right after this baptism we read about another 40 days.
Luke 4:1-2
And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
And 40 days (days can also be years), has a clear implication in the Old Testament (Torah).
Jonah 3:1-5
And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,
Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey.
And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
40 days is a time of repentance from Jonah (and Jesus’s יהושוע proving in the wilderness). 40 days before the judgment of destruction. There were 40 years after the baptism of Jesus (יהושוע) and then the Temple was destroyed.
And whenever you see 3 days in your Bible, you should be thinking about the resurrection, and 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth for Jesus (יהושוע) and us being raised to life on the third day (2 Kings 20:8, Hosea 6:1-2).
When you line it up, it’s literally telling you the time of repentance is starting, right at Jesus’s (יהושוע) baptism. A new age, a new state for Israel and the world. Through the water. Baptism.
And when you see the Hebrew, Jonah’s name is exact the same word as the word for Dove.
Matthew 12:38-42
Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
The heavens open for Jesus’s (יהושוע) baptism and a dove comes out, before that Noah’s ark (also heaven) opens and a dove comes out. These are fundamental prophetic patterns in our Bible (although rarely discussed or known).
That is that the Pharisees (and anyone else) could have known that Jesus (יהושוע) was the true Jewish Messiah, because He fulfilled the pattern established in Noah’s ark, made even more evident in Moses then the prophet Jonah, that was then confirmed by world changing events, the gospel going out into Israel giving them the “40 days/years” to repent and at the end of the 40 years, the destruction of the Temple.
That’s why Jesus (יהושוע) says no sign will be given except Jonah the prophet, it’s a huge sign happening right in front of them, fulfilling all the prophecies of their Torah. If the Pharisees had cared about what their Torah said (same as our Old Testament), they could have known. And so can we.
And all this happened, as Jesus (יהושוע) went through His baptizism, through water. Changing His state, the way that Israel would be, and changing us. It’s clear why Paul calls this a basic instruction, it’s a central part of our Salvation.
Mark 16:15-16
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
“He who is baptized will be saved”, that is to say “he who changes his state”. We need to change when we start to follow God. It’s not just the physical act of going through water but the spiritual change in the way that you are, demonstrated by your belief (faith) that causes you to take action to do your best to live in this new Godly state.
Putting It All Together
God completely changed the state of the world from that moment forward after Jesus’s (יהושוע) baptism, changing Israel to a new phase of faith.
Not a new faith, but the progression of the same faith through the repenting Gentiles and additional clarity from the teaching of Jesus (יהושוע) and the disciples helping us to understand what the Old Testament actually said, that has been codified into the New Testament.
He took us from the period before the crucifixion to after. And nothing has been the same since, there is no going back to the way the things were before it. We have permanently changed our state, after Jesus’s (יהושוע), that is God’s baptism.
And I think that is how we are supposed to think about participating in baptisms, we have a baptism of repentance, that starts our journey as a disciple of Jesus (יהושוע) but there are also other times we can “change our state” or immerse ourselves in a new way of being.
Luke 9:61-62
And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
The workers of God, never go backward. I believe that becoming a teacher, a pastor, serving God’s kingdom in some way is one of the times we should be baptized. To immerse ourselves and enter into our new life of service.
1 Peter 3:20-21
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
Eight souls went through the Flood and walked out into a new world, a world without all the violence and sin that was there previously. That is exactly as Peter says, a figure of our baptism.
You also will be coming out fresh, freed from your sins or with a new purpose for your life. Immersed, no going back.
When to Get Baptized
So what I take away from this, is that you use baptism when you want to change your state before God. To show that you are making a serious attempt to change, will you succeed? If God gives you the power to do so, you cannot fail. And so we follow this process of baptism, of an immersion, a mikvah using God’s pattern to communicate that with Him that we are ready to try, that we want Him to work with us.
And I think this can be done for a variety of reasons. I’m not recommending following modern-day Judaism but they have women perform a mikvah before marriage and this fits the biblical instructions that I see. Jesus (יהושוע) I believe is demonstrating a baptism in the flesh to start teaching and to start reproving Israel just like the prophets did (prophets being an anointed role, see my study explaining anointing or laying hands on people).
And also, I think very importantly as we perform these physical actions, they are reminders of where we came from, and what God is doing. We are in God’s path now, we are not going to go backwards.
Proverbs 4:26-27
Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
These moments of going through the water, the world changing phases that Israel went through, God doesn’t want us to forget about these events. And well, overall we very much have forgotten, but we can remember, we can teach people to remember. Just look at the 10 commandments that start with this.
Exodus 20:2
I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Not only did God take Israel out of slavery through the water, but He brought them into the Promised Land through water.
Joshua 3:9-11, 15-17
And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God.
And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.
Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan.
…
And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,)That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.
And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.
Prophecy of the Baptisms
All of these baptisms are prophetic, patterned to happen in our time as well. They help us to understand the promises of Jesus (יהושוע) that we need to keep to remember, to stay in our new immersed state.
Just like Joshua and Israel crossed over, seeing the waters recede of the Jordan as a sign, so we now have baptism as a sign. That when you are baptized, you can die to sin, and as you see this, you can remember that one day God can change your state again. To give eternal life, to resurrect the dead, to give an inheritance in the Promised Land and remove us from the corruption of this flesh and this fallen world.
1 Corinthians 15:53
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
We need to not forget, we need to help people remember what God did, and what He will do.
And that’s why the “doctrine of baptisms” I believe is fundamental to our faith, just as Paul said. It’s a physical action that we can do, and see the results of what happens. To know that these promises of God are not some far away thing, with no tangible basis in our lives.
And there are more baptisms, more signs and things that we can see to build our faith and walk out the Bible’s instructions and patterns in our modern day lives.
Matthew 3:11
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance:
but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear:
he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
You can also have your state changed by the Holy Spirit as I told you in my baptism story, that the dysfunctional person that I was doesn’t not exist anymore, and is not even something that I have to struggle with. Not by my own power, but by the Holy Spirit. A change of my state of being, through immersion in the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-25
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
The Baptism of Fire
Fire in our Bible, is almost always judgment, that is chastening, suffering the consequences of our unbelief. Israel was taken through the wilderness, a hostile land that doesn’t support life.
Deuteronomy 8:15-16
Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;
Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not,
that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;
You also, will suffer these trials or refinings of God, so that you will know your faith is real, and that it is powerful. To learn to truly rely on God for your Bread, your provision and your life.
2 Timothy 3:12
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
This is God baptizing you this time in fire, changing your state again. Facing the dangers of this world with faith, and getting to see God act to help you, provide for you and protect you will at the end of it, permanently change who you are as a person.
1 Peter 1:7
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
Zecharian 13:9
And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried:
they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.
As the body of Jesus (יהושוע) right now, we lack faith, we rely on our retirement accounts, politics, untrue Bible doctrines and whatever other worldly thing we find to cling to instead of turning to the real and living God. God is alive and He is acting.
Come back to Him, He’s right there waiting for you.
If you’re in the fire right now, I’m so sorry, I know how painful it is. But don’t give up, the best thing I ever did was just to not give up on God. Keep going.
James 1:2-4
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be [complete] and entire, wanting nothing.
Matthew 24:13
But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
May God bless you, His children seeking these foundational doctrines. May we be healed and come together again in one purpose under יהושוע ha’Mashiach, that is Jesus the Jewish Messiah.
Having already come once as the Suffering Servant, He will come again as the Lion of Judah to put all things under His feet. May He come soon.