Fulfilling All Righteousness
Jesus' baptism at Jordan symbolized the Holy Spirit and redemption, and set forth the difference between baptism and anointing, ultimately foreshadowing the events of Calvary.
G.W. North emphasizes that Jesus' baptism in the Jordan was a pivotal moment that fulfilled all righteousness and set a new standard for truth. By rising from the waters, Jesus symbolically represented both death and resurrection, intertwining the significance of baptism with the forthcoming reality of Calvary. This act not only showcased His role as the perfect example but also established the Holy Spirit's power in the process of redemption. North highlights that Jesus' actions were anticipatory, foreshadowing the necessity of His death, burial, and resurrection for the establishment of the Kingdom of God. Ultimately, the baptism of Jesus serves as a profound symbol of spiritual rebirth and the anointing for service.
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When the Lord Jesus went down into Jordan and came out again, He did so with the full intention of setting forth entirely new and much fuller truth than that which had hitherto been known. In doing so He utterly fulfilled all righteousness and became the perfect example for us. This accomplished, He came up out of the waters as though He was the one for whom all righteousness had been fulfilled. In His own marvellous way He combined two opposites, for rising from Jordan He stood up as it were from death as though He was a Spirit-baptized regenerate. In doing so He symbolically vested both the act and the waters of baptism with age-abiding newness of meaning; He added to its symbolism the as yet unrevealed fact of Calvary.
The waters were granted the sacred privilege of representing the Holy Spirit, in whom the fact and power of redemption is now permanently held for us. He came forth from baptism as though He were a crucified, risen man, (having been slain, dead, buried and raised again) born again of the Spirit of God and anointed for service. Baptism symbolised both the tomb of Christ and the womb of God and the issues from them both, none of which can be by water or blood, but only by Spirit Baptism.
Jesus Christ was not actually baptised in the Spirit at Jordan; figuratively as the representative man, He fulfilled all righteousness in a way far beyond the comprehension of even a John Baptist. Figuratively baptised, actually anointed, the Lord sets forth for all men for all time and in all perfection the difference between these, as well as the necessity for both. That which was so delightfully pictured by the Lord at Jordan had to await the coming of the Spirit ere it could be finally adapted to the needs of all men and put to its fullest use in the Kingdom of God.
What Jesus did then was anticipatory, the events He had symbolised had to be enacted in reality; it was all a foreshadowing of what yet had to be established and become the real substance of the type. The Lord had to die and be buried and rise again, and return to heaven. Promises had to be kept, and the Holy Ghost must be shed forth -- that could not be until the historic Calvary should be permanently established in the spiritual world as age-abiding reality.
Sermon Outline
- I. Introduction to Jesus' Baptism
- A. Jesus' intention to set forth new truth
- B. Fulfilling all righteousness and becoming the perfect example
- II. Symbolism of Baptism
- A. Combining opposites (death and Spirit-baptism)
- B. Representing the Holy Spirit and redemption
- III. Jesus' Baptism as a Representation
- A. Figuratively baptised, actually anointed
- B. Setting forth the difference between baptism and anointing
- IV. Anticipatory Events
- A. Foreshadowing of future events
- B. The Lord's death, burial, and resurrection
Key Quotes
“In His own marvellous way He combined two opposites, for rising from Jordan He stood up as it were from death as though He was a Spirit-baptized regenerate.” — G.W. North
“Baptism symbolised both the tomb of Christ and the womb of God and the issues from them both, none of which can be by water or blood, but only by Spirit Baptism.” — G.W. North
Application Points
- We must understand the symbolism of baptism and its connection to the Holy Spirit and redemption.
- We must recognize the difference between baptism and anointing, and how they relate to our spiritual lives.
- We must look to the events of Calvary as the fulfillment of the symbolism of Jesus' baptism.