FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP
THE FIRST
PRINCIPLES - VII
Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles
of the doctrine of Messiah, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the
foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward IAUE,
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and
of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal
judgment.
DOCTRINE
OF BAPTISMS – 2
John 3:25 Then
there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.
A
question about “purifying.” This word in the Greek text is “katharismos,” which literally means “cleansing”
or “washing.” Its reference to immersions
in the verse above specifically implies the cleansing that is achieved as a
by-product of immersion; hence the translation, “purifying.”
We
mentioned in our last posting that the Jews were not curious about their fellow
Hebrews being immersed, because washings were a commonplace experience in the
Hebrew way of life. They were curious as
to why John (Yohannes) was doing the immersing.
Either he was the Messiah, or he was the forerunner to Messiah (Elijah). No other explanation made sense in the mind
of the studied Jew. After Yahushua was
immersed by John and began his ministry, he, too, began immersing disciples. With two men now immersing disciples, you can
begin to imagine the growing fear and anxiety within the religious priests and
scribes and the leaders of that day.
Laws
for “washings” were prevalent in the Torah; and more were added through the
centuries by rabbinical teachings and traditions. There were an abundance of rules and laws
regarding washing one’s hands, washing one’s clothes, and washing the entire
body. There were washings to consecrate Levites to the priesthood, washings
before annual events, washings after breaking the law, washings after touching
or coming near a corpse, washings after touching any unclean thing or unclean person.
There was washing after being healed of a sickness or disease, washing after normal
bodily functions, washing in preparation of a marriage, washing before eating, washing
after eating, washing when you awoke in the morning, and more.
Washings
were a cultural way of life for the Hebrew people; so when the writer of the
Book of Hebrews instructed the disciples not to lay again the foundation of washings,
he was referring to an underlying principle that should have been understood by
all Hebrews. One inescapable conclusion must be drawn from the existence of such
an extraordinary presence of washings throughout the Torah. IAUE
intended His people to be “clean.” Any
uncleanness or impurity was unacceptable in the people called by His name;
which is why He made so many provisions for restoring one to a state of
cleanness and purity.
Perhaps
you can see, now, the danger in the early translators rendering this word “baptismos” as a brand new word that had
no relevant definition in its day.
Transliterating the word into “baptisms” created the subject of a brand new “doctrine,”
rather than allowing the word to remain connected to its long-standing meaning
of purification by washing. There are
very few believers in the “Christian” church, today, who look upon their water
baptism in the context of purification.
It is most commonly looked upon as “something you are supposed to do now
that you are a believer.” Interestingly,
these same people do not seem to regard with equal blind obedience, all of the
daily commands of IAUE to do His will. Perhaps,
if this foundation stone had been properly laid, obedience to IAUE’s will on a
day-by-day basis would not be an issue.
This
foundation principle is called the “teaching about washings,” not the “doctrine
of baptisms.” It isn’t referring to a training
course about the five different kinds of “baptisms” listed in the King James
Version of the Bible:
- Jewish Ceremonial Baptism – where a Gentile immerses himself/herself into a body of water and emerges a Jew, never again to take up the practices of a Gentile.
- The Baptism of John – a baptism of repentance
where the person confessed his/her sins and was then immersed in water,
coming out of the water committed to sin no more while awaiting the coming
of the Messiah.
- The Believer’s Water Baptism – a baptism of separation from one’s former life unto the new life he/she is to live in submission to the Master Yahushua Messiah.
- The Baptism of the Holy Spirit – where a person who placed his trust in Yahushua as the Messiah was immersed in the Holy Spirit, and emerged out of the Holy Spirit a new creation, consecrated to the priesthood of the believer forever to do the will of IAUE.
- The Baptism of Fire – where those who rejected the promise of Messiah are immersed in fire and are eternally separated from the presence of IAUE.
In
these five different kinds of immersions in the Scripture, do you notice the
one feature consistent with them all?
The one having been immersed never returns to his former condition. Immersions/washings BURY the unclean
thing. The unclean thing cannot be taken
with the person beyond the grave. This
is the purification implied in the teachings of washings. It is a separation from the unclean thing.
Romans 6:3 Know ye not, that so
many of us as were immersed into Yahushua Messiah were immersed into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried
with him by immersion into death: that like as Messiah was raised up from the
dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
From this we can easily see that immersion into Messiah
is a burial. It is our union with
Messiah in his death and burial. We can
also easily see that it is Messiah who was raised from the grave, not us. It is only by our being IN HIM, in Messiah,
that we experience separation from the uncleanness of our lives.
1 Corinthians 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom
of Elohim? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers,
nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor
covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the
kingdom of Elohim.
11 And such were some of
you: but ye are washed, but
ye are sanctified, but ye are
justified in the name of the Master
Yahushua, and by the Spirit of our Elohim.
1 Corinthians 1:30 But of him are ye in Messiah Yahushua, who of IAUE
is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
1 Corinthians 12:13
For by one Spirit are we all immersed into one
body…
Our
separation from “the unclean thing” is actually a separation from our very
lives which are thoroughly contaminated and corrupted by the flesh. Nothing of our own life is “clean” enough to
serve IAUE. There is no manner or amount
of washings we may apply to ourselves that removes the uncleanness of our
flesh. The only thing clean enough to serve IAUE is IAUE’s son, the Master Yahushua
Messiah; and the only way to share in his cleanness before IAUE is to be “in
him,” so that HE might become our purification, our separation, our sanctification
unto IAUE.
The
“teachings of washings” makes us understand that IAUE requires purity from the
people who are called by His name. The
washings throughout the Scriptures demonstrate this call to cleanness…to purity…to
sinlessness. We can never attain to this purity by our own
actions or merits. We must rely on the
purity of another, on Yahushua Messiah.
1 John 3:6 Whosoever abideth in him sins not: whosoever sins hath not seen him, neither known him.
Once
again, we see the revelation of the person of Yahushua Messiah in these first
principles to be that HE is the complete provision to all of our needs before
IAUE. He did the works of righteousness
for us; his faith toward IAUE carries us into relationship with IAUE; and his
death and resurrection is our separation and cleanness before IAUE. All that Yahushua has done; and all that he is
before IAUE, is commuted unto us through our being and abiding in him.
It
is not about us at all. Everything is
about Yahushua. The moment our focus is
moved away from the person of Yahushua Messiah and from allowing his life
freedom of expression within us, we move into dangerous paths; because outside
of Messiah there is no good thing.
Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance
of the will of IAUE.
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