The Baptism of Jesus (1)
Bible Verses Luke 3:21
Now when all the people were baptized and as Jesus
was baptized and was praying, heaven was opened.
Matthew 3:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John
to be baptized by him. (14) But John tried to prevent Him,
saying, It is I who have need of being baptized by You, and
You come to me?
Words of Ministry
[Part 1 of 2]
If we would have a proper understanding of the significance
of the baptism of the Man-Savior, we need to consider further
what is the highest standard of morality. The highest
standard of morality is actually the result of the God-
created man (Gen. 1) with the human virtues created by God
plus the tree of life (Gen. 2), a tree that signifies God as
life to us with all His divine attributes.
In the man created by God there were the human virtues. These
virtues are in God’s image and according to His likeness. In
particular, these virtues are according to God’s love, light,
holiness, and righteousness. According to chapter two of
Genesis, this God-created man with his human virtues was
placed in front of the tree of life. The tree of life
signifies God as life with His divine attributes. When the
tree of life is added to the God-created man, the result is a
living in the highest standard of morality.
The Lord Jesus was baptized in order that He might live a
human life expressing God’s attributes. Although the Lord
Jesus was a complete and perfect Man, He needed to be put
aside in order to live a life that expressed God. To be
baptized simply means to be put aside, to be terminated and
buried so that we may live not by ourselves but by God. If we
are set aside in this way, we shall be able to live a human
life with the divine attributes expressed in the human
virtues.
