Why was Jesus baptized?
Posted on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at 12:03 pmIn the opening lines of Luke 3, Luke notes that John the baptist was giving a baptism “for the repentance of sins.” Later in the chapter, Jesus is baptized by John, presumably then for the repentance of sins. This naturally raises the question, “Did Jesus have sins he needed to repent of?”
We’ll be exploring this question in worship at Countryside Community Church this weekend. We’ll also be baptizing a couple of people and offering everyone the chance to undergo a reaffirmation of baptism immediately following the services. Reaffirmation of baptism is not a re-baptism, but is analogous to a reaffirmation of wedding vows. When a couple reaffirms their vows, they aren’t getting remarried. They’re simply renewing their commitment to one another. Reaffirming one’s baptism is a way of renewing one’s commitment to God.
Jesus being baptized doesn’t necessarily mean that he needs to be cleansed from his sins, for me, it served as an example for everyone that we can all want to have purity of heart and soul.