Baptism is for the forgiveness of sins? Nope....

Folks, here is an example of some of the false teachings within the “Hebrew Roots” and “Messianic” circles.  It reveals that one cannot be too careful about whom they follow!  This person, Daniel, made several errors here.

First, let’s address "baptism". Here, Daniel applies only the modern concept of baptism for use as a background to complain about. He is assuming that since the purpose of baptism today is to "cleanse one of sin" (which is modern Christian thought), that somehow the baptism by John the Baptist was the same.  But, that is not true….

Sure, there are verses such as Mark 1:4, Luke 3:3; Acts 13:24, and 19:4 which state baptism is for the repentance and forgiveness of sin.  But Daniel uses sophistry to make his point which scripture itself negates.  His argument is that "since baptism is to cleanse a person of their sin then the Messiah must have sinned."  But Matthew 3:5-17 reveals the following:

Matthew 3:5  People went out to him from Yerushalayim, from all Y'hudah, and from the whole region around the Yarden. 6  Confessing their sins, they were immersed by him in the Yarden River. 7  But when Yochanan saw many of the P'rushim and Tz'dukim coming to be immersed by him, he said to them, "You snakes! Who warned you to escape the coming punishment? 8  If you have really turned from your sins to God, produce fruit that will prove it! 

9  And don't suppose you can comfort yourselves by saying, 'Avraham is our father'! For I tell you that God can raise up for Avraham sons from these stones! 10  Already the axe is at the root of the trees, ready to strike; every tree that doesn't produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown in the fire! 

11  It's true that I am immersing you in water so that you might turn from sin to God; but the one coming after me is more powerful than I — I'm not worthy even to carry his sandals — and he will immerse you in the Ruach HaKodesh and in fire. 12  He has with him his winnowing fork; and he will clear out his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn but burning up the straw with unquenchable fire!" 

13  Then Yeshua came from the Galil to the Yarden to be immersed by Yochanan. 14  But Yochanan tried to stop him. "You are coming to me? I ought to be immersed by you!" 15  However, Yeshua answered him, "Let it be this way now, because we should do everything righteousness requires." Then Yochanan let him.  

16  As soon as Yeshua had been immersed, he came up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, he saw the Spirit of God coming down upon him like a dove, 17  and a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; I am well pleased with him." 

Take note: In verse 6 we find a confirmation that people were being immersed to confess their sins. So far, Daniel is correct.  And in verse 11 we find that, indeed, people were being immersed for to demonstrate their repentance.  Again, Daniel is correct!  However, in reading further, we find the Messiah's arrival. Here things change which Daniel seems to have overlooked.

In Matthew 3:13-14 we find that the Messiah came to be immersed, yet John tried to stop him!  John said "You are coming to me? I ought to be immersed by you!"  Clearly, John recognized that the Messiah did not need immersion!  (While Yeshua was certainly a MAN, he was also divine, and therefore, completely different from “regular humans.”)  But the Messiah insisted – and in the next 2 verses, we learn why. 

For the Messiah, his immersion was NOT for the cleansing of sin as Daniel assumed; rather it was for the Messiah to receive the Ruach haKodesh/Holy Spirit.  

The truth is, water baptism is merely an outward expression that one has accepted Yeshua as Messiah (which means they have also accepted YHWH as their ELOHIM).  Water baptism is an act of obedience that follows conversion to portray symbolically the washing away of our sins (which was done the moment we accepted YHWH as our God and Yeshua as His Divine Messiah who died on our behalf. 

And by the way, the baptism itself does not bring salvation; salvation inspires the water baptism. It should be the first thing we do after we are "born again." Those who have become believers in Messiah Yeshua should desire to follow Him in this ordinance.

The bottom line is this:  If Yeshua had been "just another man" who was "prone to sin," that would mean the One who placed the embryo into the womb of a virgin was flawed - since Yeshua has his Father's "DNA" so to speak.

And (2) if he had EVER sinned, he would have been a flawed vessel who could NOT have been perfect ... perfect enough to martyr himself on the stake and take away the sins of the world. Animal "sin sacrifices" throughout history, HAD to be flawless!

BTW, although we call Yeshua our "perfect Sin Sacrifice", he wasn't actually sacrificed, as nobody sacrificed him; and YHWH never expected "human sacrifice."  Yeshua was DIVINE because his Father was ELOHIM.  Yeshua was the the "Arm" (Isaiah 53) and The Word (John 1:1, 14), who was always echad (ONE) with YHWH.  To suggest he had to be cleansed from sin (especially by a mere man who baptized him) is blasphemy.