First of all we're told in chapters John, Luke, Mark, and Matthew that Jesus was baptized. Since I myself am getting baptized in a couple months I was wondering what was the real reason for this? I never understood it. Was it to set an example for His deciples or to follow His own commands? All I got is at the end the heavens open up and a dove lands on Jesus's shoulder and God says something about this is my Son which I am proud of or something. My second question is that God said in one of His Commandments (I do believe the first one) that we shall not have any gods before Him. So wouldn't that mean bowing down to kings and queens? I guess that at all of the British people here. I don't know, I guess that I wouled just feel kind of funny about it if I were in that position.
Baptism or "Immersion" is not a new concept, nor is it a "one-time thing." It is the way God requires us to purify ourselves before we enter into His presence. For example: Before God spoke to the people at Mt Sinai, He required them all to wash their bodies and their clothes. That's an immersion or baptism. (See Ex 19) The priests immersed themselves many times throughout the day as they served the Lord in His House. All people coming to worship in God's House had to immerse themselves before approaching. Even Jesus immersed Himself every time He went into the Temple as a child and young man.
But this immersion was significantly different. Why? John the Baptist was a Levite Priest. And every sacrifice that comes before God must be declared an acceptable sacrifice by a Levite priest, EVEN a sacrifice brought by God Himself. If you bring a lamb as an offering to the Lord, it is not an offering until a priest declares it to be an offering. Until that declaration, the lamb is just a lamb. In the same way, Jesus could not have been the Promised Lamb of God without a Levite Priest declaring Him to be the Lamb of God sacrifice. Otherwise, He's just a man. This immersion is a change of status from a mere man to the acceptable, purified sacrifice before God. Jesus' ministry begins right here.
An immersion or baptism isn't only to cleanse the outside, but also to change the inside. John the Baptist taught that an immersion should change the way we think and act (see Matt 3.) It's an act of repentance. And when we rise from the water, we should be a new creature, thinking and acting differently. If we don't think and act differently, something's wrong.
Kings and queens are not gods. They are the authorities that God has placed over us, whether it be for our benefit, or for our punishment. (I say this because if you research Israel's history, God gave them a good king when Israel obeyed, and a bad king when they disobeyed.) Bowing to kings and queens is not sinful because we are supposed to submit to their authority EVEN IF we don't like them. (see 1 Pete 2.) We are ALL subject to the authority of someone. Whether it be wives to their husbands, slaves to their masters, public to the police, etc...... EVEN IF we don't like them or they treat us bad.
The ONLY time we should NOT obey the people set in authority over us, is when their laws are in direct conflict with the laws of God.
