BAPTISM OF REPENTENCE
For the Apostle Paul, baptism was a rite of passage that stated there was a total break from one's identity and life to a new identity and life in Christ. Baptism said that a person was leaving one's national, political, and religious identity and placing one's identity soley with the risen Jesus Christ.
For John the Baptist and for Jesus, however, the break was not so absolute. For John the Baptist and Jesus, the break was not away from, but a returning to the Law of Moses - from disobedience (doing one's own thing) to obedience (obeying the Law).
Baptism was also a statement of rejecting the established leaders' interpretation of the Law (which focused on the finer details in behavior toward God) in favor of a new interpretation (focusing less on God's personal needs and focusing more on community). According to Jesus and John the Baptist, this new direction of focus was what God wanted all along.
For John the Baptist and for Jesus, however, the break was not so absolute. For John the Baptist and Jesus, the break was not away from, but a returning to the Law of Moses - from disobedience (doing one's own thing) to obedience (obeying the Law).
Baptism was also a statement of rejecting the established leaders' interpretation of the Law (which focused on the finer details in behavior toward God) in favor of a new interpretation (focusing less on God's personal needs and focusing more on community). According to Jesus and John the Baptist, this new direction of focus was what God wanted all along.
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