Baptism: Where Our Hope Begins

The beginning: The origins of baptism

In the first book of the New Testament, a momentous event occurs – Jesus Christ's baptism. This event is so significant that it is recorded not only in the first book of the New Testament (Matthew) but also directly in three of the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). Further, reference to Jesus's baptism is also made in the fourth gospel, John, where he says in John 1:33-35,
"I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He, who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” When God states something in the Bible twice, we know it is essential for us to take notice and action, if applicable. When God inspires something to be repeated four times to give abundant witness, we know it is something truly significant, and in this case, a monumental moment in the plan of God. Peter alludes to why this event was so significant in 1 Peter 1:20, "He [Jesus Christ] indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you…"
Part of God's plan is being shown to us through Jesus Christ's baptism.

Reading through the various accounts of Jesus Christ's baptism in the gospels, you may notice something perplexing but noteworthy that occurs with baptism in general. If you had no prior knowledge of the Bible and read through it for the first time from beginning to end, Jesus's baptism would be the first time you would be formally introduced to the concept and practice. The definition of baptism, what it means, and its representation within the plan of God is not explained beforehand but only after. The first such instance in the Bible where the purpose of baptism is alluded to is in John 3. Jesus, while talking to Nicodemus, expounds on baptism's role as being vital for the new spiritual birth that must take place for believers to enter the Kingdom of God. However, the role of baptism is not explicitly defined until after Jesus's crucifixion in Acts, when we are told that baptism represents "the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38; 22:16).

These verses illustrating the role of baptism were not inspired and written in the [1] historical record until some 30-40 years after Jesus's crucifixion. Despite this, when we read about Jesus Christ's baptism in the gospels, the authors intend for us to immediately understand its significance, importance, and meaning. This is illustrated to us in John 1:25-26: "They [the Pharisees] asked him [John the Baptist], 'Then why are you baptizing if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?' John answered them, 'I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even He who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie." The Pharisees do not ask John what baptizing is or its significance. They seem to grasp the importance since, to them, only someone of prominence, like a prophet or the Messiah, has the authority to baptize. They instead ask him why he is baptizing. 

This is puzzling because although baptism's origins can be traced back to the Old Testament, the whole concept of burying your old self and becoming a new person through baptism is first explained by Paul, some 30-40 year after Jesus's crucifixion according to the historical record . Paul describes baptism's role to the believers in Rome, stating in Romans 6:3-4, "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so, we also should walk in newness of life." These examples force us to ask ourselves why this occurred this way in the Biblical narrative. Is it simply because the authors of the New Testament should have explained baptism's importance? Alternatively, was it because the practice was adopted right before Jesus Christ, so it did not appear in the Old Testament? Regardless, we will look at these questions and others. While looking, we will discover that there may be so much more to baptism and its true meaning than we may have understood initially.

Let us go back to the Old Testament to fully understand the importance of baptism and its origins. The practice of baptism is not explicitly discussed in the Old Testament, but the concept and roots of cleansing by water go all the way back to Genesis. However, before proceeding, it is important to mention that the use of words in a language can change over time. That new usage of the word can show us what is important to the culture of that time. For example, if one looks at our present-day culture, one can see what is deemed important with the recent creation of more words and phrases revolving around technology. Thirty years ago, when someone mentioned a "stream," one would only think of a small, flowing body of water. A person may still think of that today, but they would also think of its technological application, which now means to "stream" TV shows, movies, or music. Similarly, when someone mentioned a "virus" 30 years ago, they would only talk about it in the biological sense. Now, it also means malicious software that can replicate itself and spread to other computer systems, thus causing harm. This same concept can be applied to any society or language, including the ancient Hebrews. 

The washing away of sins

The use of water for ritual cleansing was important to the Hebrews. In fact, the practice can be seen throughout Scripture in both the Old and New Testaments. God commanded Moses in Exodus 19:10, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow; and let them wash their clothes. And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day, the LORD will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people." This was not a simple process, but a thorough cleansing as the process would last three days. David alluded to a cleansing like this in Psalms 51:7 when he says, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Jesus Christ also references the cleansing required for His followers through The Great Tribulation when He says in Revelation 7:14, "These are the ones who come out of the Great Tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

The practice of ritual cleansing through water before coming into God's presence was not only applied to washing clothes. The practice was similarly applied to washing oneself to become ritually cleansed. In Leviticus 15:21-22, women were commanded to wash themselves after their monthly cycle. Leviticus 14:7-9 shows us that washing was also required after recovering from a skin disease, like leprosy, or when coming into contact with a corpse, as mentioned in Numbers 19:11-13. The act of washing oneself in water was so important to God that it was even commanded of Aaron and his sons. Exodus 29:4 says, "And Aaron and his sons you shall bring to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and you shall wash them with water." Aaron and his sons were required to wash themselves before offering any sacrifices to God, especially on the High Day of Atonement. This washing was so important that failure to not wash properly would result in death. 

The ancient Israelites understood the symbolism of immersing oneself in water to become ritually cleansed as this concept has been pervasive throughout the Old Testament. However, even though God commanded the Israelites to practice this ritual physical cleansing, just as seen in the New Testament, He was more interested in theirs, and ours, spiritual cleansing, as symbolized in the New Testament. Although Psalm 51:7 was mentioned earlier, washing oneself from sin was on David's mind throughout Psalm 51 as he correlates this washing to burnt sacrifices and the removal of sin. Jesus Christ also elaborates on the spiritual cleansing He desires from His followers when He tells the Pharisees, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness." Even though on the outside, the Pharisees appeared righteous and interested in following God's law, on the inside, they were actually 'whitewashed.' Their genuine interest in following God's law was primarily for their own personal gain.

Likewise, major prophets such as Jeremiah, Ezra, and Zechariah allude to this symbolism throughout their writings. So, with this background and seeing the pervasiveness of washing throughout the Old Testament, can we now begin to see why the concept of baptism, and what it symbolized, was not defined at the beginning of the New Testament? Perhaps, but there is still a missing and essential piece related to washing and its link to baptism. After all, we know that washing was only symbolic of the spiritual cleansing that Jesus Christ desires of His Followers. So, what does it symbolize? Perhaps we can begin to understand the symbolism more fully through a single Hebrew word – mikveh.

Mikveh - A new meaning

The first time that mikveh is used in the Bible is in Genesis 1:10, when “God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas.” According to many online sources, including [2] Strong’s Concordance, the word “gathering together” used in this verse is mikveh and means “a collection.” Most online sources, such as Blue Letter Bible, and various Hebrew sources like Kesher, define mikveh as “a collection [of waters]” due to the word’s strong and repeated connection with water. Throughout the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible), the Chronicles of the Kings, (1st and 2nd Chronicles and Kings), and the Books of Wisdom (Job, Psalms, and Proverbs) we see mikveh used in a similar way to mean “a collection [of water].” We see a noticeable example of mikveh’s usage in Leviticus 11:36, “Nevertheless a spring or a cistern, in which there is [3] plenty of water, shall be clean, but whatever touches any such carcass becomes unclean.” This verse is referring to the cleanliness laws found in the Old Testament and when something should be deemed clean or unclean. Notice that a collection of waters (or, as the verse says, ‘plenty of water’) is always clean. Throughout the early books of the Old Testament, we see the same imagery being conveyed of mikveh as it relates to water.

However, as we progress through the Old Testament, we see mikveh used in a different and interesting way. In Ezra 10:2, we see a clear example of the different way mikveh begins to be used. At the end of the verse, Shekaniah is recorded as saying, “…we have trespassed against our God, and have taken pagan wives from the people of the land; yet now there is [4] hope in Israel in spite of this.” ([5] Note: although the book of Ezra is near the beginning of the Bible in most versions, Ezra was written after the exile of Israel from the land by the Babylonians, closer to the writings of the major prophets). At the time this book was written, the people with Ezra clearly understood they did wrong against God with their actions. However, with all their work in restoring the Temple and Jerusalem, the remark of “now there is hope in Israel in spite of this” is a peculiar usage of mikveh in this context. Why is mikveh, previously only used to mean “a collection [of waters],” now being used in a context to mean “hope?”

Jeremiah gives us a more striking example of mikveh being used in this new manner and relates this word directly to God. In order to gain the proper context for what Jeremiah is talking about in these verses, we will begin with the preceding verse, Jeremiah 14:7, “O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, do it for Your name’s sake; for our backslidings are many, we have sinned against You.” Then, in Jeremiah 14:8, “[6] O the Hope of Israel, his Savior in times of trouble…” Similar to the verses we read in Ezra, these verses in Jeremiah talk about the iniquities and sins that the people have committed against God. Moreover, similar to Ezra, Jeremiah also incorporates this new meaning of mikveh by calling God “The Hope (Mikveh) of Israel.” This is not a one-time occurrence either, as Jeremiah also makes use of the different meaning of mikveh in Jeremiah 17:13, “LORD, You are the Hope (Mikveh) of Israel; all who forsake You will be put to shame.”

According to the [7] Blue Letter Bible and various online sources, the Old Testament already had a word for “hope” that appears 32 times. This word is tikveh, meaning “an expectation” or “to hope for.” This discovery and the preceding verses related to mikveh prompt several important questions. What does it mean that God is the Mikveh of Israel and, therefore, our Mikveh, as Jeremiah says in Jeremiah 14:8? Why does mikveh change from “a collection [of waters] to “hope” rather than employing “tikveh?” Moreover, what connection does mikveh have to the concept of baptism?

The intertestamental period: The silent years

We have reviewed the term mikveh and see that it has the meaning of “a collection [of waters]” in early Old Testament writings, but “hope” in later Old Testament writings. Both definitions and their usage give us a deeper understanding to what God was conveying when he inspired mikveh to be used in these varying ways. However, although it is not stated in the Old Testament and only came later during the time between the Old and New Testament, another usage of mikveh needs to be understood to recognize its significance and how it relates to baptism entirely. For roughly four hundred years, spanning the ministry of Malachi to John the Baptist, Jewish tradition says no prophet spoke in the land of Israel. Jewish tradition considers this time the silent years from God and scholars refer to this period as the [8] intertestamental period. Even though there were no Biblical writings during this time, many important events happened during this period, which influenced Jewish thinking and prepared the world for Jesus Christ’s arrival and His gospel.

One such important event from this period was the adoption of the mikveh pool into Jewish life. [9] Only found in Israel, mikveh pools (or mikvoth) began to appear throughout the land of Israel and in historic communities of the Jewish diaspora, starting in the 2nd century B.C. According to the Britannica Encyclopedia, mikvoth are [10] baths used for ritual immersion in Judaism to achieve ritual purity. They can be found in almost [11] any ancient Jewish community due to their strong ties to ritual purity within the Jewish faith. To give you a sense of their importance, according to the publication [12] The Times of Israel, 700 mikvoth have been discovered throughout Israel. Of the 700 mikvoth discovered so far, 200 are found in Jerusalem, and of these, 50 are located near the Temple Mount. The location of these mikvoth, and their strong presence in Jerusalem and near the Temple Mount, clearly show their role and importance. Jerusalem, and especially the Temple Mount, was the center of the sacrificial system during the Old Testament and through the intertestamental period. As a result, there could be thousands of Jewish pilgrims in need of ritual cleansing at any time of the day, with many more thousands above that in need around the holy days.  

The Hope in Jesus’s Christ healings

With this background of mikvoth and their importance to Judaism, some passages in the New Testament begin to take on new meaning and can be seen from a different perspective.

During Jesus Christ’s ministry, He healed many lame, blind, and deaf people. In fact, there are so many of these healings that John 21:25 tells us, “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” If Jesus Christ performed this many miracles as John wrote, then the ones recorded for us in the New Testament have been included for specific reasons.

Two examples of these healings, and Jesus Christ’s most well-known, are found in the book of John when He heals a
man who could not walk for 38 years (John 5:1-8) and a blind man from birth (John 9:7). In reading both of these
accounts, notice we are told both of these healings happened at pools, and those pools were directly involved in the
healing or mentioned by Jesus. In the first healing, the man who could not walk says to Jesus in John 5:6, “Sir, I have no one to put
me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” The
man is placing his faith in the pool to heal him, but Jesus’s response is direct. The pool will not provide the hope or
healing the man seeks, but only the One the man is talking to can do so. Unlike the pool the man is putting his hope
into, Jesus Christ only needs to tell the man, “Rise, take up your bed and walk” (John 5:8), and immediately he can.
In the second healing, the blind man is not around a pool. Jesus Christ is the one who references the pool in this
healing when He tells the blind man, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam (John 9:7).” Notice in the first healing, Jesus says
the pool is not needed for healing and performs the healing Himself; however, in the second healing He asks the blind
man to take action by washing and uses the pool in the healing. Even though the pool is directly used in the second
healing, the healing the blind man experiences still ultimately comes from Jesus.

Why is it significant that these two healings were performed near pools? Recently, according to Biblical Archaeology Society and other archaeological finds, it has been discovered that both pools mentioned in the healing accounts in John ([13] Bethesda and [14] Siloam) were mikvoth (or mikveh). Immediately, the symbolism of what Jesus Christ conveyed in these healings and miracles should become striking. The man who could not walk had been waiting at one of these mikveh pools most of his life, putting his hope there. Jesus Christ came and became that mikveh for him. The blind man from birth had to take action and use a mikveh to complete his healing in the thing that represented the hope of Jesus Christ. In both of these instances, we begin to see how and why the word initially used as “a collection [of waters]” was inspired by God to be used as “hope” later when the prophets wrote. Eventually these mikvoth would become prevalent around Israel, with their roots based in the hope of physical healing for chronic conditions, representing the future Messiah. Now these mikveh pools had become the places of Jesus Christ’s first public miracles of healing, showing that He was the Mikveh and Savior that Israel had been waiting for as Jeremiah 14:8 stated, “O you Hope of Israel, its Savior in time of trouble…” Jesus Christ, the God of the Old Testament, was Israel’s and is our true “Lord who heals you (Exodus 15:27).”

Did Jesus just turn water into wine?

The Book of John is written from the perspective of showing Jesus Christ as both the Son of God and a human, someone who, like us, had to resist sin and the same temptations while in a mortal body. [15]The symbolism and themes throughout the Book of John, such as John’s contrast of light and darkness to belief and unbelief are distinct from the other gospels, whose primary focus is on Jesus Christ’s teachings, parables, and life. As a result of these distinct and differing perspectives, the early church referred to the Gospel of John as “the spiritual gospel.” This distinction makes it noteworthy that an account of Jesus Christ is given in John, which is not referenced in other gospels. The account is significant because it happens near the beginning of Jesus Christ’s ministry. According to [16] many scholars and even the Bible, as stated in John 2:11, this event marks the beginning of Jesus Christ’s public ministry. The account is recorded in John 2 when Jesus turns water into wine.

[17] Many online sources and scholars explain the meaning of this miracle as Jesus Christ showing His power over all things down to the atomic level. Others think this miracle is included to show [18] Jesus Christ’s personal side, where He takes an interest in the honor of the family and acts to prevent any shame from happening to them. While both explanations hold some weight and are true to an extent, the miracle’s actual meaning and distinction of being Jesus Christ’s first publicly may be far more profound. You are now familiar with the importance of mikvoth in ancient Israel, and their widespread use for the ritualistic cleansing of sin and the hope of physical healing. There was another important use for mikvoth, and in fact, it is still used in the Jewish faith today. According to the publication [19] Jewish Rhode Island, mikvoth were and still are used
before weddings to symbolize the washing away of the bride or groom’s previous sins so both can enter the
marriage cleansed. Like other ritual cleansings that mikvoth were used for during the intertestamental period,
[20]this pre-wedding mikvoth washing also dates back to roughly the 2nd century B.C., with its roots going
back to the Old Testament, as previously reviewed. With mikvoth being important to even Jewish weddings, it
should not be surprising to learn that [21] modern archaeology believes the six waterpots described in John 2:7
were actually mikvoth. This is further demonstrated within Scripture since the preceding verse, John 2:6,
records these six stone water jars as being there “for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or
thirty gallons.” The jars would have had to be present for the pre-marital cleansing, which would have occurred within four days prior to the wedding. Interestingly, the amount of water that each jar holds (twenty or thirty gallons) is also recorded in John. This is important because these jars would have had to be large enough for total immersion according to the Jewish ritual practices, but they would also have to hold enough water to satisfy the guests for the remainder of the wedding. [22]Considering that Jewish weddings during Jesus’s time could last up to 7 days, a large amount of water, and thus wine, would be needed.

The implications and symbolism of this miracle are remarkable to our understanding. From what we now know, mikveh was originally associated with water and was later used to mean “hope” and to represent Jesus Christ as our hope, as we have seen recorded in the prophets of the Old Testament. With this understanding, do we see the entirety of God’s plan present in this first miracle, which began Jesus Christ’s public ministry? When Jesus Christ turned the ritually cleansing, purifying
water from the stone jars into wine, which would represent His blood? Throughout the Bible, wine is used to symbolize
various things and plays a significant role. [23] In the Old Testament, wine is used in the sacrificial system through
drink offerings (where wine was poured out on the altar with the sacrifice) and was required on most annual holy days.
In the New Testament, we learn what wine represents and why it is integral to the sacrificial system. Jesus plainly states
in Luke 22:20, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.” No longer is the water of the Old
Testament needed, which merely covered sin temporarily. Through Jesus Christ’s blood, we now have access to
something far greater as Hebrews 9:14-15 states, “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Therefore, He is the Mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.”

Another noteworthy detail is mentioned within John's account. That is the miracle of turning water into wine happened on the third day (John 2:1). With this miracle happening on the third day and at a wedding, the parallels are once again striking and show us the tremendous symbolism to both Jesus Christ and the Father’s plan. Three days is prominent throughout Jesus's
parables and the Old Testament. We reviewed an example of this earlier in Exodus 19:10 when the children of Israel had to wash their clothes and prepare to be in the presence of God for three days. However, the most well-known example of this third day is the sign of Jonah that Jesus gave to the Pharisees as Him being the Messiah (Matthew 12:40).

Through Jesus Christ's first miracle, the plan of God and Jesus's total purpose is revealed to us. Even though the ancient Israelites did not fully understand the mikveh’s (or mikvoth) purpose and usage in their language, they were practicing their hope in God and the One who would come as Jesus Christ. The sacrifices and water purification rituals of the Old Testament could only temporarily cleanse them from their sin, as alluded to in Hebrew 10:14. Jesus Christ's coming, and willful shedding of His blood for us turned the old purification rituals of the Old Testament into an everlasting covenant, symbolized to us through mikveh and thus baptism. We should also remember that all of this happened at a wedding. This miracle symbolizes the whole of God's plan, including its ending, eventually leading to and culminating in the marriage of the Lamb to His Bride in Revelation 19:7, "Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready…"

So, was Jesus turning water into wine merely a miracle to show His authority over everything down to the atomic level, or to show compassion on a family and to preserve their honor in the community? Of course, it was both, but God wants us to learn much more from this first miracle. It is fitting that Jesus’s first miracle is not of healing but of His true character and purpose.

Conclusion – The Hope we have in what was promised to us

What began from the simple question and observation of why the term baptism isn’t defined at the beginning of the Gospels led us to the significance of the word mikveh. Through this word, we have seen how mikveh, and ultimately baptism, was actually a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ, revealing the hope we have in Him and the hope He freely offered to others during His ministry. As we continue to discover new things through archaeology, our understanding of the Bible and the time it was written continues to expand. However, it’s important to remember that although God inspired the New Testament for us to learn from and apply to our lives today, the authors of the New Testament wrote directly to the people and culture of their time. The things we are now discovering that may have been “lost” to us previously were not to the people of the time of the New Testament. These people were familiar with all of the aspects of hope and mikveh that we are only beginning to uncover today.

We can see all these aspects of mikveh and how they relate to Jesus Christ throughout the New Testament. Paul, when writing to the early church in Rome, says such when he says in Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing...” In this verse, Paul refers back to Jeremiah 14:8, which declares the hope and Mikveh that is Jesus Christ. Later in Romans 5:5, Paul also writes, “…and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.” Paul tells us in the preceding verses that character actually produces hope, and it’s this hope that we should have no shame in. Why should we have no shame in this hope? Because it’s Jesus Christ. Romans 10:11 says, “For the Scripture says [referring to Isaiah 28:16], ‘Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame.’

New Testament authors understood not only how Jesus Christ was our hope (or mikveh) but, more importantly, what that hope “foreordained before the foundation of the world” truly meant for them and, thus, humanity. As mentioned earlier, Jesus’s miracle of turning water into wine showed the whole purpose and plan of God. There is one other detail in this account that wasn’t elaborated on but is an important note for this point. John 2:6 records that “six waterpots of stone” were present at that wedding, representing the ritual purification required by the Old Testament. [24] The number six is prominent throughout the Bible. According to online sources including Steppes of Faith, the number six is used primarily to describe imperfection or incompleteness. When addressing the multitudes that came to see Him, Jesus Christ says about the law in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” Those six waterpots representing the purification of the Old Testament were incomplete and imperfect because they were missing something essential. What was needed for these waterpots to be filled up? Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 1:9-10, “…Who [speaking of Jesus Christ] has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel...” Jesus Christ’s manifestation and sacrifice filled up and gave the true meaning of the law, making those waterpots containing only water complete. Only because of Jesus Christ were the things foreshadowing Him from the Old Testament completed and made perfect, finally bringing forth the hope of healing that God promised us from the beginning. 

When looking at the life of Jesus Christ and the example that He set for us, there is one last aspect of hope that is revealed to us, and perhaps the most important. Paul alludes to this aspect of hope in his epistle to Titus in Titus 1:2: “… in the hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began and at the proper time manifested in His word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior…” From the very beginning in the Garden of Eden, God had a purpose and promise for humanity, which was the promise of eternal life if we follow His way. [25]The promise of eternal life is a prominent theme in the New Testament, as it is referred to 41 times by name. Peter recognizes the importance of eternal life and how Jesus Christ played a crucial role in this fundamental promise from God to humanity. Notice 1 Peter 1:3-6, “Blessed be the God and Father of Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading…” Peter sees Jesus Christ as not only the hope or mikveh from the Old Testament but now in a new light as our living hope. We are not only saved by Jesus Christ’s willful laying down of His life for us but we are also assured of God’s promise that He will do the same for us through the example we see through Jesus as our living hope. Later in the same chapter, Peter talks about this new hope that we see through Jesus Christ when he says in 1 Peter 1:20-21, “He [Jesus Christ] indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory so that your faith and hope are in God.” From the very beginning, it was God’s plan for Jesus Christ to come and die for our sins, allowing humanity a pathway to eternal life. Likewise, from the beginning, it was planned that Jesus Christ would have to be raised from the dead, so our faith would become a living hope from the example we see of Jesus Christ. Peter and other New Testament authors understood and showed us they saw all these aspects of Jesus Christ and how He was truly our hope in everything throughout their writing. Only through the hope of Jesus Christ coming and dying for our sins can we have the hope of eternal life that was promised to us. Baptism, and all it represents through Jesus Christ, is the only means of gaining that promise, entering the Kingdom of God, and hearing the words from Jesus on that day, as he says in Matthew 25:34,

“Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world…”

Sources

[1] (2024, March 14). Acts of the Apostles: New Testament. Britannica. Retrieved March 31, 2024, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Acts-of-the-Apostles-New-Testament
[2] (2024, March 27). Miqveh - Genesis 1:10. Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved March 27, 2024, from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h4723/kjv/wlc/0-1/
[3] (2024, March 27). Miqveh - Leviticus 11:36. Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved March 27, 2024, from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h4723/kjv/wlc/0-1/
[4] (2024, March 27). Miqveh - Ezra 10:2. Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved March 27, 2024, from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h4723/kjv/wlc/0-1/
[5] Swindoll, C. R. (2009, January 1). The Historial Books: Ezra. Insight.org. Retrieved January 7, 2024, from https://insight.org/resources/bible/the-historical-books/ezra
[6] Blue Letter Bible (2024, March 27). Miqveh - Jeremiah 14:8. Retrieved March 27, 2024, from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h4723/kjv/wlc/0-1/
[7] Blue Letter Bible (2024, March 27). Tiqva - Retrieved April 11, 2024, from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h8615/kjv/wlc/0-1/
[8] Knowing the Bible LLC (2004, January 1). The Intertestamental History. Knowing the Bible. Retrieved January 18, 2024, from https://www.knowingthebible.net/topical-studies/the-intertestamental-history
[9] Bonnie, R. (2019). Bath/Mikveh. Brill Encyclopedia of Early Christianity Online. https://doi.org/10.1163/2589-7993_EECO_SIM_00000401
[10] Encyclopedia Britannica (2024, March 19 [last updated]). History & Society: Mikvah - Judaism. Britannica. Retrieved March 25, 2024, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/mikvah
[11] LOCKSHIN, S. (2024, January 1). What is a Mikveh? Retrieved February 21, 2024, from https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-mikveh/
[12] Bar-am, A. S. (2017, March 25). On the Mikveh Trail, follow the rugged path of Jerusalem’s ancient pilgrims. The Times of Israel. https://www.timesofisrael.com/on-the-mikveh-trail-follow-the-rugged-path-of-jerusalems-ancient-pilgrims/#:~:text=And%20that%20is%20why%2C%20of,located%20near%20the%20Temple%20Mount
[13] Biblical Archaeology Society (2013, August 13). The Bethesda Pool, Site of One of Jesus’ Miracles: Where Jesus Heals the Paralytic. Retrieved February 12, 2024, from https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/jerusalem/the-bethesda-pool-site-of-one-of-jesus-miracles/
Biblical Archaeology Society (2013, August 23). The Siloam Pool: Where Jesus Healed the Blind Man. Retrieved February 12, 2024, from https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/the-siloam-pool-where-jesus-healed-the-blind-man/
[14] Hale, T. (2023, March 27). The Siloam Pool: Where Jesus Healed the Blind Man. Retrieved March 5, 2024, from Pool of Siloam: The Ancient Site Where Jesus Was Said to Perform Miracles
[15] White, L. M. (1998, April 1). The Gospel of John. PBS.org. Retrieved February 28, 2024, from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/story/john.html#:~:text=Already%20by%20the%20year%20200,Mark%20and%20Luke....
[16] Wilmington, H. (2018). The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Turning Water into Wine. The Second Person File, 1-2018(102).
Olson, B. a. C. (2023, January 1). If he can turn water to wine . . . https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2023/01/24-if-he-can-turn-water-to-wine?lang=eng
Bible Study (n.d.). Jesus' First Miracle. Bible Study.org. Retrieved March 4, 2024, from https://www.biblestudy.org/maps/jesus-first-miracle-timeline.html#google_vignette
[17] Pray (2023, January 1). Why Did Jesus Turn Water Into Wine? The First Miracle Explained. Pray.com. Retrieved February 12, 2024, from https://www.pray.com/articles/why-did-jesus-turn-water-into-wine
[18] McCoy, D. (n.d.). Jesus Turns Water into Wine…And Turns Worry to Faith. Renew.org. Retrieved March 4, 2024, from https://renew.org/jesus-turns-water-into-wine-and-turns-worry-to-faith/
[19] Raskin, P. (2017, January 20). How a mikveh brings a mitzvah to a wedding. Retrieved January 25, 2024, from https://www.jewishrhody.com/stories/how-a-mikveh-brings-a-mitzvah-to-a-wedding,6043#:~:text=The%20mikveh%20is%20a%20Jewish,sense%20of%20connection%20to%20God.
[20] Azoulay, D. (2020, May 24). MIKVAH BEFORE MARRIAGE. Ketubahazoulayart. Retrieved February 20, 2024, from https://ketubahazoulayart.com/mikvah-before-marriage/
[21] Paul, I., & Paul, I. (2018, July 9). What is the meaning of the six stone jars at the wedding in Cana? | Psephizo. Psephizo. https://www.psephizo.com/biblical-studies/what-is-the-meaning-of-the-six-stone-jars-at-the-wedding-in-cana/
[22] Ancient Marriage - Background Bible Study (Bible History Online) - Bible History. (n.d.). https://bible-history.com/biblestudy/marriage#google_vignette
[23] Leithart, P. (2023, October 24). The theology of the drink offering. Theopolis Institute. https://theopolisinstitute.com/the-theology-of-the-drink-offering-2/
[24] Faith, S. O. (2018, October 17). What the number 6 means in the Bible and why you should care. Medium. https://steppesoffaith.medium.com/what-the-number-6-means-in-the-bible-and-why-you-should-care-60b81243788
[25] Slick, M. (2021, January 29). Word study on eternal life. Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry. https://carm.org/annihilationism/word-study-on-eternal-life/