Why did Jesus need to be baptized?

Question

Isn't baptism for the sole purpose of cleansing people from sin? Wasn't Jesus supposed to be born free of sin?

I think John the Baptist had a good point...............

If it is not clear from the other 200 questions I've asked, I want a critical, well-thought-out answer...........not some crap website you've memorized and vomited back up.

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Because he was not God neither son of God. Just a human being who later started preaching.

Answer 2

In obedience to the Father. His baptism was an example for His followers, but it was more than that. God chose to speak from heaven (which He hadn't done for over 400 yrs.) and what He said was very important for all the witnesses to hear. "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased." And the heavens opened up and the Holy Spirit descended down on Jesus like a dove.
Baptism is not for the purpose of cleansing people from sin. God does that when we believe and receive Christ as our personal Savior. Baptism is more like a ritual that shows the world in symbolism that we have been saved. We go down into the water symbolizing our sinful, unclean self.....and rise up out of the water symbolizing that our sins are washed away. It is one of the ordinances that, by His example, Christ instituted in the church. (The other being the Lord's Supper). It is important as a witness to those present that we have joined with Christ, have repented of our sins, accepted Christ as our personal Savior and are adopted into the family of God. In Jesus's case, He had no sin, but His mission here as a human was to teach us how to follow Him and bring others to Him and, more importantly, to die for our redemption.

Answer 3

This baptism was a very public one and was recorded for all generations to know about and understand, and it is important for several reasons. First, it pictures His death and resurrection. Second, it symbolizes the believer’s identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. Third, it marks His first public identification with those whose sins He would bear. Fourth, the event was a public affirmation of His Messiahship by the testimony that came directly from heaven (Matthew 3:17).

Water baptism is used as a way to identify. In Jesus’ day, when a Gentile would convert to Judaism, he would have to be publicly baptized to identify him as a convert. Obviously, Jesus was not converting to anything. Jesus’ baptism was an identification of Jesus with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus was baptized to publicly announce Himself as God’s Son, and to pronounce the beginning of His ministry with the Holy Spirit’s power. Jesus did not “need” the Holy Spirit. However, to set an example for us, Jesus emptied Himself (Philippians 2:7) and relied upon the Holy Spirit’s power. Jesus' baptism and reliance upon the Holy Spirit is an example that we are to follow in our own lives.

Recommended Resource: Why Believe in Jesus?: Who He Is, What He Did, and His Message for You Today by Tim LaHaye.

Answer 4

You are right that Jesus did not need to be baptized for the remission of sin. But baptism is also required to enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus was baptized to show that he was obedient to all the commandments of His Father, and to set the example for us that we should also be baptized.

Here are some scriptures that help me to understand this:
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/john/3/5#5
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/31/4-12#4

Answer 5

It was to fulfill a prophesy. Christ in this case symbolized all humanity. He had no sin He was just setting the example.
After His baptism the Holy Spirit descended upon Him conferring His role as a Manifestation of God.

Answer 6

For the same reason Jesus, being God, prayed to God the Father... His job was to walk as a man does. In so doing, upon the tree, He redeems or damns all of mankind. He is the filter through which all men must pass.

He was baptised to fulfill all righteousness. Same reason He read scriptures and prayed...He had to walk as a man does.

Answer 7

Jesus got baptized to fulfill all righteousness, to be an example. We're supposed to follow His example.

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?"
15 But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him. Matt 3:13-15 NKJV

Answer 8

1# It was to identify the Lord as the Son of God at the beginning of his ministry.
2# It was a commencement token of the total dedication of Christ in carrying out Heaven’s plan.
3# It was a visual precursor to the Savior’s ultimate death, burial, and resurrection. Each of these points needs some development.

Answer 9

We all needed Baptism. JESUS did not act as one gaining Righteousness from it, but as the FOUNDATION for all humans HE made HIMSELF the WAY for. In HIM the Waters of Baptism were united to HIS Salvation of us, and made an Entrance for following HIM into New Life.

Answer 10

Here is the truth. Jesus was God and Jesus was perfect but God ****** up.

So jesus ie God had to be RE-BORN or RESTORE ALL THINGS...

Why?

Because he ****** up and knew it jesus proves thios to God by creating God through John the baptist.

I can go into a very long convo on this but I wont unless you want me to.

Hit me up [e-mail]

G3G

Answer 11

That was part of his human side! And yes, to set an example. He lead and we followed. ( at least some of us did.)