Quote:
Originally Posted by Praxeas
So? Invoke....the whole point of what Jesus says is not about invoking a special word that can do something.....it's about stating the authority by which you are baptizing.
|
Actually, from my study of the Jewish Roots of Christianity, I found that baptism was absolutely nothing new in the NT at all. Not only that, but it was not uncommon in Jesus' time for disciples to go through the Mikveh (Jewish baptism) and be immersed in the name of the Rabbi/Teacher whose teaching they were following, and to whom they were separating themselves TO. From a Jewish perspective, authority was not the focus, the person being separated TO was the focus.
So, from that standpoint, we are immersed in the name of our "Rabbi" signifying that we are separating ourselves TO Him. We are joining ourselves to His teaching etc. This was no small matter in biblical times. It was extremely serious and a big commitment as well.