The Levites in Numbers 8:5ff were sprinkled with water, and some think this to be baptism in the Old Testament, arguing for the same practice in the New. Nevertheless, the matter was one of ordination of the Levites who were set apart for special service in place of the firstborn of Israel. The Levites, then, were given to God wholly to serve the Lord in the tabernacle. They required cleansing also, and therefore we read of sacrifice and ritual pertaining to them, including shaving their bodies. To make the matter of a small detail in their ritual ordination a practice of the church is suspect. Christians are indeed made priests to God, yet no such example of sprinkling with water exists in the New Testament. Where sprinkling is mentioned, it is in Hebrews referring figuratively of cleansing the conscience.
Hebrews 10:22 “let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
And this being upon the heart and related to assurance. Thereafter is mentioned the washing of the body with pure water, which would entail something more than a picture of sprinkling; for one does not sprinkle one’s body in the morning to clean up for the day, but the person washes it. Much could be said and argued about baptism and certainly is argued by those of different traditions.
Nonetheless, I am certainly thankful that we can be light-hearted with those who differ with us on the matter of mode and manner of baptism, and like I heard Steve Lawson quip at Robert Godfrey, “A little dab will do ya!” as he sprinkled the speaker’s panel with water in jest!
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A Little Dab Will Do Ya!
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The Levites in Numbers 8:5ff were sprinkled with water, and some think this to be baptism in the Old Testament, arguing for the same practice in the New. Nevertheless, the matter was one of ordination of the Levites who were set apart for special service in place of the firstborn of Israel. The Levites, then, were given to God wholly to serve the Lord in the tabernacle. They required cleansing also, and therefore we read of sacrifice and ritual pertaining to them, including shaving their bodies. To make the matter of a small detail in their ritual ordination a practice of the church is suspect. Christians are indeed made priests to God, yet no such example of sprinkling with water exists in the New Testament. Where sprinkling is mentioned, it is in Hebrews referring figuratively of cleansing the conscience.
And this being upon the heart and related to assurance. Thereafter is mentioned the washing of the body with pure water, which would entail something more than a picture of sprinkling; for one does not sprinkle one’s body in the morning to clean up for the day, but the person washes it. Much could be said and argued about baptism and certainly is argued by those of different traditions.
Nonetheless, I am certainly thankful that we can be light-hearted with those who differ with us on the matter of mode and manner of baptism, and like I heard Steve Lawson quip at Robert Godfrey, “A little dab will do ya!” as he sprinkled the speaker’s panel with water in jest!