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TEVILAH - BAPTISM
- Petra Hadžidaova
- Jan 4
- 3 min read
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Ephesians 4: 4-6
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INTRODUCTION
The time had come. John the Baptist began his ministry. Faithfully, he preached about repentance and baptised people in the river Jordan. Then the day that was foretold came. The Lamb of God approached Him. He, too, needed to be baptized by John the Baptist. Baptism is an outward expression of inward transformation. It is an act of faith and obedience done as a public declaration of believing in Yeshua.
The Hebrew word for baptism is tevilah. Today, we will explore tevilah a bit further.
BAPTISM
It all began with baptism. The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus like a dove and remained. Baptism is a Christian sacrament and ordinance - a symbol of purification and regeneration. It signifies a believer’s faith in Jesus Christ and identification with His death, burial, and resurrection through a public declaration as an outward expression of inner transformation. (2)
The word derives from the Greek word “baptizo.” It means “to immerse” or “to dip”. It is not considered a requirement for salvation, yet it is seen as an important act of obedience. (2)
Despite it being predominantly considered a Christian practice, the roots of baptism rest in the Jewish scriptures. Several places mention the symbolic cleansing of men and clothes (mikveh), and also the immersion of Gentile converts to Judaism. Baptism became an added requisite. (3)
HEBREW TEVILAH
As mentioned, baptism has its roots in the Jewish immersion of oneself in a natural living water source for ritual cleansing of sin and symbolizing death to the self-centered ego and rebirth to a new spiritual life. (4) The Hebrew word for this immersion is tevilah. (3)
JEWISH PROSELYTE BAPTISM VS NEW TESTAMENT BAPTISM
Both Jewish immersion of Gentile converts and baptism were symbolic acts of the inward transaction of faith, and both declare that only the Holy One has the power to cleanse men’s hearts and lives. (3)
Jewish proselyte baptism required a circumcision, immersion, and sacrifice in that order. With the destruction of the Temple, the sacrifice was temporarily waived by the rabbis, though, according to Jews for Jesus, it was never waived by God.
In the New Testament baptism sacrifice comes first - the sacrifice of Yeshua. Then comes baptism. The Messiah was sent before the Temple was destroyed, so that the Messiah could atone for sin once and for all. Now all who believed in him would not be left without an acceptable sacrifice for sin. (3)
ONE BAPTISM - ONE BODY
The expression “one baptism, one body” refers to the baptism of all believers into one body as a result of the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did say He is the only Way, Truth, and Life. (5)
CONCLUSION
Jesus’s ministry started with a baptism - a public act of obedience proclaiming the identification of a believer with Yeshua’s death, burial, and resurrection. It is considered to be an outward expression of an inward transformation. A ritual nowadays predominantly considered Christian has its roots in the Jewish proselyte immersion of Gentile converts, named tevilah.
Application
Dear Heavenly Father, bring a thorough transformation in every area of my life. If you feel led, do a tevilah if not yet done.
SOURCES
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Bible Hub. Baptism. Available at https://biblehub.com/topical/b/baptism.htm
Ceil Rosen. Baptism: Pagan or Jewish? July 01 2007. Available at https://jewsforjesus.org/answers/baptism-pagan-or-jewish.
Called out Believers. Tevilah and Mikvah. June 16, 2024. Available at https://www.calledoutbelievers.org/tevilah-and-mikvah/
Crossway. 10 Key Bible Verses on Baptism. March 21, 2023. Available at https://www.crossway.org/articles/10-key-bible-verses-on-baptism/
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