Omniscient, Omnipresent, and Omnipotent

Psalm 139

Does the thought of someone knowing everything there is about you, and always being with you something that you don’t want to hear or know about, or does it bring you peace?  Today’s psalm is one of several favorites that I have from the Book of Psalms, and one that should bring comfort and peace to believers, but is also one that might bring discomfort to those who do not have or want God in their lives.  Let’s take a look at this beautiful psalm of David, where we see God’s omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence, and His righteous judgment.

Psalm 139 can be broken up into about five segments, each one highlighting a different aspect of God.  The first segment, in verses 1-6, shows us God’s omniscience.  He knows everything about each one of us completely.  He knows our actions, our thoughts, the motives behind everything we do, the words we speak, and even our unspoken intentions.  God knows us better than we know ourselves.  When David says that God knows our thoughts “afar off” (vs. 2), it means that He knows our thoughts before they even form.  He knows every word we will speak before it is even spoken (vs. 4).  God surrounds us with His protective presence.

His omniscience, His knowledge of us, is absolute (Hebrews 4:13).  This knowledge should be comforting to all those who have put their trust in Jesus.  Knowing that God knows everything about us should bring the believer peace, as He understands us when others don’t.  However, this can be terrifying to the unrepentant sinner.  We cannot hide anything from God.  Knowing that, we should walk in honesty and have a quick confession when we fall into sin.

The second segment shows us God’s omnipresence  He is with us everywhere we go (vs. 7-12).  There is no escaping from God’s presence.  There is nowhere we can hide from Him.  He is everywhere (Jeremiah 23:23-24).  The highest place on earth is Mt. Everest at 29,032’.  The deepest spot in the ocean is the Mariana Trench at 36,200’.  The remote island on earth is Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic Ocean, 1,750 miles from South Africa and over 2,000 miles from South America.  Yet if we went to any of these places, God would be there with us.  Even in the deepest darkness we cannot hide from Him (vs. 11-12).  We cannot run away from God, as Jonah found out.  This should bring comfort to the Christian, knowing that God is with us in all of our trials.  Whenever we feel lonely or we feel afraid, we can know that He is there.  We can also trust that God is with our loved ones when we are apart.

We next look at the third segment, which shows God’s creative power, and how He made each of us with a purpose (vs. 13-16).  God formed every part of us - body, soul, and personality.  He created each of us unique, with distinct fingerprints, voice patterns, retinal prints, and DNA.  No one has or ever will be exactly like another.  He knows the number of hairs on our head (Matthew 10:29-30), and our name is engraved on the palm of His hand (Isaiah 49:16).  We are “fearfully and wonderfully made (vs. 14).

This passage is foundational for the sanctity of life.  Human life begins in the womb and is sacred because God is the Creator.  It is not just a blob of cells, but is human life that God knit or wove together as delicate and intentional craftsmanship.  He ordained our days before we lived a single one (vs. 16).  Our life has purpose because God designed it, and we can trust Him with our future.

Next we see God’s righteous judgment, and how He opposes the wicked (vs. 17-22).  A believer in the Lord Jesus should always align themselves with God’s holiness, and also oppose what He opposes.  David expressed his righteous indignation towards those who hate God.  This is not personal vengeance.  Instead, it is loyalty to God’s holiness.  Hatred of evil is part of loving God (Romans 12:9).  Christians should guard their hearts from compromise with wickedness.

The final segment shows us God’s sanctifying work (vs. 23-24).  The psalm ends where it began - with God searching the heart.  David wants God to expose any sin in his life and to lead him in holiness, on the path of obedience and eternal life.  We should regularly ask God to reveal any hidden sin we might have.  His goal is not condemnation but transformation.

As we close this beautiful psalm, we see that God knows us perfectly, is with us constantly, and who made us intentionally.  We also see that God judges wickedness righteously and when we come to Him, He will sanctify us lovingly.  Let this knowledge be a comfort and a blessing to you today.

When the Lion Roars

Amos 3:1-8

When somebody important or official speaks, it is always wise to listen to what they have to say.  When the meteorologist gives an important weather warning, we really ought to listen and take heed.  If the Highway Patrol gives us a warning about road conditions ahead, it is wise to listen to that, too.  And we know that we need to pay attention to any doctor or medical warnings.  What about messages and warnings from God?  How often do we pay attention to them?  Or do we think that because we are already saved, we don’t need to be too concerned with them?   The prophet Amos has an answer to that in our Scripture today, one that teaches us how seriously God takes sin, especially among those who bear His Name.

The Book of Amos was written between 760 - 750 BC, during the reigns of King Uzziah of Judah and King Jeroboam II of Israel.  He had been a farmer and sheep herder in the southern Kingdom of Judah before the Lord called him to bring His message to the people of the northern Kingdom of Israel.  This was a time of great material prosperity in Israel, but also of great spiritual corruption, as their hearts were far from God.

As our Scripture begins, the Lord spoke His message to the people, reminding them of how He had brought them out of Egypt and made a covenant with them (vs. 1-2). They were a redeemed people, but because of that, they were accountable to Him.  God had chosen them and set them apart from others.  However, having that unique relationship with Him meant greater responsibility, not immunity to do as they chose.  How many times do people today think the same thing?  They feel that they are saved, and that God loves them no matter what, so they can live as they choose.  God’s holiness demands that His people walk in obedience to His Word.  Privilege without obedience invites His discipline, as both Israel and Judah would come to see.

Next, Amos asked the readers seven rhetorical questions in order to show that effects have causes (vs. 3-6).  There is nothing that happens just randomly.  The first question he asked is whether two people can walk together unless they are agreed (vs. 3).   If one is going to have a good and harmonious relationship with another, there must be shared belief and purpose.  They must be in agreement with each other.  Israel, and today with Christians, they cannot claim fellowship with God while they are walking in rebellion to Him.

Amos next spoke of lions, as they will roar when prey is near, and the young lion cubs will growl with satisfaction when they have their food (vs. 4).  The prophet is letting us know that God’s warnings (His roar) indicate that real judgment is coming.

A trap doesn’t spring without a reason (vs. 5).  It will snap when an animal or bird sets it off.  Israel’s calamities are not accidents.  They are God’s response to sin.  In ancient times a trumpet was blown on the city walls to warn of impending danger (vs 6).  Today we use loud sirens in our cities.  When we hear them we know it is some type of warning, sometimes weather related, or in some countries a warning of enemy attack.  Amos warned the people that if disaster comes to a city, it is because the Lord has allowed it.

God does not act in judgment without first giving us clear warning (vs. 7).  The prophets were God’s messengers.  They didn’t just make up what they said for fun.  God always sent His prophets before judgment, so Israel could not claim ignorance.  God’s Word, the Bible, is complete, it is sufficient, and it is inerrant.  It warns us plainly, and we are responsible to listen to and heed it.

Have you ever heard a lion roar?  I haven’t in real life, but I’ve seen videos of lions roaring.  God’s voice is like a lion’s roar (vs. 8). It is terrifying, authoritative, and unavoidable.  When God speaks, His prophets must speak.  Amos did not preach because he wanted to.  He was compelled by the Spirit of God.  When God warns, His people need to respond.

God graciously warns before He judges. His Word is both merciful and authoritative.  The lion’s roar means judgment is not hypothetical, it is imminent.  Believers today must not take God’s grace lightly.  We cannot walk with Him while clinging to sin, to compromise, or worldliness.  God still warns us through His Word.  Every warning passage in Scripture is an act of His mercy.

Behold the Lamb of God

John 1:29-41

Many young children love to go to petting zoos, where they can get up close to the animals there.  When my children, who are now both adults, were younger we would often go.  A favorite animal were the little lambs, with their white curly coats and cute faces.  Who couldn’t love a little lamb!  When we think of lambs in the Bible, we often think of one being protected and cared for by a shepherd.  However, there is another picture of a lamb that is not as pleasant, certainly not for the lamb.  Our Scripture today from the second half of the first chapter of the Gospel of John will touch on this.  Let’s see what God’s Word has to say.

As our Scripture opens, we meet John the Baptist.  He had just recently baptized Jesus, and now he pointed Him out to his own disciples as the Lamb of God who will take away the sins of the world (vs. 29).  Many people today like to call Jesus a good teacher, or even a prophet.  Though He is those things, He is much, much more.  He is the Lamb of God.  What, you might ask, does that mean?  This is a title that is loaded with Old Testament meaning.  Going back to the earliest chapters of the Bible, God required a substitutionary sin sacrifice.  God required that man bring a blood sacrifice, usually a lamb or young goat, to be an atonement for sins.  That animal was sacrificed, his blood in payment for our sins.  This was what John the Baptist called the Lord Jesus.  His Blood was the substitutionary atonement for our sin, the once-for-all sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10-14).

As John spoke, he said “takes away”, which is the present tense.  Jesus’ work is effective, ongoing, and sufficient.  This opening verse affirms the heart of the Gospel - salvation is through the shed Blood of Jesus Christ alone, not through any human merit.  Every believer’s hope rests on Jesus, the Lamb of God.

John continued to bear witness to the Lord Jesus as God’s Messiah, and our substitutionary Lamb.  He stated that Jesus was before him (vs. 30).  This might seem puzzling, as John the Baptist was about six months older than Jesus.  Yet Jesus was before him, as He existed eternally (John 1:1-3).  This is a clear affirmation of Jesus Christ’s deity.  John’s testimony is unambiguous - Jesus is the divine Son, the promised Messiah (vs. 34).

After this, John the Baptist willingly directed his own followers to now follow Jesus (vs. 35-37).  Like John, Christians today are called to point others to Jesus, not to themselves.  A true and faithful servant of the Lord wants others to look towards Jesus, not towards themselves.  Their ministry will exalt the Son.  Immediately two of John’s disciples left to follow Jesus, which was only right and proper.  One was Andrew, and the other was unnamed, but possibly the apostle John.

As these two joined up with Jesus, He asked them what they were seeking, what they were looking for (vs. 38).  Jesus then invited them into personal fellowship with Himself (vs. 39).  Christianity is not a bunch of rituals to follow, but is instead a relationship with God.  It is rooted in truth, grounded in Scripture, and centered on Jesus Christ.

As our Scripture passage ends, we see that Andrew brings his brother Peter to the Lord (vs. 40-41).  That is so important.  As soon as he knew that Jesus was the Messiah, Andrew wasn’t content to keep that information to himself.  Instead, he “first” found his brother Peter and told him about Jesus.  He wasn’t worried about being “proper”, about not talking about religion to others, as many people say one shouldn’t do.  No, Andrew’s all excited about what he has found, and wants others to share it too.  He knows that salvation is so eternally important that one cannot keep that to oneself.  Throughout the Gospel of John we see Andrew bringing others to Jesus.  He brought the young boy who had some fish and bread to Jesus (John 6:8-9), and later he brought some Greeks who wanted to meet Jesus, and he brought them to Him, as well (John 12:20-22).

What important messages does God have in this Scripture passage?   First, that Jesus is the Lamb of God.  It’s not the picture of the cute and cuddly wooly lamb, but instead the Lamb sacrificed in substitutionary atonement for the sins of the world.  He is also the eternal, divine Son of God.  As we seek the truth, Jesus invites us into personal fellowship with Himself.  And once we have come to know the truth, and have found salvation through the Blood of the Lamb, we need to be sure and tell others about Jesus, just as Andrew did.

Keep your eyes fixed on the Lamb.  Your assurance, identity, and hope rest in His finished work, not in your performance.  We should also follow the example of two believers here.  We should be like John the Baptist, and point others to Jesus, not to ourselves.  We should also follow the example of the Apostle Andrew, and bring others, our family, our friends, and our neighbors, to Jesus.

A Struggling Church

I Corinthians 1:1-9

Have you ever known someone who was attempting to do something great, but right from the start was making a mess of things?  They had a whole lot of potential, but they just kept tripping.  They needed someone to come alongside, help them get back on their feet, and get going in the right direction.  Perhaps this was an athlete, who with proper training, could do well.  Maybe it was a married couple who were having problems, but with proper counseling could have a great marriage.  Or a student, if only he would buckle down, could achieve much.  Then there was a church, which very early on fell into sin, divisions, doctrinal confusion, and misuse of spiritual gifts.  They desperately needed help or they would spiritually fail, and that is when the Apostle Paul stepped in to help this group of sinking Christians.

After having been run out of the city of Thessalonica and the smaller city of Berea, the Apostle Paul made his way down to Athens, and then shortly after, traveled into Corinth, a large, cosmopolitan harbor city.  He stayed there for about 1 ½ years, and established a large and thriving church, later returning several times.  That church, though, got off to a rather rocky start, falling into sin and dissension rather quickly after Paul left, necessitating the Apostle needing to write them several letters in order to help get the new Christians back on the right track.

As our Scripture opens, though Paul knows he needs to attempt to correct these problems, he doesn’t begin with a harsh rebuke.  Instead he gives a reminder to these believers of their identity in Jesus Christ, reaffirming their position in grace.  Paul begins by identifying himself as an apostle (vs. 1).  This was not a position that he sought for himself.  As a young man, he didn’t tell others he was going to be “an apostle” when he graduated.  This was a divinely appointed commission.  For those who questioned his authority to tell them how to behave as Christians, he reminded them that his authority was rooted in God’s sovereign choice, not his own.  His words would carry the weight of divine revelation.

Paul reminded these believers that they belonged to God, as all Christians do (vs. 2).  They didn’t “belong” to Paul, even though he established the church there, nor to Apollos, though he was an early pastor there.  And though they very quickly fell flat on their face in sin and division, they were still set apart and sanctified by the Lord Jesus, to be His saints, His holy ones.  Even though they weren’t acting like it now, that was their position in Christ.

Paul proceeded to thank this group of Christians (vs. 4).  Why would he do that, when their worldly and sinful behavior was a shame?  For one, he thanked that church and was grateful to them because that was one place where he had spent one of the longest times without being run out of town by either the Jews or the Gentiles.  They had welcomed him, provided for his needs, and had protected him from hostile persecution.  Paul was grateful.  He was also thankful to God for this church, as even though they were immature and carnal, he saw evidence of God’s grace.  He was grateful for God’s ongoing work in their lives.

This young church had many spiritual gifts among the members, such as teachers and preachers, those who understood doctrine, and those who spoke in tongues (vs. 5-7).  Their spiritual gifts validated the truth of the Gospel message that Paul had preached to them.  However, these very gifts that had been given were now being misused.  As was evident in the Corinthian church, the same is true today, that spiritual giftedness is not the same as spiritual maturity.

Not only were they blessed with spiritual gifts, this group of believers were living in the expectation of Christ’s imminent return.  Imminent means that it could happen at any time, that there is nothing in the way preventing it from happening. They knew that Jesus could return at any moment, and we today should know that even more so, and be living with that expectation.

Though this group had many who were living carnal, sinful lives, Paul reminded them that if they were truly saved, then the same God who called them would sustain them (vs. 8-9).  Their blamelessness was rooted in Jesus’ righteousness, not in their own personal performance.  God is faithful.  He called them into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ, and He will complete what He began.

As we look back at these opening verses of Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church, we see that, we as believers, are called to salvation, to sanctification or holy living, as well as to fellowship with the Lord, and to future glory.  Are we living that way, or are we living more like the Corinthian church was?  The gifts which God blesses His Church with are real, and important for the functioning of His Body, but they need to be governed by truth and love.  We need to remember that God is faithful, and guarantees the believer’s final preservation.  In closing, we must remember who we are in Christ.  We represent Him to the world.  We carry His Name.  Let us not make Him ashamed.  When we trip up, let’s get back on the right track.

Out of the Pit

Psalm 40:1-10

Have you ever been physically stuck somewhere?  Where I live we can get some very deep snow in the winter, and it’s easy for a car to get stuck in a snowdrift.  Or perhaps your car has gotten stuck in the mud.  I’ve seen videos of animals who have gotten stuck in a mud pit.  They thrash about frantically, but cannot get themselves free.  In our psalm today, David found himself caught in a pit.  Perhaps he was in a literal pit, or maybe it was a pit of trouble.  That is something most of us can relate to.  There is another type of pit that all of us have been in, and from which none of us can get out of unaided, and that is the pit of sin.  Like David, we need God to rescue us from that pit.  Let’s look at what we can learn from our psalm today.

As David begins this psalm, he finds himself caught in the pit, whether physically, figuratively, or spiritually.  He cried out to God for His help, but he had to wait for His answer (vs. 1).  No one likes to wait, especially if you are caught in a pit!  However, David waited patiently, and he was rewarded as God heard his cry and brought him out of the pit (vs. 2).  Sometimes we may feel that God has let us down because He does not provide an immediate answer to our prayer.  However, waiting for the Lord can transform us into a people of growing faith.  David grew into a man after God’s own heart by waiting on the Lord (Acts 13:22; I Samuel 13:14).  When we become frustrated with God’s apparent delay in answering our prayers, it is good to remember that He is interested in developing faith and perseverance in our character.

The original language here suggests that David waited and waited and waited for God to answer his prayer.  Yet as he looked back at this time of delay, he praised God.  God “inclined” to answer David.  Just as a parent does to a young child, God bent down and showed His mercy.  He hears His children.  Our prayers are not ignored, but are attended to by a personal, caring God.

The condition that David was in was definitely not a pleasant one.  It was horrible.  It was a miry pit, a muddy, slimy, mucky, filthy place.  That is not a pleasant place to be if we are in a literal pit like that, and it certainly isn’t when we are caught up in the filth of our own sins.  We are wallowing in our own desperation.  However, when we turn to God and call for His help, He brings us up out of that pit and sets our feet on solid rock (vs. 2).  He establishes our steps so that we don’t fall back into the mire.  Salvation is God’s work from start to finish.  He rescues us, stabilizes us, and guides our steps.

When God brought David deliverance from the pit, the first thing he did was to bring worship to the Lord (vs. 3).  He shared with others a testimony of God’s faithfulness.  It wasn’t some person who helped him, as no one can help us get out of our sin condition (vs. 4).  Our faith must be placed in God alone.  Trusting in human pride or false beliefs will only lead to ruin.

David then turns and acknowledges that God does not primarily desire sacrifices and offerings from His people.  Instead, God would rather have a servant who is ready to obey Him (vs. 6-8).  Rather than having a hypocritical “follower” who brings Him a burnt sacrifice, and then turns and does whatever they want, God wants someone who has an open ear to hear what He says, and has a heart aligned with His will, who delights in obeying His Word.  If we follow religious rituals without obeying the Bible, those rituals are just empty.

We see these verses quoted in Hebrews 10:5-10, and applied to the Lord Jesus.  He is the perfect obedient Servant who came to do the Father’s will, culminating in His once-for-all sacrifice.  Jesus fulfilled what the sacrificial system was pointing towards.  We need to ask ourselves - are we merely performing religious rituals, or are we obeying God and His Word from our heart?

As our Scripture passage closes, David reiterated again the need to give public testimony of God’s goodness (vs 9-10).   He will declare God’s righteousness and faithfulness.  He will tell others about His salvation, lovingkindness, and truth.  When the Lord brings us deliverance, whether it is physically rescuing us from a dangerous situation, or a figurative rescue from a distressing problem, or especially when He brings us salvation, we need to share that with others.  Salvation is God’s work!  He hears our prayers, lifts us up out of the pit, and sets us on His path.

The Second Servant Song

Isaiah 49:1-7

Today’s Scripture comes from the Book of Isaiah, and contains his second of four “Servant Songs”, songs or poems in the Old Testament book, describing the Servant of Yahweh, the Messiah.  This particular Servant Song speaks of the mission or work of the Messiah, from eternity past to His future glory.  As we look briefly into this Scripture, we will read of His divine calling, His mission both to Israel and also to the Gentiles, His apparent rejection, and then His ultimate vindication and glory.

Our Scripture begins with God calling His Servant, the Messiah, from before He was born (vs. 1).  There were several people throughout the Bible whom God had called before they were born, whom He had set apart for a specific task that He desired for them.  The prophet Jeremiah was one (Jeremiah 1:5).  The Apostle Paul was another (Galatians 1:15-16).  God knows each one of us from the moment of our conception, and even before then.  He knew each of us when we were being formed inside our mothers (Psalm 139:13-16).  Jesus was no different.  God had called Him from eternity past, from before He was conceived in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and set Him aside for His special mission as Savior, giving Him the Name of Jesus.  Christ’s mission was never an afterthought.  Redemption was planned from eternity.

As we read on, we see that God’s Words were spoken by the Messiah (vs. 2).  He placed His Words in His mouth.  The words that we speak can be powerful.   However, God’s Word is not just powerful, it is alive, and it is sharper than a two-edged sword, cutting deep within the heart and soul of those who hear it (Hebrews 4:12).  When Jesus came to earth, He didn’t bulldoze His way through the world as a political force.  Instead, His weapon is His Word, the Bible.  It is like the polished shaft of a javelin or spear, kept in perfect condition and ready to use.  Jesus’ ministry was perfectly aimed and perfectly timed.  The power of His ministry lies in the truth He speaks, and the Words of Jesus still pierce hearts today, turning lives around.

Jesus was the ideal Servant of God, fulfilling the Law perfectly, and through Him God is glorified.  However, from a human perspective it might look as if He failed in His mission (vs. 3-4).  Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth, but was rejected by the people He came to redeem (John 1:11).  From a human perspective, His ministry might seem to have been unsuccessful.  We need to remember, though, that faithfulness is not measured by visible results.  Jesus was faithful, and entrusted His work to the Father.  He models perfect trust in God’s plan.

The Servant’s first mission was to restore the nation of Israel to God (Matthew 15:24).  Though some did come to faith, Israel as a whole rejected their Messiah (vs. 5).  That rejection, though, did not cancel God’s plan.  God’s Servant is glorious in His eyes, and His mission cannot be diminished by human unbelief.  Even when people resist His purposes, those purposes and plans will never fail.  When the people of Israel rejected the Messiah, God expanded His mission to the Gentile nations (vs. 6).  The Gospel message is a global one, as Jesus is the only Savior for the whole world.

In our final verse, we see that God’s Holy One, the Redeemer, is despised by man and abhorred by the nations, but He is still God’s Servant (vs. 7).  Kings and princes, the rulers of the world, will see Him when He returns, and they will stand in awe.  They will know that the Lord Jesus is exalted, and though they have refused to willingly bow to Him, there is coming a day when they will be forced to bow their knee and confess Him as Lord (Philippians 2:9-11).  Their rejection of Jesus is temporary, but His glory is eternal.

This concludes God’s second Servant Song in Isaiah.  We have seen in this Scripture that Jesus was not merely a man chosen by God, He is the eternal Son sent by the Father.  He fulfilled His twofold mission of restoring Israel and bringing salvation to the Gentiles.  Though it might have looked like a less-than successful mission, as He was despised at His first coming, Jesus will be exalted at His second.  God’s plan is bigger than what we can initially see.  Jesus will be vindicated, and so will all those who put their faith and trust in Him.

The Baptism of Jesus

Matthew 3:13-17

Our Scripture for today, from the Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer, tells of an important event in the life of the Lord Jesus, one that is among a small handful that was spoken of in all four Gospels.  This event was the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist.  Not only does this event begin Jesus’ public ministry, it is also one of only a few times when God’s Voice is audibly heard as He publicly affirms His Son, and is also a key time when the Trinity is revealed.  Let’s take a look at our Scripture.

Jesus had spent the first thirty or so years of His life in the village of Nazareth, in Galilee, and the adult years working in His foster father Joseph’s carpentry shop, learning that trade.  It is believed that Joseph died before Jesus reached thirty, so He took over running the shop.  Jesus heard the Holy Spirit speak to Him, and He left Nazareth and headed south to the Jordan River, where John the Baptist’s ministry of preaching repentance and baptizing was underway.  Jesus came to the Jordan River to be baptized by John (vs. 13).  We have to wonder, though, why Jesus was baptized by John when his baptism was one of repentance from sin?  Jesus had no sin (Hebrews 4:15), so why would the sinless Son of God submit to a baptism meant for sinners?  That is the question we will answer here.

John the Baptist actually asked the same question (vs. 14).  He felt that Jesus should baptize him, not the other way around.  He recognized Jesus’ superiority and sinlessness, and knew he was unworthy.  Jesus, though, told John that His baptism would “fulfill all righteousness” (vs. 15).  What did that mean?

First, Jesus’ baptism was not about repentance but about identification.  Jesus identified with the very sinners that He came to save (Isaiah 53:12).  When He was baptized, He was not repenting of sin.  Instead, He was aligning Himself with the mission of bearing our sins.  Jesus stood in our place as the one Man who represents all humanity before God.  He is not a sinner, but we are.  He was baptized for our sake so that the blessings of baptism come to us.  Jesus, at His baptism, stands where sinners stand, not because He needs cleansing from sin, but because we do.

By being baptized, Jesus was also submitting to the Father’s will.  Jesus obeyed the Father perfectly in every detail (Psalm 40:7-8; John 8:29).  By being baptized by John, Jesus also affirmed that John the Baptist’s ministry was from God.

Next we read how as Jesus came out of the water, the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove (vs. 16).  This was a divine revelation for all to see.  The Holy Spirit descended like a dove, symbolizing purity, peace, and God’s approval of Jesus.  This is not Jesus becoming divine.  He has always been divine.  Instead, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus then, anointed Him for His Messianic work (Isaiah 61:1).

It was here that God the Father spoke in an audible Voice that those present actually heard (vs. 17).  He publicly affirmed Jesus’ identity.  He said that Jesus was His Son, and that He was well-pleased with Him.  What is very important in this Scripture passage is that the Trinity is unmistakably present.  God the Father audibly spoke.  God the Son is baptized and is acknowledged by the Father.  And the Holy Spirit comes down in the form of a dove.  This is a powerful refuting of the belief that God only exists as one singular person, but in different forms at different times (Modalism) and other anti-Trinitarian errors.  Instead, this is one of the clearest Trinitarian passages in Scripture, essential to orthodox Christianity.

Looking back over this passage, we learn that Jesus obeyed God the Father, even when John didn’t understand.  We need to always obey God’s Word, even when others might question us.  Jesus was baptized when He had no sins to confess in order to fully identify with sinners.  Now, all those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior, are identified with Him.  During His baptism the heavens were opened to Jesus then, and now they are opened to all who are saved.