Like Jesus – Luke 3:21-22

Luke’s gospel was written to particularly highlight Jesus’ humanity. In this sense, we can identify with Jesus and see how we can become like Him. Jesus is truly God, but He is also man. It is therefore not only possible to be like Him, but it is God’s Will that we become like Jesus. Based on this passage in Luke, we can draw two ways to be like Jesus.

Jesus was baptized. (Lk 3:21)Why did Jesus have to be baptized by John? John the Baptist even tried to prevent Jesus from being baptized, claiming that he needed to be baptized by Jesus instead. (Matt 3:15) Jesus gave the reason- to fulfill all righteousness. Here, “all righteousness” did not refer to the Mosaic Law. It had to do with the reason why God came to us as man. Jesus was made to be like us in every respect, so that He could make propitiation for our sins. Jesus identified with us in His baptism and death. John preached a baptism of repentance- something Jesus did not need since He was sinless- but Jesus nevertheless wanted to be baptized so He could identify with those He came to save.

Believers get baptized to be like Jesus. Baptism is our external confession of our faith in Christ- that we have been cleansed from sin and born again. It is a symbol of our total identification with Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection. It is also a symbol of our identification with the church.

Baptism is a believer’s act of obedience. It confesses that he is ready to obey Jesus to the point of death. In the case of those who are saved at the point of death, although they are not able to undergo water baptism, they are baptized by the Holy Spirit. When Jesus was baptized by water, the Holy Spirit, who has always been with Jesus from the beginning, descended upon Him. It is the same Holy Spirit who comes upon us in our regeneration and conversion.

What happens when a believer gets baptized with the Holy Spirit?

• He is placed in the church. The Holy Spirit places us to be a member of a church body. (1Cor 12:13)
• He has fellowship with Jesus. The believer has inseparable fellowship with Jesus. Contrary to our old nature, we hate sin because it distances us from Christ.
• He becomes the bride of Christ. By the Holy Spirit, he knows to whom he belongs, and he desires to be faithful to Him.
• He is spiritually gifted. By his spiritual gifts, he is able to serve the Lord. The Holy Spirit apportions spiritual gifts to each believer individually as He wills, but He gives all believers the gift of spiritual growth. Are you conforming to the image of Jesus and being filled with all the fullness of God?
• He considers Jesus as Lord. By the Holy Spirit, believers understand who is and who will be- Jesus is Yahweh; all things were created through Him, and He holds all things together. (1Cor 12:3) Jesus must be the center of everything. To love Him with all your heart is to place nothing above Jesus and His Word. It is to fear Him and serve Him alone in reverential worship.

Becoming like Jesus begins with baptism. We become immersed into Christ. We must appreciate and constantly remember our baptism. By water and Spirit, we are identified with Jesus. We are with Him; He is with us.

To be continued.