The Baptism of Jesus the Christ

by Ralph Allan Smith

The baptism of Jesus by John the Baptizer is one of the theologically richest narratives in the Gospels, touching the transition from the old to the new covenant, the doctrines of water and Holy Spirit baptism, and the doctrine of the Trinity, to name only the most significant of topics. In The Baptism of Jesus the Christ, Ralph Allan Smith addresses each of these areas, aiming in particular to respond to James D. G. Dunn's view that Jesus' baptism and the gift of the Spirit are fundamentally distinct events, to revive John Calvin's view of the baptism of Jesus as central to understanding Christian baptism, and to suggest directions for re-thinking the doctrine of God's attributes in the light of the fully personal interaction of Father, Son, and Spirit reflected in the baptismal narrative.

Genres: Theology, Biblical Studies

246 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Ralph Allan Smith (M.Div. Grace Theological Seminary, 1978). Pastor of Mitaka Evangelical Church since 1981; Director of Covenant Worldview Institute since 1988. Ralph and Sylvia married in 1976 and have been serving the Lord in Tokyo, Japan, since 1981.

Reviews

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you read the title of this book, you might think it is a pretty introductory study of Jesus' baptism. In some ways it is that, but it quickly gets into topics that will challenge the most mature Christian thinkers. For example, he shows a lot of appreciation for some of the writings of James Dunn, but has the ability to critique Dunn and interact with what Dunn wrote in a very convincing way. If you just take a quick look at the bibliography of this book you will realize you need to read this.

Smith is a student and friend of Peter Leithart and James Jordan, and if you tell him you like his books, he will always say he steals everything from those two men. He is humble that way. I have found all of his books to add a great deal to what Jordan and Leithart have written, even if he relies heavily on their previous scholarship.

He has so much in this book, it is amazing to me. His section on the Trinity is one of the most helpful sections of the book, but he also gets into many topics that don't get much attention. He shows how baptism is an anointing into the Melchizedekian priesthood with Jesus. In that section he nicely summarizes Leithart's work on that topic. He also gets into Hay's work on "echoes" in certain parts of the Bible that can be related to Jesus' baptism. That part is a lot of fun, too. There is so much more!

Great read!

[K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This books is written by a "Federal vision" proponent, which means you will get lots of fascinating typological exegesis, particularly in chapters 2 and 3 which are masterful. I wanted to give this book 5 stars, but I had to knock off a star because of the author's seriously aberrant Trinitarian doctrine. He wants to affirm divine immutability and even simplicity (generally not a word that most FV sympathizers like), but also believes that rituality is intrinsic to God's nature. How this is in any way compatible with divine immutability, let alone divine simplicity, is beyond me. This is serious enough error that I cannot give the book 5 stars. If one skips the chapter on the Trinity, however, one will derive much benefit.

[Adam Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a phenomenal introduction to a little-studied topic: the importance and full meaning of Christ's baptism for us as Christians. Superb.

[Jerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good exposition of an unvisited theological topic. If baptism plays a significant part of a believer's discipleship, and it does, then understanding Jesus' baptism is vital.