Lesson 3516

 (Lesson 3516)(08-19-21) John 4:1-3

    When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee."”

     NOTE: It is very important to understand that lines in the Bible which  appear in parentheses, were NOT included in the original texts. They were added by the men who transliterated the original text into English.

    Today’s quote states, in parenthesis, that Jesus did not baptize anyone into water, such as did John the Baptist. Jesus did indeed baptize. However, the baptisms He performed were accomplished by His message. Jesus immersed those who believed in Him into His word, not water.

    The apparent confusion as to whether or not Jesus baptized in water, as it appears in today’s quote. Was caused by the confusion among the transliterators over the definition and intent of the Greek word ‘baptizo’ from which the word “baptize” was transliterated. 

    Transliteration is the act of creating a sound-alike word to replace the word being transliterated. (Transliteration DOES NOT always forward the definition or intent of the transliterated word.)  

    The word baptizo, as it was applied in the original Greek language, simply means to immerse one thing into something else leaving it there in order to alter the state of the item or person, being ‘baptizoed’. The word baptizo, DOES NOT NOW, nor did it EVER, imply that water should always be the medium into which a person, or thing, should be immersed.”