Washed by God
Where is baptism found in the Old Testament? In Washed By God, by Karl Deenick shares the story of Baptism.
Looking at Old Testament purity laws, Deenick comes to his first point: The world is made up of things which God views as clean and unclean, and unclean things are to be avoided. Contamination and the corrupting effects of sin are discussed.
Water, Blood, and Spirit
Deenick goes on to show that most cases of impurity can be resolved with a God-prescribed remedy. Water and blood — or washing and atonement — are explained. The Day of Atonement is presented in Leviticus 16, and Deenick puts our attention on the need to cleanse our souls. Even more, the entire world is in need of a cleansing.
In the New Testament, Deenick sees cleansing to now be of water and Spirit. Jesus accomplishes what the Old Testament rituals could not. Memorably, we have “a better hope than water and goats.”
The Sign of Circumcision
Towards the middle of the book, Deenick speaks of circumcision as a sign pointing to Jesus. Our hardened hearts must be humbled and our stiff necks must be softened. With baptism, we have a sign of the Gospel being fulfilled. We are baptized into the promises of circumcision. Deenick is clear: Baptism is about Jesus and our need of him.
With these connections in mind, the book ends by examining believer’s baptism and infant baptism. Interestingly, Deenick rejects both believer’s baptism and covenantal infant baptism. To be clear, Deenick makes a special case for infant baptism distinctly based on a grounding in God’s promise, a marked out community, and an appeal to God for the promises symbolized by it. Whether by sprinking or by immersion, “Fundamentally, baptism is a picture of the cleansing up that God does through Jesus and the Spirit.”
Receive the Promise by Faith
I agree with Thomas R. Schreiner’s friendly yet straightforward endorsement: “Deenick’s tone is not polemical but charitable and humble as he makes his case. As a Baptist, I remain unconvinced, Still, I encourage all to read and interact with this work, and I hope we can all agree with Deenick that we look to Jesus alone for salvation.” Personally, I still see strong connections between baptism, death, and resurrection.
This book made me take a closer look at how baptism can be found in the Old Testament, and I have a deeper understanding of what it symbolizes and means. I am excited to celebrate the coming Easter season. And I do agree and say amen with my brother: receive the promise by faith!
I received a media copy of Washed by God and this is my honest review. Find more of my book reviews and follow Dive In, Dig Deep on Instagram - my account dedicated to Bibles and books to see the beauty of the Bible and the role of reading in the Christian life. To read all of my book reviews and to receive all of the free eBooks I find on the web, subscribe to my free newsletter.