The Baptism of Jesus the Christ

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.


""In this outstanding and very helpful book we have an excellent summary and analysis of various Protestant and Catholic views of Christian baptism and of Jesus' own baptism. More, we have a very full explication of the Biblical world-view that underlies the concept of water baptism and its meaning. Perhaps most importantly, however, is the fact that the author is a missionary on the front lines of Christian evangelism, who consequently must think about the meaning of baptism very frequently, with the result that his discussion teems with practical and pastoral insights.""
--James B. Jordan
Biblical Theological Seminary
St. Petersburg, Russia

""Combining careful exegesis with expansive theological vision, missionary theologian Ralph Smith sheds fresh light on Christian baptism. Nowhere will you find such a thorough and illuminating biblical-theological exploration of the 'one baptism' that is the root of all baptisms, the baptism of Jesus Christ, Priest after the order of Melchizedek.""
--Peter J. Leithart
New St. Andrews College
Moscow, Idaho


Ralph Allan Smith is the Pastor of the Mitaka Evangelical Church in Tokyo, Japan, and the Director of the Covenant Worldview Institute. He is the author of Paradox and Truth (2003), The Eternal Covenant (2003), and Trinity and Reality (2004).