Old Testament Shadows & The Fulfilment of Baptism

Published: August 3, 2026

Christians of any age post-first century are blessed beyond measure because they have not only lived in the time frame to which all the prophets and the Law had alluded (The Last Days), they also have in their possession the very words of the Father, as delivered to mankind through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. But Christians on the day of Pentecost did not yet have a completed New Testament. In fact, the New Testament would not be completed until John penned the book of Revelation ca. 96 A.D., not to mention that the approximate date of the earliest New Testament book, 1 Thessalonians or Galatians, lies ca. 49-51 A.D. The non-existence of the New Testament in its modern form by the Day of Pentecost is virtually undisputed.

This reminds us very clearly that though the Church had come into existence on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, for a time, the early Church only had for its guidance Apostolic authority, revelation given through those that had been empowered with miraculous knowledge, and the Old Testament, which Paul says was written for our instruction1. It was still entirely possible that argumentation originating in the Old Testament would result in the conversion of people into the body of Christ.

For example, one of the many conversions found in the book of Acts, the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8, was found by Philip to be reading from Isaiah 53. By the end of the encounter with Philip, the Eunuch was clearly cognizant of what he needed to do for his salvation, for he is recorded as having said, “See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?”2 The Old Testament is proven here to be just as useful for Christians today to prove elements of Christianity as the New Testament is. Many times, the record of the New Testament is of the Apostles and disciples proving Christ first from a knowledge of the Old Testament.

[We often use these accounts to teach the necessity of baptism for salvation, but we have to remember to always point the way back to why it results in salvation — this is why the Old Testament is so very important. It teaches the underlying spiritual truth through physical means, in a way that justifies what can sometimes be a seemingly unclear spiritual practice.]

But aside from the use of traditional notions of prophecy to prove New Testament truths as found in Isaiah 53, we have the study of Old Testament shadows and pictures, which concerns itself with how elements of the Old Testament—be they ceremonies, places, or people—point the way to and are fulfilled in elements of the New Testament. These New Testament counterparts are essentially the elements of the Old Testament operating on a higher spiritual level (e.g., Moses and Jesus as Lawgivers of their respective testaments).

1 Romans 15:4  |  2 Acts 8:36
Category Example 1
Noah and the Ark Genesis 6–8; 1 Peter 3:20–21 		Example 2
Israelite Exodus Exodus 13:17–14:31; 1 Cor 10:1–2 		Example 3
Naaman's Cleansing 2 Kings 5
The Fulfilment
Christian Baptism Romans 6:3–4; Colossians 2:11–12
Problem
Sinful Nature & Separation

Genesis 6:5–7 shows wickedness was so great that God repented having made man. Even a single sin merits eternal separation from God (James 1:15, 2:10). Sin demands death/judgment, which in Noah's day was executed globally by the flood.
Bondage to Slavery

Israel was trapped in physical bondage under Pharaoh in Egypt, powerless to rescue themselves from tyranny and death.
Incurable Leprosy & Pride

Naaman suffered from a fatal, incurable skin condition, coupled with human pride that resisted humble submission to God's prophet. The command is simple, and it is not for us to contest it or try to add pomp and circumstance.
Universal Sin & Spiritual Death

All have sinned (Rom 3:23) and the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23). Humanity is spiritually dead and in bondage, unable to self-atone.
Solution
Immersion & Washing Away Evil

Water completely covered the earth (15+ cubits over mountains). By ridding the earth of evil mankind through immersion, the Lord literally washed away all that was evil in His sight, preserving only Noah and his family in the Ark.
Passage Through the Red Sea

God parted the sea, bringing Israel safely through the water while destroying Pharaoh's pursuing forces as the waters collapsed back over them.
Washing in the Jordan

Submitting to God's command by dipping seven times in the Jordan River, resulting in total physical restoration.
Burial & Resurrection in Water

Immersion in baptism where the "old man" of sin is crucified/buried with Christ, and the believer rises cleansed to walk in newness of life (Rom 6:3–4).
Nuance / Lessons
  • Severity: Sin is serious: The flood exists in part to show how severely God treats sin—to the point of death.
  • The Parallel: Unbelieving mankind stands for sin, while Noah stands for the part of man finding favor. The water literally washed away evil to preserve the good. Or, in a slightly different nuanced sense, mankind is saved through a single man, Noah, just as mankind is saved spiritually through a single man, Christ.
  • 1 Peter 3 Connection: Peter explicitly identifies the flood as pointing forward to Christian baptism.
  • Washing Away the Symbol of Sin: The water literally destroys the Egyptian army, which in this story stands in for Egypt as a whole, which is recognized as referring to sin.
  • Baptized into Moses: 1 Cor 10:1–2 notes Israel was "baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea."
  • Sin is Tempting According to Exodus 14:12, the Israelites, crying out unto Moses, said that it would have been better for them to serve the Eyptians than to die in the wildneress. The absurdity of the claim is mean to help us understand just how tempting a life of sin can be.
  • Obedience, not Magic: The Jordan water had no inherent power; healing came through divine power upon humble obedience.
  • Surrender of Pride: Healing required setting aside status and obeying God's specific instructions.
  • Leprosy is Separation: In the Old Testament, leprosy demanded that the afflicted separate themselves from the rest of the camp. Those that had leprosy were ostracized (Leviticus 13:45–46, Numbers 5:1–3).
  • Doesn't Need To Make Sense: The act demanded of us does not always need to make sense: consider the phrase "to the Greeks, foolishness". Doctrine such as that under examination is second nature to us, and as such is just as logical to us as simple math. However, to those outside with no grounding whatsoever in any doctrine, the idea of God becoming flesh and dying, and us needing to be immersed in physical water to be elligble for a spiritual prize at life's end, can be quite odd. But that doesn't matter, because obedience to God doesn't require perfect, logical understanding, just trust that God will do what He said he would do.
  • Spiritual Washing: Baptism is not physical cleansing, but an appeal to God for a clean conscience through Christ's resurrection (1 Pet 3:21).
  • Death precedes Life: Just as the flood removed evil to grant fresh life, baptism buries the body of sin to bring forth new spiritual life.