Sermon Resources - Dr. Toby Holt
Why would the sinless Son of God step into a baptism meant for sinners? In this expository sermon on Matthew 3:13-17 from the Gospel of Matthew, Dr. Toby B. Holt answers John the Baptist's protest at the Jordan. When John resists, Jesus replies, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:15, NKJV). Dr. Holt shows from a confessional Reformed perspective that Christ identifies with sinners and keeps the law in their place, His active obedience credited to all who believe. Heaven opens, the Spirit descends, and the Father speaks. The whole Trinity stands revealed.
0:00 — Why Was the Sinless One Baptized? John protests baptizing Jesus (Matthew 3).
8:23 — "To Fulfill All Righteousness." Jesus stands with sinners and keeps the law for them (Matt 3:15).
14:46 — The Active Obedience of Christ. His perfect record is imputed to believers (Machen's dying comfort).
21:22 — Heaven Torn Open. The Spirit descends as a dove (Matt 3:16).
22:08 — "This Is My Beloved Son." The Father's voice declares His delight (Matt 3:17).
Questions This Sermon Answers:
1. Why was Jesus baptized if He had no sin to repent of?
John's baptism was "a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins" (Mark 1:4, NKJV), so the sinless Christ needed no cleansing. He was baptized not to confess sin but to identify with sinners and to begin His public ministry of righteousness. Jesus explained, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:15, NKJV). In the Reformed view, He takes His place among the people He came to save, standing where guilty sinners stand.
2. Why did John the Baptist try to stop Jesus from being baptized?
John recognized his own unworthiness before the Lord he was sent to announce. When Jesus came to him, "John tried to prevent Him, saying, 'I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?'" (Matthew 3:14, NKJV). John knew Jesus was the mightier One whose sandals he was unworthy to carry (Matthew 3:11). His protest underscores the truth that Christ is greater, yet Christ willingly humbles Himself to fulfill the Father's redemptive plan.
3. What does "to fulfill all righteousness" mean in Matthew 3:15?
It means Jesus came to keep the whole law of God perfectly on behalf of His people. "Thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:15, NKJV) points to His lifelong obedience, not merely the act of baptism. Reformed theology calls this Christ's active obedience: He satisfies every demand the law makes of sinners. This righteousness is then reckoned to believers, who are justified "by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:24, NKJV).
4. What is the active obedience of Christ?
The active obedience of Christ is His perfect, positive keeping of God's law throughout His life, distinct from His passive obedience in suffering and death. Both are necessary for salvation. The Westminster Confession (11.1) teaches that God justifies sinners by imputing "the obedience and satisfaction of Christ" to them. Scripture declares, "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21, NKJV). His record becomes ours.
5. How does Christ's righteousness become the believer's righteousness?
It is credited, or imputed, through faith alone, not earned by our works. The Westminster Confession (11.1) states that justification rests on Christ's obedience imputed to us and received "by faith." Paul writes that to the one who does not work but believes, "his faith is accounted for righteousness" (Romans 4:5, NKJV). The Reformed gospel rests here: God treats believers as righteous because Christ's perfect obedience, fulfilling all righteousness, is reckoned to their account.
6. What did J. Gresham Machen say about the active obedience of Christ?
J. Gresham Machen, founder of Westminster Theological Seminary, sent a telegram from his deathbed in 1937 expressing his thankfulness for the active obedience of Christ, adding that there was no hope without it. His dying comfort was not his own righteousness but Christ's righteousness credited to him. This reflects the truth of 2 Corinthians 5:21 and the confessional Reformed conviction that the believer's only standing before God is the imputed obedience of the Savior.
7. How does the baptism of Jesus reveal the Trinity?
All three Persons of the Godhead are distinctly present at the Jordan. The Son stands in the water, "the Spirit of God" descends "like a dove and alighting upon Him," and the Father speaks from heaven (Matthew 3:16-17, NKJV). The Father's voice declares, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17, NKJV). This is one of Scripture's clearest revelations of the one God who eternally exists in three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
8. Why did the Holy Spirit descend like a dove?
The descent of the Spirit publicly anointed Jesus for His Messianic ministry and visibly identified Him as the Christ. "He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him" (Matthew 3:16, NKJV). This fulfilled the promise that the Spirit of the Lord would rest upon the Messiah (Isaiah 11:2). The dove signified the Spirit's gentle, consecrating presence, marking out the Son as the One sent to accomplish redemption.
9. What does the Father's declaration "This is My beloved Son" mean?
It is the Father's public affirmation of the Son's eternal identity and His delight in the Son's mission. "And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased'" (Matthew 3:17, NKJV). The words echo Psalm 2:7 and Isaiah 42:1, identifying Jesus as both the royal Son and the chosen Servant. The Father's pleasure rests on the Son who fulfills all righteousness for sinners.
10. Why does the baptism of Jesus matter for Christians today?
It assures believers that their righteousness rests entirely in Christ, not themselves. At the Jordan, Jesus began the obedient life He would credit to His people, an obedience the Father openly approved. Because Christ stood with sinners and kept the law in their place, those united to Him by faith share His acceptance. As Scripture says, He was "in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15, NKJV), the perfect Savior sinners need.
Key Theological Points:
1. Christ Identified With Sinners in His Baptism
Though sinless, Jesus stepped into the waters of John's baptism to stand in the place of the guilty. He needed no repentance, yet He joined Himself to the people He came to redeem. When John objected, Jesus answered, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:15, NKJV). This identification anticipates the cross, where the sinless One would bear the sins of His people, taking their place fully under the law and its demands.
2. The Active Obedience of Christ Is Imputed to Believers
To "fulfill all righteousness" is to keep God's law perfectly on behalf of sinners. This is Christ's active obedience, His whole life of positive law-keeping credited to all who trust Him. The Westminster Confession (11.1) teaches that God justifies sinners by imputing Christ's "obedience and satisfaction" to them, received by faith alone. J. Gresham Machen, dying in 1937, gave thanks for the active obedience of Christ and said there was no hope without it. The believer's righteousness is entirely Christ's.
3. The Triune God Is Revealed at the Jordan
The baptism of Jesus displays the one God in three Persons with striking clarity. The Son stands in the water, the Spirit descends like a dove, and the Father's voice sounds from heaven. Each Person is distinct, yet there is one God, eternally Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father declares His delight in the Son who has come to obey in the place of sinners, publicly affirming the mission that will secure salvation for all who believe the gospel.
The Scripture Text: Matthew 3:16-17 (NKJV)
"When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'"
Continue studying: explore the full Gospel of Matthew sermon series, or browse the complete Reformed Sermon Archive.
About The Speaker: Dr. Toby Holt serves as the third President of New Geneva Theological Seminary (Colorado Springs, CO), founded 1993. An expository preacher with over 1.9 million sermon downloads on SermonAudio.com, Dr. Holt brings over 17 years of pastoral experience to his verse-by-verse Bible teaching. New Geneva offers fully online Reformed theological education — M.Div., Th.M., D.Min., and other degrees.
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