Water baptism is a foundational experience in which God performs an operation upon our hearts. It is not something external. Water is only a means for our obedience. The Lord himself meets us when we obey in faith expecting to have His work of circumcising the heart and burying the old nature. All other washings in Scripture were only external. They had nothing to do with inner change. Many have come to view baptism as an external symbol because they equate it with these earlier washings.

Jewish ablutions (washings) 

were self-administered; baptism requires someone to minister to us in the authority of His Name. Under old Covenant Law, four Levitical ablutions were required: 

(1) Washing of the hands (Leviticus 15:11). 

(2) Washing of the hands and feet (Exodus 30:18, 19). 

(3)Bathing of the whole body (Numbers 19:8; Leviticus 22:4-6). 

(4) Sprinkling with the water of separation (Numbers 19:19). 

 None of these washings made the person clean on the inside. They merely attested to ceremonial cleanness and readmission to the camp. The real cleansing had already occurred, for example, the leprosy had been healed.

Proselyte baptism 

was an immersion of oneself after instruction to declare death to the old life and entrance into a new life as a Jew. In addition to circumcision of the flesh and presenting an offering, the male who converted to Judaism was required to immerse himself. He stood in water up to his neck while the law was read. Then he dunked himself as a symbolic cleansing from Gentile uncleanness. Women only experienced the ablution and presented the offering.

The Essene community practiced many ceremonial washings.

The Essenes were very strict and separatist in their religion. Their emphasis was upon moral and religious purity. They were always requiring washings and immersions in water as part of this moral cleansing. These are the people who preserved the Dead Sea Scrolls for us. Their “baptisms” were known before John the Baptist came preaching his baptism of repentance.