A young pastor, fresh out of seminary, was conducting his first baptismal service. In his nervousness, he got his Scriptures confused concerning baptism and the Lord’s Supper: “I now baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” As he lowered the convert into the water, he added, “And now drink ye all of it.”
Baptism is our way of announcing to the world that we are FOLLOWERS OF JESUS CHRIST. It is a public declaration of our private decision.
1. How should a person be baptized? Answer: By IMMERSION.
The practice of baptism in the New Testament was carried out in one way: the person being baptized was immersed or put completely under the water and then brought back up again. This is clear for the following reasons:
Reason #1: The Greek word baptizo means “to PLUNGE, DIP, IMMERSE” something in water.
This is the commonly recognized and standard meaning of the term in ancient Greek literature both inside and outside the Bible.
Reason #2: “Immerse” is the most natural meaning for baptizo in several New Testament passages.
In Mark 1:5, people were baptized by John “in the river Jordan” (not “beside” or “by” or “near” the river). Mark also tells us that when Jesus had been baptized “he came up out of the water” (Mark 1:10). The Greek text specifies that He came “out of” the water, not that He came away from it. The fact that John and Jesus went into the river and came up out of it strongly suggests immersion, since sprinkling or pouring of water could much more easily have been done standing beside the river, particularly because multitudes of people were coming for baptism. John’s gospel tells us, further, that John the Baptist was “baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water” (John 3:23). Again, it would not take “plenty of water” (“much water” KJV) to baptize people by sprinkling, but it would take much water to baptize by immersion.
When Philip had shared the gospel with the Ethiopian eunuch, “as they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water! Why shouldn’t I be baptized?’” (Acts 8:36). Apparently neither of them thought that sprinkling or pouring a handful of water from the container of drinking water that would have been carried in the chariot was enough to constitute baptism. Rather, they waited until there was a body of water near the road. Then “he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught up Philip; and the eunuch saw him not more, and went on his way rejoicing” (Acts 8:38-39). This baptism occurred when Philip and the eunuch went down into a body of water, and after the baptism they came up out of that body of water.
Reason #3: Baptism by immersion captures the symbolism of UNION with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.
Our statement of faith says that baptism “is the immersion of the believer in water, whereby he obeys Christ’s command and sets forth his identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.”
“Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We are therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Rom. 6:3-4).
“Having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead” (Col. 2:12).
When the person being baptized goes down into the water, it is a picture of going down into the grave and being buried. Coming up out of the water is then a picture of being raised with Christ to walk in newness of life. Baptism very clearly pictures death to one’s old way of life and rising to a new kind of life in Christ. But baptism by sprinkling or pouring simply misses this symbolism.
In fact, the waters of baptism have an even richer symbolism than simply the symbolism of the grave. The waters also remind us of the waters of God’s judgment that came upon unbelievers at the time of the flood (Gen. 7:6-24), or the drowning of the Egyptians in the Exodus (Ex. 14:26-29). Similarly, when Jonah was thrown into the sea (Jonah 1:7-16), he was thrown to the place of death because of God’s judgment on his disobedience—even though he was miraculously rescued and thus became a sign of the resurrection. Therefore those who go down into the waters of baptism really are going down into the waters of judgment and death, death that they deserve from God for their sins. When they come back up out of the waters it shows that they have come safely through God’s judgment only because of the merits of Jesus Christ, with whom they are united in His death and resurrection. This is why Peter can say in 1 Peter 3:21 that baptism “symbolizes” the saving of Noah and his family from the waters of judgment in the flood.
2. Who should be baptized? Answer: Only BELIVERS.
The pattern revealed at several places in the New Testament is that only those who give a believable profession of faith should be baptized. This view is often called “believers’ baptism,” since it holds that only those who have themselves believed in Christ (or, more precisely, those who have given reasonable evidence of believing in Christ) should be baptized. This is because baptism, which is a symbol of the beginning of Christian life, should only be given to those who have in fact begun the Christian life.
“Those who accepted [Peter’s] message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day” (Acts 2:41).
“But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women” (Acts 8:12).
Should infants be baptized? Answer: NO, INFANTS CANNOT PUT THEIR TRUST IN JESUS.
Some Christians do believe that baptism is rightly administered to all infant children of believing parents. Their arguments include:
• Infants were circumcised in the OT
• Baptism is parallel to circumcision
• Household baptisms
We are nowhere told that infants were included in the household baptisms in the book of Acts. In fact, the evidence points in the opposite direction, since the text in some cases explicitly states that baptism was given to those who responded to the message. For example, in the case of the Philippian jailor, we read, “[Paul and Silas] replied [when asked by the jailor, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ (v. 30)], ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.’ Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house” (Acts 16:31-32). This explains why his household could be baptized—they were old enough to hear the Word.
How old should children be before they are baptized? Answer: They should be old enough to give a BELIEVABLE PROFESSION OF FAITH.
It’s impossible to set a precise age that will apply to every child, but when parents see convincing evidence of genuine spiritual life, and also some degree of understanding regarding the meaning of trusting in Christ, then baptism is appropriate.
3. Why should a person be baptized?
Answer #1: Not to receive SALVATION.
Baptism is like a wedding ring. It’s possible to be married and not have a wedding ring; also, it’s possible to wear a wedding ring and not be married. Though baptism receives high priority in the New Testament, it is never considered necessary for salvation. It’s possible for a person to be saved and not baptized. It’s also possible for a person to be baptized but not saved.
To say that baptism or any other action is necessary for salvation is to say that we are not saved by faith alone, but by faith plus a certain “work,” the work of baptism. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).
The argument that baptism is necessary for salvation is very similar to the argument of Paul’s opponents in Galatia who said that circumcision was necessary for salvation. Paul’s response was that those who required circumcision are preaching “a different gospel”: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all” (Gal. 1:6-7a). He spoke very severely to those who attempted to add any form of obedience as a requirement for justification: “You who are trying to be justified by law [works] have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace” (Gal. 5:4). Therefore, we must conclude that no work is necessary for salvation. And therefore baptism is not necessary for salvation.
Those who argue that baptism is necessary for salvation often point to Mark 16:16: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” But the very evident answer to this is simply to say that the verse says nothing about those who believe and are not baptized—a very unusual situation in those days. [Also, it is doubtful whether this verse should be used in support of a theological position at all, since there are many ancient manuscripts that do not have this verse (or Mark 16:9-20), and it seems most likely that this verse was not in the gospel as Mark originally wrote it.]
What about John 3:5, “No one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit”? Although some have understood “water” as a reference to baptism, it is better understood against the background of the promise of the new covenant in Ezekiel 36: “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws” (vv. 25-27). Ezekiel here speaks of a “spiritual” washing that will come in the days of the new covenant when God puts His Spirit within His people. In the light of this, to be born of water and the Spirit is a “spiritual” washing that occurs when we are born again, just as we receive a spiritual, not a physical, “new heart” at that time as well.
What about Acts 2:38, where Peter said on the Day of Pentecost, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins”? The mention of both repentance and baptism does not mean that both are necessary for the forgiveness of sins. I could say, “Take your keys and coat and start the car.” That does not mean that taking one’s coat is necessary for starting the car even though it is stated along with taking the keys. Repentance, not baptism, is necessary for the forgiveness of sins. Also, we need to keep in mind that it was by baptism that the early Christian made his or her official pledge of allegiance to Jesus. In other words, baptism is viewed in Acts something like a marriage ceremony: it is the time when one takes the pledge of identity with Jesus. It is how one expresses faith. The idea of an unbaptized believer does not seem to be entertained in the New Testament. We could compare this verse with Acts 3:19: “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped.” Nothing is said about baptism here.
What about Titus 3:5, which says, “[God] saved us, not because of righteous things we have done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” This verse talks not about water baptism but “the washing of rebirth,” clearly stating that this is a spiritual giving of new life. Water baptism is simply not mentioned in this passage. A spiritual rather than literal washing is also referred to in Ephesians 5:26, where Paul says that Christ gave Himself up for the church “to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word.” It is the Word of God that does the washing referred to here, not physical water.
Finally, what about 1 Peter 3:21, where Peter says, “This water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also”? Does this not give clear support to the view that baptism itself brings saving grace to the recipient? No, because when Peter uses this phrase he continues in the same sentence to explain exactly what he means by it. The rest of the verse says, “not the removal of dirt from the body” (that is, not as an outward, physical act which washes dirt from the body—that is not the part which saves you), “but the pledge of a good conscience toward God” (that is, as an inward, spiritual transaction between God and the individual, a transaction symbolized by the outward ceremony of baptism). We could paraphrase Peter’s statement by saying, “Baptism now saves you—not the outward physical ceremony of baptism but the inward spiritual reality which baptism represents.” In this way, Peter guards against any view of baptism that would attribute automatic saving power to the physical ceremony itself.
Peter’s phrase, “the pledge [appeal] of a good conscience toward God,” is another way of saying “a request for forgiveness of sins and a new heart.” When God gives a sinner a “good [clear] conscience,” that person has the assurance that every sin has been forgiven and that he or she stands in a right relationship with God (Heb. 9:14; 10:22 speak this way about the cleansing of one’s conscience through Christ). To be baptized rightly is to make such an “appeal” to God: it is to say, in effect, “Please, God, as I enter this baptism which will cleanse my body outwardly I am asking you to cleanse my heart inwardly, forgive my sins, and make me right before You.” [Remember: baptism usually took place immediately after a person decided to put his or her trust in Jesus.]
So 1 Peter 3:21 does not teach that baptism has saving power, but rather that salvation comes about through the inward exercise of faith that is represented by baptism. In fact, we who advocate believers’ baptism might see in 1 Peter 3:21 some support for our position: baptism, it can be argued, is appropriately administered to anyone who is old enough to make “an appeal to God for a clear conscience” (RSV). [Colossians 2:12 can be used in the same manner: Paul says that in baptism Christians were “raised with [Christ] through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.” Those who were baptized were exercising faith when they were baptized—that is, that they were old enough to believe.
Baptism is not necessary for salvation. But it is necessary if we are to be obedient to Christ, because He commanded baptism for all who believe in Him.
Answer #2: Because baptism is COMMANDED by Christ.
Jesus commanded His disciples, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19).
Baptism is not optional. In the New Testament, baptism followed immediately after personal faith in Christ was exercised. As far as we can tell, there were no unbaptized believers in the early church. All believers were baptized as a witness to their faith.
Answer #3: Because baptism announces a person’s TOTAL COMMITMENT to Christ.
Challenge #1: If you have already been baptized, make sure you are living out what you proclaimed through your baptism: your total commitment to Jesus Christ.
Ivan the Terrible was one of the great Czars of sixteenth-century Russia—best known for his erratic behavior and his brutality. He was so busy conquering new territory for his country that he had no time to find a wife. His advisors became concerned that he had not married, and therefore would not produce an heir to the throne. So Ivan commanded his men to find him a suitable wife who was beautiful, intelligent, and the daughter of a nobleman.
They found her in Greece. Her name was Sophia, the daughter of the king of Greece. Ivan asked the king for his daughter’s hand in marriage and the king agreed on the condition that Ivan be baptized and join the Greek Orthodox Church. Ivan agreed and set out for Greece to be married, accompanied by five hundred of his best soldiers.
When they discovered that Ivan was to be baptized, the soldiers said they wanted to be baptized also. A requirement of baptism was to make a profession of faith and to affirm the articles of the Orthodox church, which the soldiers agreed to do—except for one. The article they couldn’t affirm was one which prohibited them from being professional soldiers. They asked the priest if they could have some time to think over the problem of how to join the church and at the same time remain soldiers in Ivan’s army.
They devised a plan among themselves and announced that they were ready to be baptized. They marched out into the water, all five hundred of them, with five hundred priests. As the priests put the soldiers under the water, each soldier grasped his sword and lifted it high in the air. The soldiers were baptized completely, except for their swords and their fighting arms. Those who witnessed the mass baptism said that it was an amazing spectacle to see five hundred dry arms and five hundred swords sticking up out of the water. The soldiers had decided that they could give all of themselves to the church except for their fighting arms and their swords. These would remain in possession of the state.
I wonder how may unbaptized arms are here this morning? How many unbaptized schedules are here? How many unbaptized talents? Unbaptized checkbooks?
Challenge #2: If you have not been baptized, will you obey Christ’s command to be baptized?
WHY IS BAPTISM SO IMPORTANT?
Baptism is our way of announcing to the world that we are __________________ _________________________________.
4. HOW should a person be baptized?
Answer: By ________________________.
Reason #1: The Greek word baptizo means “to __________________ ______________________________” something in water.
Reason #2: “Immerse” is the most natural meaning for baptizo in several New Testament passages (see John 3:23; Acts 8:36).
Reason #3: Baptism by immersion captures the symbolism of _______________ with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection (see Romans 6:3-4; Colossians 2:12).
5. WHO should be baptized?
Answer: Only ______________________ (see Acts 2:41; 8:12).
Should infants be baptized? Answer: _____________________________ ______________________________________.
How old should children be before they are baptized? Answer: They should be old enough to give a ____________________________________ ______________________________________.
6. WHY should a person be baptized?
Answer #1: Not to receive ____________________ (see Ephesians 2:8-9).
Answer #2: Because baptism is _____________________ by Christ (see Matthew 28:19)..
Answer #3: Because baptism announces a person’s ___________________________________ to Christ.
Challenge #1: To those already baptized, live out what you proclaimed through your baptism: your total commitment to Jesus Christ.
Challenge #2: To those not baptized, will you obey Christ’s command to be baptized?
