Greek - baptisma, baptism, consisting of the process of immersion, submersion, and emergence, (from bapto, to dip).
(from The Expanded Vines, by W.E. Vine)
Baptism is a topic that seems to have caused some confusion and even division in the Body of Christ. There appear to be many different views and understandings of this matter along with many questions. Some of the more common questions might be: Do we need to be baptized in water to be saved? When should someone be baptized? Should babies be baptized? By whom and where and how should we be baptized? Does there need to be special water? Should it be in a religious building? Should it be a kind of ceremony where we wait and arrange for people to attend? Must a person have a thorough understanding of the meaning of baptism before they are baptized? Can a person be born of God if they truly believe in Christ but have not been baptized in water? What does it mean to be baptized in the Spirit?
My hope for this lesson (there will be two parts) is that just by looking at what the Bible says, at least most of these questions could be answered, and that this would decrease the amount of confusion and division among God's children over this matter.
John's Baptizing: (Matt. 3:1-6, 11)
He preached repentance for the kingdom of the heavens.
His ministry was a preparation for the coming of Jesus.
He baptized in water that Jesus would be manifested (John 1:31).
He baptized in a river.
Those being baptized were confessing their sins.
He baptized in water unto repentance.
He foretold that Jesus would baptize in the Holy Spirit and fire.
Jesus Being Baptized: (Matt. 3:13-17)
Came intentionally to John to be baptized in the river.
He said this was to fulfill all righteousness.
Coming up out of the water, the heavens were opened, the Spirit descended upon Him, and the Father spoke His affirming delight in His Son.
He also referred to His crucifixion as a kind of baptism (Mark 10:38-39; Luke 12:50).
He did this with His disciples.
He did this to make disciples.
His disciples actually did the baptizing.
Jesus Giving Instruction to Baptize: (Matt. 28:19)
Given to His disciples after His resurrection.
Based upon all authority having been given to Him.
They were to go to disciple all the nations, baptizing them.
They were to baptize people into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
They were also to teach them to observe all the Lord had commanded them.
3000 Being Baptized On the Day of Pentecost: (Acts 2:37-41)
Having heard Peter's preaching of the gospel.
Pricked in their hearts, they asked the apostles what they should do.
Told by Peter to repent and be baptized upon the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
Then they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Those who received Peter's word were baptized.
A Group of Samaritans Being Baptized: (Acts 8:4-12)
Having heard Philip announce the gospel of the kingdom of God and of the name of Jesus Christ.
Having believed Philip, both men and women were baptized.
Simon Who Had Practiced Magic Being Baptized: (Acts 8:13)
Having believed the gospel preached by Philip.
An Ethiopian Man Being Baptized: (Acts 8:27-39)
Having heard the gospel of Jesus preached by Philip.
Having believed with his heart and confessed with his mouth (Rom. 10:9) that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Having come upon some water on the side of the road.
Went down into the water and was baptized by Philip.
Came up out of the water.
Saul/Paul Being Baptized: (Acts 9:17-18; 22:12-16)
By one brother, Ananias.
Having received the word of the Lord spoken by Ananias.
In a house.
Having received his sight (he had been blinded by the Lord on the road to Damascus) he rose up and was baptized.
There was no reason to delay.
He was exhorted by Ananias to call on the name of the Lord as he was being baptized for the washing away of his sins.
Cornelius, a Centurion of the Italian Cohort, With Some of His Relatives and Close Friends Being Baptized: (Acts 10:44-48)
Having heard Peter announce the good news of Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit having fallen upon all those hearing the word.
Peter brings up the matter of water, charging them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
Lydia and Her Household Being Baptized: (Acts 16:14-15)
Having been listening to Paul's speaking by a river.
The Lord having opened her heart to give heed to Paul's words.
Was baptized (apparently in the river) along with her household.
A Jail Guard and His Household Being Baptized: (Acts 16:27-34)
Asking Paul and Silas what he must do to be saved.
Being told to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ along with his household.
Paul and Silas spoke the word of God to him with all those in his house.
He believed in God with all his household.
He and his household were immediately baptized.
Crispus, a Ruler of the Synagogue, With His Whole Household, and Many Other Corinthians Being Baptized: (Acts 18:8)
Having heard Paul's testifying that Jesus was the Christ.
In the home of Titius Justus.
He and his whole household having believed in the Lord.
They and many other Corinthians having believed were baptized.
Some Disciples in Ephesus Being Baptized: (Acts 19:1-6)
Having been baptized in John's baptism of repentance.
Hearing that they were to believe in Jesus.
They were then baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Paul then laid hands on them and the Holy Spirit came upon them.
Having now looked at all the specific cases of those baptizing and being baptized, it appears to me that at least some of the above questions should already have been answered:
1) Being baptized in water is clearly something taught and exampled in the New Testament.
2) Repenting and believing the gospel must precede baptism.
3) Therefore, baptizing babies is not scriptural. The Bible teaches us to believe and be baptized to be saved. There is neither teaching nor example of babies being baptized. To use the households that were saved in Acts 10, 16, and 18, to argue baby baptism is unjustified. First of all, we cannot ignore the clear teaching of "believe and be baptized", and second, both with the Jailer and his household and Crispus and his household, their households also believed. It is a stretching and twisting of God's word to use those portions to argue for baby baptism. It is not according to the clear word of God but according to the traditions of man. Many have been deceived into believing that because they were baptized as a baby, they are okay with God. This is a lie from the Devil. I hope that all true believers would reject this false teaching and stand for the clear truth and examples in the word of God.
4) The time to be baptized is at the time one repents and believes in the gospel. "Why should you delay", "what prevents me", and "immediately", are the examples given in God's word. There is no need to wait. No special teaching or training are needed for one who has repented and believed to be baptized.
5) And there is no teaching or even example of waiting to gather a group of people and turn it into some kind of ceremony.
6) No special water is needed. A river, water along the road, and water in homes are examples from the Bible.
7) This also indicates that no special place or "religious building" is needed.
8) Going into the water verses being sprinkled with water ought to be quite clear. Along with all the examples, the Greek word itself means immersion.
9) Believe it or not, some in the past have even argued that you must be baptized in a certain way, such as, forward, or backward, or three times (once in the name of the Father, once in the name of the Son, and once in the name of the Holy Spirit), or that you must be baptized in their water by their particular sect or by their official holy leader for it to really count. Some have even insisted that you must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, others, the name of the Lord Jesus, and still others, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. These are just some examples I would give to show how foolish are the ways of man and how far off we can get if we don't know both the word of God and the Spirit of truth.
If you refer back to the questions at the beginning of this writing, you will notice a few have not yet been answered. I consider them to be the more difficult or spiritually deeper subjects regarding baptism. In the next lesson, I will attempt, with the help of God's word and His searching and revealing Spirit, to address these matters. I also intend to include the other verses from the New Testament on baptism (mostly from Paul's and Peter's epistles) that have not been referenced in Part One.
I believe that if we all come to the Lord and to His word with a pure and humble heart, He will have a way to break through all the wrong concepts we may have and the traditions of men that we so ofter cling to. To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all the generations forever and ever. Amen.
As always, I welcome comments and discussion from those who are genuinely seeking the truth.
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I'd like to know what others think about baptizing young children, say 3-8 years old or so. Certainly children of this age can be saved, but it may be a little difficult for parents to discern if/when the moment of their salvation has truly occurred. Just last night my 5-year-old appears to have repented and prayed to receive Jesus! As much as we can tell, he believes. But naturally there can be some level of uncertainty if this was in fact the moment of his salvation or a step leading him closer to salvation. Is there any reason to delay his baptism? And if I shouldn't delay, how much does he need to understand about baptism before we do so?
ReplyDeleteMark,
ReplyDeletePraise God for grey areas because it causes us to cling to the Lord even more. I share this brief testimony for comfort. I met a young lady who put her faith in the Lord when she was 5 and then was baptized. In her own words, her understanding was very limited due to her age yet there was something inside of her that her heart was able to grasp and that was Jesus loved her and that He had forgiven her. At her age she was able to grasp that much and that was enough for the Lord and so it should be with us. She has grown to be a wonderful young lady in the Lord with much evidence that she has been born again. As an Acts they were cut to the heart so who are we to judge if a 5 year old was cut to the heart? With that I encourage you to ask the Lord on how to proceed with your son. Let the Spirit of Truth bring you into a peace that will surpass your understanding and guide you into what He wants to do with your son and his possible salvation experience. Because Salvation is an inner experience, what a wonderful opportunity it will be for you to help nurture and grow that wonderful experience of salvation your son may have recieved.
I hope I brought you some encouragement and to put your trust in the Holy Spirit who will guide you. Afterall, He knows the hearts of men including 5 year olds.
Your brother in the Lord,
Bob
A child at a young age will never grasp the manifold greatness of their sin or their great need for baptism; in fact neither do most adults. But their desire is right. As long as they are not just doing it to because big brother did it, or their buddies are all doing it, it can be a wonderful chance to share so much with them about the Lord. When children are open to matters of the Lord we should always, always take the opportunity to shepherd them seriously. These are most precious times.
ReplyDeleteHowever almost without exception we will find that as children mature, they will drift from the Lord. Many Christians come to themselves one day finding themselves "eating with the pigs" and far from God.
From a doctrinal point of view baptism is once. Yet when a believer realizes he must return home to his Father, to be baptized again can be an important sign of their public repentance as well as a wonderful and very memorable ebenezer for them, for the people around them and for Satan. Baptism shows (among other things) that we are “Making straight the way of the Lord” so His kingdom can come in us. It is altogether so that One can come to us baptizing in the Holy Spirit. I speak from my own experience.
It is wonderful that something so physical can be something so spiritual, meaningful, and helpful to our walk with the Lord. That the Lord began His ministry with this act is a wonderful sign for our children to begin their spiritual lives with the same act. Glory to God.
I might add that for the parents to do the baptizing makes it even more wonderful. We are priests of the most high God. We need to perform our priestly functions and not leave it to others.
I think the process of faith has a gray area between initial belief and maturity. That gray area is often one where people get tripped up with questions like "can I lose my salvation?", etc.
ReplyDeleteHowever, in terms of baptism, the gray area as Brian describes appears to not be an issue. As soon as someone pronounces faith or requests cleansing, etc, they are allowed baptism.
I think one could argue that there are different kinds of baptism. For example, prior to Jesus' coming, John had a "type" of baptism for the forgiveness of sins but even admitted himself that it was not sufficient in light of the fire and spirit that Jesus' would bring.
It also is interesting that it seems or appears that baptism can be extended beyond an individual (Cornelius example).
Historically, it is good to realize that neither John nor Jesus created baptism out of a vacuum but borrowed it from the Jewish tradition of immersion baptism when converting to Judiasm. It was a similar concept as our Christian baptism so there is an historically cultural aspect to the act and not just a spiritual one.
Children are difficult though since all children tend to emulate their parents at young ages. Emulation is important but not sufficient for salvation. I have known believers who waited to baptize their children until they were older, teenagers or later. I suppose whatever your conscience, scripture and the Spirit allow is what you should follow.
Snodgrass
Thanks for sharing, Bob. That is encouraging. And just to encourage you in return, the way you responded was very loving and personal. You could have just given me your quick doctrinal stand, but you took time to respond in a heartfelt and helpful way. Let us all remember when we interact with one another to speak words of grace to each other in meaningful and "building-up" ways. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteThanks much for your comments too, Mike!
ReplyDeleteThanks Eric, very encouraging!
ReplyDeleteIt seems like baptism only requires acknowledged belief or desire. There appears to be a gray area in the scripture between conversion and maturity that causes people concern but this gray area does not seem to affect the act of baptism.
ReplyDeleteThere are some caveats to baptism that are interesting (most already noted above). Children are interesting since they tend to emulate their parents at young ages. This is a double-edged sword for a topic like this and I know believers who have waited and some that have not.
I have some things to say but will wait til after part 2. I think many things will come clear from the scriptures therein.
ReplyDeleteI will point out that historically you are hard pressed to find people believing without then being baptized until the last century or two. The idea of the "sinner's prayer" (and things like it) is a relatively new phenomenon.
If a child has a true conversion experience,why wouldn't you baptize them?
ReplyDelete