Baptism
Discipleship Lesson 1
Matthew 28:18-20: And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
The Doctrine of Baptism
The ordinance of baptism was first instituted under the ministry of John the Baptist, who said that God “sent me to baptize with water” (John 1:33), and whose baptism was said to be, in the words of Jesus, “from heaven” (see Matthew 21:32; Mark 11:28-33).
Mark 1:4 (see also Luke 3:3): John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
John preached the gospel to many, announcing the very imminent coming of the Messiah, and baptized those who turned from their false Jewish religion (promulgated by teachers, such as the Pharisees and Sadducees) and believed his gospel message of faith in Christ for salvation (see Acts 19:4; John 3:36). In other words, he baptized people in pictorial/symbolic preparation for the coming of Jesus (see Malachi 4:5-6), and as an outward sign they fully identified with this coming Christ. He, like Elijah (see I Kings 18:37), turned a large portion of the people of Israel to the Lord.
John 1:23 (see also Isaiah 40:3-5): He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
There are three Biblical facts about baptism which John’s ministry exemplifies, and which any true church will believe and practice: baptism is by immersion, for believers, and it is merely symbolic.
1) Baptism is BY IMMERSION
The proper method of baptism is a full-body immersion in water, not by a sprinkling or pouring of water. The Bible says that we are “buried with him by baptism” (Romans 6:4; cf. Colossians 2:12) and “planted together in the likeness of his death” (Romans 6:5), and both terms undeniably refer to an an immersive baptism method.
The English term “baptism,” in fact, is a transliteration of a Greek term which means “immersion” (see “baptism” in Luke 12:50; “dip” in John 13:26), so that the word “baptism” is derived almost directly from this Greek word (the noun form, “βάπτισμα,” pronounced vaptisma, sounds very similar to our word “baptism”), and the word’s definition (in Greek) is indisputable. One who has water sprinkled/poured on them is not Biblically baptized—it is a false baptism. The verbs “to sprinkle” and “to pour” throughout the New Testament (see, e.g., Hebrews 11:28 and Mark 14:3) are never used for or about baptism.
Every person who was baptized in the Bible was baptized by immersion:
John 3:23 (see also Matthew 3:6, “in Jordan”): And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.
Matthew 3:16: And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water. . .
Acts 8:38: And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
2) Baptism is FOR BELIEVERS
Because baptism is a symbol of salvation, someone should only be baptized after they get saved. Baptism of a non-believer is meaningless, just as a wedding ring has no true significance for someone who is not married, or as a cap and gown have no true significance for someone who is not a graduate.
Baby baptism is a completely unbiblical and wicked practice. There is not a single instance of a baby being baptized in the Bible, and the false doctrines of the Catholic church, upon which pedo-baptism is predicated—like original sin (but see Ezekiel 18, esp. v. 4 & 20)—are false. Even if someone was baptized before they were saved (for example, in a Pentecostal church), they should be re-baptized, just like the dozen disciples of John the Baptist Paul met in Ephesus who he saved and immediately re-baptized (see Acts 19:1-6). Any “baptism” before one’s salvation is a false baptism.
Every person who was baptized in the Bible believed (and was therefore saved) before getting baptized (see Acts 8:13; 18:8; 10:47-48; 16:31-34).
Acts 8:12: But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
Acts 8:36-37: And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
3) Baptism is MERELY SYMBOLIC (not for salvation)
Baptism is important, but it cannot save anyone. Salvation is by grace through faith alone in Christ. Jesus “washed us from our sins in his own blood” (Revelation 1:5), not in the water of baptism. We are “justified by his blood” (Romans 5:9), not by baptism. We have “redemption through his blood” (Ephesians 1:7), not through baptism. Baptism does not save us for at least the following reasons:
- Baptism is a work of righteousness (Matthew 3:15), but we are not saved by works of righteousness (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5).
- One of the thieves on the cross, who died beside Jesus, believed in Christ and went to heaven without being baptized (Luke 23:39-43). Therefore, because God does not show favoritism/partiality (see Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11; I Peter 1:17), he must let anyone into heaven who also trusted in Christ, regardless of whether they were baptized or not.
- Cornelius and his kinsmen believed and were sealed with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (which is evidence that they were then saved, Romans 8:9-11) before being baptized (Acts 10:44-48), showing that, Biblically, salvation precedes, and does not necessitate, baptism.
- In I Corinthians 1:14-17, Paul differentiates baptism from the gospel, even boldly stating, “I thank God that I baptized none of you”! The gospel saves us (Romans 1:16), not a ceremony of baptism.
The Bible warns us about false teachers who preach “another gospel” (see Galatians 1:6-9), like all the leaders of the Pentecostal (“born-again”), Anglican, and Catholic “churches.” Among other false doctrines, they teach one must be baptized to be saved. Because they are fools, “understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm” (I Timothy 1:7), they deliberately misinterpret and twist the scriptures concerning baptism (see II Peter 3:16), just like their father the devil (see John 8:44). Those who believe one must be baptized to be saved are themselves unsaved, and on their way to hell.
Two Examples of Misinterpreted Scriptures Concerning Baptism
Many people misuse Mark 16:16 to prove we must be baptized to be saved. However, observe that there are two statements (“he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” and “he that believeth not shall be damned”) with different clauses, the first which mentions belief and baptism, and the second which only mentions unbelief. To teach one must be baptized to receive salvation, baptism must have been in the second (and negative) statement, not merely the first (positive). The first statement is therefore an identity statement, not a causal statement—it does not tell us what we must do to be saved, but rather tells us identifying marks of someone who is saved. One who believes and does anything will be saved, because “whosoever believeth in him should not perish” (John 3:16).
Again, someone might misuse a verse like John 3:5 to argue that we must be baptized to enter the kingdom of heaven. But this is completely confused, because the immediate context of Jesus’ talk with Nicodemus (John 3:1-21) has no mention of baptism whatsoever, and Jesus concludes by talking of the necessity of only one birth, a spiritual one (“ye must be born again” (v. 7), not “again and again”). To be “born of water” is a metaphorical way of describing one’s salvation, not their baptism. Jesus is very likely hearkening back to Ezekiel 36:25-27, an Old Testament passage about the New Covenant, where two aspects to salvation are described: “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you,” and “a new spirit will I put within you.” That Jesus only mentions being “born again” in v. 3, but expands it to “of water and of the Spirit” in v. 5, indicates they are different aspects of the same thing (see also Titus 3:5b; I Corinthians 6:11, “ye are washed”). It may be that the water refers to the word of God (cf. I Peter 1:23; Ephesians 5:26) in its role to our salvation (e.g., James 1:18), but it certainly does not mean baptism, because we do not have to be baptized to enter the kingdom of God.
The Symbol of Baptism
There are two Old Testament pre-figurements of Christian baptism: Noah’s flood (Genesis 6-8; cf. I Peter 3:20-21) and Israel’s crossing through the Red Sea (Exodus 14; cf. I Corinthians 10:1-2), and both allegories, so to speak, match closely with the Biblical doctrines pertaining to baptism (by immersion, for believers, etc.).
Baptism is a symbol of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (see Romans 6:3-6), because it is a watery re-enactment of these events in a figure. When a person trusts in Jesus, it is as if, spiritually, they have died, been buried, and risen again with him (see also Galatians 2:20; 3:27), which water baptism represents. Sprinkling and pouring “baptism” totally destroy the facts of the symbol (no burial, no resurrection) and the fullness of the symbol (not full, entire, complete, total).
It is also a public profession of someone’s belief in Jesus as their Savior. Jesus’ baptism identified him as the coming Messiah and Son of God to the world (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22), just as ours identifies us as believers to the community. Those who profess to believe the gospel with their lips, but willfully, adamantly, and repeatedly refuse to make the profession by baptism (for whatever silly excuse they may give), are giving forth strong indications that they do not actually believe the gospel message. If someone truly received the love of the truth and eternal life, why would they not just do the simple deed of being Biblically baptized to publicly identify with the true gospel?
Luke 7:29-30: And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.
The Significance of Baptism
Baptism is a very important step in the life of a Christian. It is the first step of obedience that a Christian should take who is serious and committed to not only believe on Christ, but also to follow and serve him. People were often baptized immediately after getting saved (see Acts 2:41; 8:36-37; 16:33). Jesus was baptized before he began his public ministry, and, if we desire to serve God, we must to follow his example (I Peter 2:21). Jesus is the door to salvation (John 10:7), but baptism is the door to service.
After getting saved, a believer must count the cost of following Christ (Luke 14:26-33). Most believers never serve Christ, and of those who do, many fall away from their steadfastness to the cares and temptations of this life (see Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23). We cannot lose our salvation no matter what we do, but a believer who desires to express thankfulness and love to Christ ought to be baptized as a bold statement of their full identification with him. Baptism is a powerful way of saying that we want to have nothing to do with the evil and sin of this world, and desire to instead be “immersed” in a life lived and service done for our Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 2:40-42: And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.