A Biblical View of Baptism

Article by:

Blake Hudson

Introduction

Baptism is one of the most central rites of Christianity, yet of all of the groups claiming to be Christians there is a remarkable lack of unity on what baptism is and who should receive it. There are groups who baptize by sprinkling, others by immersion. Some baptize infants, others only those old enough to confess Jesus as Lord. Some baptize for the forgiveness of sins, others only as a physical representation of sins already forgiven. With such vast difference of opinion, how are we to determine what is the proper mode, purpose, and recipient of baptism? The only safe answer is to turn to the Bible.

If the Bible is truly our final guide in faith and practice, then to the Bible we must turn to determine what baptism is and who should receive it. Many traditions and opinions (some very old) have entered into Christianity regarding baptism, but we must constantly subject our traditions to the scrutiny of the Bible. When we look at what the Bible says about baptism, we will see that it consistently teaches that baptism is by immersion, for a person to be set in a right relationship with God, and is administered to those who have faith in Jesus Christ.

The Mode of Baptism

The mode of baptism described in the Bible is immersion in water. We see this in the word baptize itself. Unfortunately, as the Bible was translated into English (most famously in the Authorized Version, also known as the King James Version) the Greek word for baptize was not translated, but rather transliterated. That is, instead of actually translating the word baptizo and its various forms the translators simply anglicized the Greek: baptizo became to baptize. However, the word baptizo translates to dip, immerse, plunge, sink, drench, overwhelm.¹ By definition, to baptize a person in water is to immerse them into water.

We can also see from the use of the term in the Bible that immersion is indicated or at least supported. According to Colossians 2:12 and Romans 6:4 we are buried with Christ in baptism. To bury a person in water is to immerse that person. When Jesus was baptized by John he is described as “coming up from the water” (Mark 1:10) which presupposes that he went down into the water to receive baptism.

Likewise, Acts 8:38 tells us that the Eunuch and Philip went down into the water to be baptized. It’s also important to note that in Acts 8 the Eunuch waited until they found some body of water that could be entered before asking to be baptized. If baptism by sprinkling or pouring was acceptable, why not ask Philip to baptize using the drinking water they no doubt had available with them? Every time the location of a baptism is given, a sufficient amount of water to immerse is present.

We should also note that there is no example at all of a person being baptized by anything other than immersion in the Bible.

What Baptism Means

Baptism, according to the Bible, has one primary purpose that is described in several different ways. Simply, when a person is baptized they are put into a right relationship with God. That is not to say that the water itself saves – it is the blood of Christ that saves – but we are told by God that baptism is the place where we receive the benefits of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice.

The purpose and affects of baptism (what we’ve been referring to as being put into a right relationship with God) are described in several ways throughout the New Testament. We see this in verses such as:

Mark 16:16, 1 Peter 3:21 Baptism is for a persons salvation
Acts 2:38; 22:16 One’s sins are forgiven and the Holy Spirit is received (Acts 2:38)
Romans 6:3-5, Colossians 2:12 One is buried with Christ and joins with Christ in his death and resurrection
Galatians 3:27 One puts on Christ at baptism
Matthew 28:19, Acts 2:41; 8:12; 9:18; 10:48; 16:33; 18:8; 19:5 Baptism is the act that sets one apart as a disciple of Christ

Baptism is the water that divides the Christian from the non-Christian. From the Bible we see that baptism is where a person receives the abundant mercy of God and is set by God in a right relationship with himself.

Aside: Baptism is Effectual Because it is God’s Command

An analogy can be drawn from the old testament. There is nothing in the blood of animals that forgives sins, yet God told the people that they were to sacrifice the blood of animals for their sins to be forgiven. When the people did as God commanded (i.e. sacrifice the blood of animals) God was faithful to his promise and forgave them of their sins. Because it was God’s command, the blood of animals became the means by which an Israelite received forgiveness.

Another old testament example is that of Naaman in 2 Kings 5. Naaman had leprosy and he was told by Elisha to dip seven times in the Jordan River in order to be cleansed. There was nothing in the water itself to cleanse Naaman, yet because God commanded Naaman through the prophet Elisha to dip in the Jordan River seven times, the Jordan River became the means by which Naaman was cleansed. Likewise, there is nothing in the water of baptism itself that sets a person in a right relationship with God, yet the water of baptism is the Divinely appointed means by which a person enters a right relationship with God. We do as God commands and we trust in him to be faithful to his promises.

Who Is Baptism For

Is baptism for infants or only for those who confess Jesus as Lord? While there is no verse that says “only baptize adults, do not baptize infants,” by looking at what is required of a person being baptized it is obvious that only a person old enough to know the facts of Jesus’ life and to confess Jesus as Lord can be baptized.

According to 1 Peter 3:21 baptism is “the answer of a good conscience toward God” (NKJV). Peter tells the Jews in Acts 2 to repent and be baptized and we are told that “those who gladly received his word were baptized” (Acts 2:41). In order to repent and to receive a word one must be old enough to repent and to understand the word.

Likewise it is the Samaritans who believed Philip’s preaching in Acts 8 that were baptized. In fact throughout the book of Acts belief is connected to and precedes baptism. When the eunuch asks Philip “What hinders me from being baptized?” Philip’s response is, “If you believe with all your heart, you may” (Acts 8:36-37) and in Mark 16:16 it is “He who believes and is baptized” who will be saved.²One must be able to learn certain facts and to believe in them in order to be baptized.

Baptism is for those old enough to understand

Faith and belief are necessary components of baptism. If one is not old enough to have faith in Jesus, then that person is not old enough to be baptized. We will close this portion of the discussion by pointing out that every explicit reference of a person being baptized is of a person old enough to confess Jesus as Lord. There is not a single example of an infant being baptized in the Bible. There are some who point to the household baptisms as examples of infant baptism, but it must be pointed out that nowhere does it say that the household baptisms involved children. We must be careful that we draw our opinions from the text and not push our opinions into the text. Household baptisms will be considered in more detail in a separate article.

Conclusion

When we use the Bible as our final authority for our faith and practice we see clearly that baptism was by immersion, to be put in a right relationship with God, and was to be administered to every person who confessed Jesus as Lord. There is no example of anything other than this. The Bible commands those who would be disciples of Christ to confess Jesus as the Son of God and to be baptized. To do anything else is to ignore God’s clear commands. Let us humbly seek and do God’s will in the Bible, and we can stand confident in the promises of God.

Notes

Arndt, William F., et al. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 4th ed, University of Chicago Press, 1957, pp. 131.
There are textual variants regarding these two verses, but these readings are supported by the Majority Greek Text and by the Textus Receptus and can be found in English translations such as the KJV and NKJV. Even if one ignores these two verses, the argument remains from the other verses which teach the same thing.