Initiation
- Brandon Chartrand
- Mar 25
- 15 min read
What is Baptism?
Very simply, baptism is an outward expression of the inward reality in a believer’s life. Christian baptism is an act of obedience to the Lord after salvation; although baptism is closely associated with salvation, it is not a requirement to be saved. The Bible shows in many places that the order of events is 1) a person believes in the Lord Jesus and 2) he is baptized. Baptism illustrates a believer’s identification with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Everywhere the gospel is preached and people are drawn to faith in Christ, they are to be baptized.
Baptism is important, but we have very little actual instruction about it in the New Testament. There is no “how-to” manual, and perhaps this is the reason there are many different views on baptism.
Absence of explicit directives in the scriptures. Thought provoking questions
What do you think is happening to the person being baptized at that moment? What do you think should be happening?
If you have been baptized what effect did the knowledge of your baptism or the experience of your baptism have on you?
Have you seen a baptism being effective help to evangelism in your church? In what ways?
Lexicon :: Strong's G907 – baptize
to dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge (of vessels sunk)
to cleanse by dipping or submerging, to wash, to make clean with water, to wash oneself, bath
to overwhelm
Regarding the mode of baptism: the Greek word baptizo simply means “immerse.” The word was not a theological word in the first century, but a common word used in daily conversation. When speaking of the dyeing of cloth, people would say it was “immersed” in the dye. The reason that the English versions transliterate the word as “baptize” instead of translating the word as “immerse” is that, by the time the Bible was being translated into English, various other modes of baptism were popular, and the translators did not want to ruffle feathers too much. That tradition has continued to this day. When the Bible commands baptism, immersion in water is the most natural understanding. – GotQuestions.com
Lexicon :: Strong's G908 – baptisma
immersion, submersion
of calamities and afflictions with which one is quite overwhelmed
of John's baptism, that purification rite by which men on confessing their sins were bound to spiritual reformation, obtained the pardon of their past sins and became qualified for the benefits of the Messiah's kingdom soon to be set up. This was valid Christian baptism, as this was the only baptism the apostles received and it is not recorded anywhere that they were ever rebaptised after Pentecost.
of Christian baptism; a rite of immersion in water as commanded by Christ, by which one after confessing his sins and professing his faith in Christ, having been born again by the Holy Spirit unto a new life, identifies publicly with the fellowship of Christ and the church.
Lexicon :: Strong's G909 – baptismos
a washing, purification effected by means of water
of washing prescribed by the Mosaic law (Heb 9:10) which seems to mean an exposition of the difference between the washings prescribed by the Mosaic law and Christian baptism
Hebrews 6:2 “and of instruction about washings[G909], the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.”
Hebrews 9:9b-10 “According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.”
Mark 7:3-4 “(For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly[G907], holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing[G909] of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.)”
Where does Baptism come from?
Baptism was practiced before the founding of the church. The Jews of ancient times would baptize proselytes to signify the converts’ “cleansed” nature. John the Baptist used baptism to prepare the way of the Lord, requiring everyone, not just Gentiles, to be baptized because everyone needs repentance.
Christian Baptism
However, John’s baptism, signifying repentance, is not the same as Christian baptism, as seen in Acts 18:24–26 and 19:1–7. Christian baptism has a deeper significance.
Acts 18:24-26 “Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism[G908] of John.”
It’s hard to believe someone is fervent in Spirit and not already set apart by God.
Acts 19:1-7 “And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized[G907]?” They said, “Into John’s baptism[G908].” And Paul said, “John baptized[G907] with the baptism[G908] of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized[G907] in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. There were about twelve men in all.”
On what action did they receive the Holy Spirit?
Baptism is to be done in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit—this is what makes it “Christian” baptism. It is through this ordinance that a person is admitted into the fellowship of the church. When we are saved, we are “baptized” by the Spirit into the Body of Christ, which is the church.
1 Corinthians 12:13 “For in one Spirit we were all baptized[G907] into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”
Christian baptism illustrates, in dramatic style, the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. At the same time, it also illustrates our death to sin and new life in Christ. As the sinner confesses the Lord Jesus, he dies to sin (Romans 6:11) and is raised to a brand-new life (Colossians 2:12). Being submerged in the water represents death to sin, and emerging from the water represents the cleansed, holy life that follows salvation.
Colossians 2:11-12 “In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism[G909], in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.”
Romans 6:3-4, 11 “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized[G907] into Christ Jesus were baptized[G907] into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life… So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
Is Baptism Necessary for Salvation?
Well isn’t it by faith alone?
John 3:16-18 ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”
Acts 16:30-33 “Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized[G907] at once, he and all his family.”
Some believe that by using the word household that it included kids under the age of responsibility. The promise of salvation was for the whole household, the whole household heard the Word and believed, and the whole household was baptized. There is nothing in this passage that indicates, much less commands, infant baptism.
Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Titus 3:5 “he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit”
Since the Bible so clearly tells us that salvation is received by faith alone, there must be a different interpretation of those verses. In Bible times, a person who converted from one religion to another was often baptized to identify conversion. Baptism was the means of making a decision public. Those who refused to be baptized were saying they did not truly believe. So, in the minds of the apostles and early disciples, the idea of an un-baptized believer was unheard of. When a person claimed to believe in Christ, yet was ashamed to proclaim his faith in public, it indicated that he did not have true faith.
1 Corinthians 1:14-17 “I thank God that I baptized[G907] none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one may say that you were baptized[G907] in my name. (I did baptize[G907] also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized[G907] anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize[G907] but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.”
If baptism is necessary for salvation, why would Paul have said, “I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius” (1 Corinthians 1:14)? Why would he have said, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power” (1 Corinthians 1:17)? Granted, in this passage Paul is arguing against the divisions that plagued the Corinthian church. However, how could Paul possibly say, “I am thankful that I did not baptize…” or “For Christ did not send me to baptize…” if baptism were necessary for salvation? If baptism is necessary for salvation, Paul would literally be saying, “I am thankful that you were not saved…” and “For Christ did not send me to save…” That would be an unbelievably ridiculous statement for Paul to make. Further, when Paul gives a detailed outline of what he considers the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-8), why does he neglect to mention baptism? If baptism is a requirement for salvation, how could any presentation of the gospel lack a mention of baptism?
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,”
John 3:1-6 “Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
Why should I get Baptized?
It demonstrates that the old way of life has ended, and a new life of faith in Jesus Christ has begun (2 Corinthians 5:17). Baptism is important because it provides a visual testimony—a public declaration to the world—that symbolically identifies the new believer with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Baptism is God-ordained and commanded by Jesus. As part of His Great Commission to the church. Baptism is an integral part of Christian discipleship and is meant to be an ongoing practice of the church.
Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing[G907] them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Ephesians 4:5 “one Lord, one faith, one baptism[G908]”
Jesus set the example by being baptized Himself.
Matthew 3:16 “And when Jesus was baptized[G907], immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;”
Baptism represents our death to the old life of sin and our new birth into resurrection life and freedom from bondage to sin.
Romans 6:5-7 “We were buried therefore with him by baptism[G908] into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.”
It is an emblem that says we now belong to Jesus Christ and His people.
Galatians 3:26-27 “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized[G907] into Christ have put on Christ.”
Baptism gives public testimony of the Holy Spirit’s inward work of washing away our sins.
1 Peter 3:20b-21 “eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism[G908], which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,”
Their faith in God and trust in His deliverance is what brought them through the journey of salvation.
Acts 22:16 “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized[G907] and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’”
1 Corinthians 6:11 “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
A new believer in Jesus Christ should desire to be baptized as soon as possible. In Acts 8 Philip speaks “the good news about Jesus” to the Ethiopian eunuch, and, “as they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?’” (verses 35–36). Right away, they stopped the chariot, and Philip baptized the man.
Methods of baptism:
Regarding the mode of baptism, some churches sprinkle or pour water over the head, while others immerse the whole body in water. Some immerse three times, while others immerse only once; some immerse backward, and others forward, that is, face first.
believer’s baptism (credobaptism—from the word creed, which has to do with a statement of belief).
an outward sign of an internal reality
There is no passage in the New Testament that speaks of baptism that does not allow for or require immersion in water. One example is John 3:23: “Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized.” If sprinkling or pouring were in view, John’s baptism could have been done anywhere with a well or even the tiniest stream—“plenty of water” would not have been necessary.
Another example is the baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. Philip explains the gospel to him and then, “as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, ‘See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?’ And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him” (Acts 8:36, 38). If sprinkling or pouring was all that was necessary, Philip could have done that while riding along in the chariot, using drinking water. There would have been no need to stop at a place that had water, and certainly no need to go “down into the water.”
Paedobaptists also point out that the New Testament was written for first-generation Christians, so it stands to reason that everyone who was baptized in the New Testament was a new believer. While this may be true, it is inconceivable that none of the people who came to faith in the early church had any children, yet there is no example of any children being baptized because their parents believed, there is no command for believing parents to have their children baptized, and there is no passage that explicitly links baptism to circumcision. Pedobaptism is a theological inference based on analogy.
Others baptize infants (pedobaptism or paedobaptism—from the Greek word paidia, which means “children”) who cannot possibly understand what is happening to them. In many churches, baptizing infants is a sign of the New Covenant and the faith of the parents, similar to circumcision in the Old Covenant.
In the Roman Catholic Church, this baptism is believed to wash away original sin and allow the infant to start from a “neutral” place of innocence and grace.
Luke 1:15b “he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.”
Evangelical paedobaptists want the same thing for their infant children, and they realize that their children will have to later accept Christ on their own. The baptism ceremony functions much the same as a “baby dedication” functions in churches that practice believer’s baptism (credobaptism).
The ritual itself is efficacious for cleansing from sin. Some teach that baptism is a necessary act of obedience, without which a person cannot be saved, and others go so far as to teach baptism must be in name of Jesus only to be effective for salvation.
Regarding the proper candidates for baptism: in the New Testament, we never get any indication that infants were baptized as a sign of the covenant or of their parents’ faith. When Peter preached on the day of Pentecost (Act 2), those who believed were baptized. Some will point out that the whole household of the Philippian jailer was baptized (Acts 16:33); however, we do not know that his household included infants. Furthermore, the passage indicates that faith was the driving factor: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household” (Acts 16:31).
Some emphasize that baptism must be in the name of Jesus only. These groups usually hold to some form of modalism. Jesus commanded baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but in Acts sometimes people are baptized in the name of Jesus. This probably indicates that the specific formula used is not as important as the meaning. The one point of Trinitarian teaching that is most often attacked (both then and now) is the deity of Christ. In the New Testament, when one was baptized in the name of Christ, he affirmed the deity of Christ. Modalism and Jesus Only teaching are later developments and were not an issue in the New Testament. The fact that Jesus gave the Trinitarian formula in Matthew 28 seems to exclude the “Jesus only” position as the only proper formula.
Who can Baptize?
The Bible does not specifically address this question. Based on Matthew 28:18-20, as well as on the silence of the remaining portions of Scripture concerning this issue, it would seem that any true believer has authority from God to baptize, even as he has the authority from God to evangelize and teach all that Christ commanded.
Baptism by Fire:
Isaiah 6:6-7 “Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
Malachi 3:2 “But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.”
Malachi 4:1-2 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.”
Matt 3:10-12 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
1 Corinthians 3:14-15 “If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”
Hebrews 12:27-28 “This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”
Additional resources:
What is Baptism? https://youtu.be/L7rwXe8b-Ec
Is baptism necessary for salvation? https://youtu.be/kCkzkMsRbMY
Baptism Debate: A Paedobaptist Position with R.C. Sproul https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLRX1WP2wg4
A Biblical Analysis of Infant Baptism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOa1hulVSxE
“Up from the grave He arose” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN77HjfAc8k
“Christ is Enough” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fZ-tBR7LJ0
What is Baptism by Fire? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06Z_rs45ThQ
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