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An Overview of Baptism
A Study Outline for Those Seeking to be Baptized
Rob Wilkerson Church in the Boro

INTRODUCTION
While producing this study outline I spotted a news piece one day. It went
something like this.

Dry Country – the pastoral search committee of a small

local church in Arizona was engaging a candidate about
becoming the new pastor of their little church. “Parson, our
first question we needed answering was your
denominational affiliation. You wouldn’t happen to be a
Baptist would you?” To that the preacher replied, “No.
Why do you ask?” To which the chairman of the committee
responded, “Well, I was just going to say that we have to
haul our water in from five miles away!”

There is also the story of another minister who dealt with a similar issue on
baptism…

The minister of a church of a different denomination

contacted the pastor of a large downtown Baptist church
and made an unusual request. He had several folks who
had recently joined his church who preferred to be baptized
by immersion rather than sprinkling, the church’s normal
mode of baptism. The minister requested not only the use
of their baptistery but that the Baptist pastor himself
baptize those who came. This posed a dilemma – what if
those being baptized weren’t born again? Since it was the
pastor’s conviction that only Christians should be baptized,
he realized he couldn’t with good conscience cooperate
with the plan, but he wished to handle his answer with tact
so as not to offend the other minister. I understand that he
wrote a letter, a masterpiece of grace in which he included
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this humorous statement: “We don’t take in laundry, but

we’ll be happy to loan you our tub.” 1

BAPTISM IN PRESENT
Presently there are many forms and methods of baptism in churches
today. Among all the evangelical denominations in the world today,
Baptists, Evangelical Free Churches, Pentecostal Churches, Assemblies of
God churches, and Calvary Churches and a few others are the only churches
which baptize by immersion. Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans,
Episcopalians, and other like denominations baptize by sprinkling or pouring.
These same denominations also practice infant baptism, whereas the other
denominations do not. It is safe to assume, for the most part, that those
churches which practice immersion do not practice infant baptism, and those
churches who do practice infant baptism, may not practice immersion.

BAPTISM IN THE OLD TESTAMENT & IN JUDAISM

The Purposes of Baptism in Old Testament & Judaism

Baptism in the Old Testament and later on in Judaism at the time of Christ,
seemed to have several purposes, all of which seem to essentially be
inseparably bound up together.

1. It restored someone to a condition of purity so that they could

undertake a task they needed or wanted to. In ancient near east Jewish
culture, the mikvah's, or baptismals, were the most important part of the
temple, because God demanded purity when entering His presence to
worship. In fact, the mikvah's were so important that when it came time to
build, all efforts were put on building and finishing the mikvah before
anything else was built. That's because, again, purity was so essential to
everything they were doing when building a temple.

2. It dedicated someone to a particular function or service. In the ancient

near east Jewish culture, priests would "baptize" themselves in a mikvah in
order to cleanse and purify so that they could dedicate themselves to the
work they were about to engage in. So restoration to purity leads to

1
Charles Swindoll, The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart, p. 45.
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dedication, when it comes to the Jewish understanding of baptism in this day

and time.

3. It sensitized a person to the holiness of a special day. On the Day of

Atonement, for example, people baptized themselves as a ritual cleansing in
order to make their hearts and minds especially sensitive to the holiness of
that special day.

It is worth noting that the baptisms we see going on in Jesus’ day were
practices that had been developed over time through rabbinical teachings
for only about four hundred years or less. In other words, ritual baptisms
and washings were a part of Judaism, though not necessarily a part of Israel’s
life prior to exile in Babylon and Assyria. To be sure, the Old Covenant
contained numerous laws relating to unclean persons, foods, and objects
which required ritual cleansing (Lev. 11-22; Num 5:1-14; 19). But these
weren’t developed into an elaborate ceremonial system until the first
century and onward.

This is very significant because we see a nation after exile attempting to do

everything in their human power to remain devoted to God and His
covenant. This included such a reverence for the law that many layers of
acts of obedience were invented to “help” make sure that the Jew never
broke God’s law. Over time this led to an overt focus on external practices as
the primary measure for determining one’s devotion to YHWH and His
Torah. In fact a whole division of the Mishnah, called the Tohoroth
(Cleannesses) was developed in tandem to the Torah to address the issues of
ritual cleansings for clean and unclean persons and things.

“Little else had more impact on daily life than did these regulations”2
Passages like Mark 7:3-4; Matt. 23:25-26; and Luke 11:38-41 show the
reflection of this during Jesus’ time. Overt and vain attention was given to
the “cleanness” or “defilement” of an item, meanwhile missing entirely the
real point behind these concepts to begin with. This in turn led to a neglect
of the weightier matters of the Torah, such as love and the condition of one’s
soul or heart. Ceremonial, outward purity was always embraced over and
sometimes even against inner purity.

2
J. Julius Scott, Jr. Customs and Controversies (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House,
1995), p. 254 .
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When all the dust settles, it really became all about the opinion or respect of
others. The greater the attention to outward, ceremonial cleanness, the
greater your reputation as a “man of God.” Essentially, the ritual baptisms
or washings of Judaism end up being meaningless in light of one’s once-and-
for-all baptism into the church of Christ and his once-and-for-all baptism into
power by the Holy Spirit because of the once-and-for-all act of Jesus on the
cross and out of the empty tomb.

Who would typically participate in baptism during this time?

The following people would normally undergo baptism for one of the three
purposes mentioned above.

1. Those who wanted to be married would baptize themselves before the

ceremony.
2. Those wanting to convert to Judaism would baptize themselves to show
their promise to break with the Gentile lifestyle and live under the Torah.
3. Those wanting to become a rabbi would baptize themselves as a part of
their "graduation."
4. Those wanting to become the head of a rabbinical school would baptize
themselves as part of a dedication to that special office.
5. Priests would baptize themselves as a part of ritual cleansing and
dedication to their service.
6. High Priests would baptize themselves before taking on that office.
7. Women would baptize themselves after each monthly cycle.
8. Devout men would baptize themselves each morning at dawn before
going to the Temple for prayers.
9. Boys at age 13 would baptize themselves to publicly profess their desire
to be a part of the covenant community of Israel of their own will and
desire.

What were the requirements and reflections of baptism during this time?

Baptism in the ancient near east Jewish culture had the following reflections
and requirements. Some would disagree with these historical reflections
because it contradicts the way they may do baptism today. Nevertheless,
the history and the culture are fact and must not be altered to suit one’s own
personal opinions or theological beliefs.
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First, baptism was conducted by immersion.

The total body was to be immersed in the water, with no part of the body
not being touched by the water.

Essentially, every person being baptized immersed themselves into the

water. They would do so by entering one set of steps and going out another,
being helped out by the officiator. And they would do so by squatting in the
fetal position and stretching their whole body out, in a reclining position, so
that they sank down into the water completely.

While there was someone officiating the baptism, that person was not
allowed to touch the person who was being baptized, because every part of
the body was to be touched by water.

Second, baptism was conducted in the presence of at least two or three

witnesses.

None of whom could touch the person being baptized until after they came
up out of the water.

They were present to publicly confirm and affirm the promise and
profession the person was making.

And they were representatives of the matter for which the person was being
baptized. This was the original meaning of the phrase "baptized in the name
of..." The Father, Son and Holy Spirit today are the representative witnesses
of the good news into which we are baptized. Being baptized in the name of
these three simply means that we are making our name publicly identified
with the name of God.

BAPTISM FROM THE 3RD CENTURY ONWARD

It is interesting to find among early church fathers and scholars up until
2-300 A.D. that baptism was: (1) simple, without the use of rituals, rites,
schooling, and symbols, (2) always by immersion.
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1. First, baptism complicated in practice after the 3rd century A.D.

 Phillip Schaff, one of the premier theologians of church history,

wrote that by the 3rd century several symbols and much ritual had
been added to the simple baptismal service as described by Justin
Martyr, and this order of service will be presented below. 

 Some of these symbols were the sign of the cross; giving of milk,
honey, and salt; unction of the head; and the white robe.

 In addition, schools were set up to handle the large numbers and

grades of advancement. In the fourth century for these schools
baptism was a sort of elaborate graduation exercise.

 The Coptic Constitutions of the fourth and fifth centuries called for
the three years of instruction, an examination, exorcism, an
anointing with oil, an oral profession, and a baptism of triune
immersion before the convert was allowed into the church and to
partake of the Lord’s Supper.

 Also, from all indications, baptism took place in the nude in the early
centuries. There are various opinions as to why this was practiced.
Some say that in such baptism we put off our old sinful practices, this
being typified by the removal of the clothing. Another suggestion
was that as we were naked in our first birth, so should we be in our
new or second birth.

 Finally, baptism seemed to “evolve,” if you will in terms of its

mode. As will be pointed to in a moment, baptism was assumed to
be by immersion up until the 3rd century. Even into the 3rd century,
immersion was still considered the probable primary means, though
by this time, triple immersion was being taught and practiced. This is
the practice whereby the believer is immersed into the water 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.

 All of these things clearly reveal an unbiblical evolution of sorts

from the simple practice and teaching of baptism in the NT to the


Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. II,, p. 251.
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seeming complex and nonsensical rituals of baptism in the 2nd to 3rd

century early church.

2. Baptism also became complicated in teaching after the 3rd century.

A. First, there was an unbiblical teaching and belief regarding the act
of baptism.

 From the second century forward the idea gradually gained

ground that baptism works more or less magically, the water
itself having power.

 It was during this same time that the concept of water baptism
as necessary for salvation came to be taught. A couple of later
church fathers began teaching that baptism itself was not even
enough for salvation. Tertullian and Origen both taught that
there was repentance and confession of sin were what was
necessary to be saved. Though this was definitely a step in the
right direction, they still linked repentance and confession of
sins with baptism as inseparable necessities for salvation.

 In addition, both of these church fathers believed in baptismal

regeneration, which teaches that the act of baptism itself saves
one. Most all of the fathers believed that baptism was to
“complete and seal the spiritual process of regeneration…”

 And in both East and West baptism served three purposes,

“forgiveness of sins, communication of the Spirit, and the
obligation to fulfill the commandments of Christ.”

 Regarding the simplicity of the teaching, I find it interesting to

note that those church fathers who lived but one generation
after the apostles (namely Clement of Rome, Ignatius, and
Polycarp) never once spoke of water baptism. This is obviously
not because they didn’t believe or practice it, but rather because
they didn’t lay great stress on the ordinance itself. “This is
clear evidence that these who were taught by the apostles
themselves put no emphasis on any particular mode, but they
did at the same time stress many other doctrines in their
epistles. We undoubtedly should learn much from these early
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pupils of Peter, Paul and John and at the same time save
ourselves and those about us a lot of time, effort, and ill feeling
wasted on that which is not vital.”

B. Second, it is most probable that baptism was by immersion, again

up until the 3rd century A.D. when other views were propogated.

 Though the first generation church fathers after the apostles

didn’t mention water baptism, the second generation church
fathers did, and when they did it was always referred to in terms
of immersion.
 Shepherd of Hermas (written around 100 A.D. in Rome), for
instance, refers to going “down into the water.”

 The Didache (“The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles” dating from

about 150 A.D.) had instruction concerning baptism which, in a
nutshell, instructed the baptizer to baptize only believers in
running water, and if there was no running water use other
water, preferably cold, but if not cold then warm, and if not
enough then may sprinkling or pouring be used, and then it must
be done three times on the head (for each member of the
Trinity) (chapter 7). This instruction reveals that immersion was
probably the first choice for baptism, and for that Baptists may
be applauded. But the instruction also reveals that cold, running
water is also to be used, and for that Baptists must be reproved
since they use a heated baptistery!

In the church overall, the common mode of immersion didn’t change

until sometime between the 3rd and 4th centuries when affusion or
sprinkling began to be practiced by immersing the head three times in a
fountain or pool of water. During this time, the Western church practiced
baptism by immersion of the head into a fountain or pool of water.

From the 13th century onward aspersion or sprinkling was practiced

along with immersion and affusion in the Roman Catholic Church. Today
Catholicism practices only affusion. In the Eastern Church in earliest times,
triune baptism was practiced, immersing the entire body into water three
times, and any other mode was considered heretical. Today, the Eastern
Orthodox church still practices triple immersion.
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BAPTISM IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

While it is true that an examination of the post-apostolic early church (in
any century) on baptism will not entirely solve the issue of the mode of
baptism, the NT itself seems to clearly point to distinguishable
particularities. And while the teaching of the church fathers points to an
unbiblical complexity of ritual in baptism, the NT teaches something far
simpler.

One theologian stated once, “The very fact that so many Christians for
centuries have held various views on the matter [of baptism] is proof enough
that the Scriptures are not precise on the question.” However, such a
statement does two things for the believer:

(1) It leads the Christian to assume that no solid interpretation on baptism is

available nor can be made, and…

(2) It doubts the Holy Spirit’s intention in communicating on baptism when

He inspired the New Testament. The fact is that despite so many
Christians holding so many various views over the centuries, the
Scriptures are quite precise on the question.

OVERVIEW ON NT WORDS FOR BAPTISM

There are two sets of words in the NT which refer to the subject matter
at hand. These words are baptizw/ (baptize) and Baptisma (baptisma).

 There are 77 occurrences of the verb baptizw/ (baptize) in the NT on

baptism, all occurring between Acts and Galatians. The first 36
occurrences are in the Gospels, 18 occurrences in Acts, one in Romans, 8
in 1 Corinthians, and one in Galatians.

 There are 17 occurrences of the noun Baptisma (baptisma) in the NT.

The largest number, like the verb, is found in the Gospels, where we find
10 occurrences. The second largest set, again like the verb, contains 5
occurrences in Acts. Finally, there is one occurrence in Ephesians and
one in 1 Peter.
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 Finally, there is the Baptw/ (bapto) word group, the synonym or cousin
to the baptizw/ (baptize) and Baptisma (baptisma) word groups. It is
found only four times in the NT. It occurs 16 times in the Septuagint,
thirteen of which are translated from the Hebrew word lbt (tabal). Both
the Hebrew word tabal and its Greek translation bapto, mean “to dip
in or under, to immerse in a liquid.”3 From the very earliest appearance
of its usage in Greek literature this word was associated with water
meaning either “to dip in water” or “to draw water by dipping a vessel.”
It also was a word used to refer to the sinking of a ship (Lidell-Scott). In
other extra-biblical Hebrew and Aramaic writings which discuss a Gentile
convert to Judaism, the Greek word bapto was the word used at the
beginning of the Christian era to refer to the ritual bathing or baptism of
this proselyte.

Certainly such a large number of passages would clearly communicate

what God intended for us to understand on the subject. And even more
certainly, while the baptizo and baptisma groups are debated as to their
meaning regarding the mode of water baptism, the bapto word group
concretely describes the immersion or dipping of an object into water or
some other liquid. It’s synonymous association with baptizo and baptisma
seem to clench the issue on how one should be baptized, as will be shown
below.

In conclusion to this introduction, this study outline is an attempt to

communicate in a brief, concise form a study on all of the passages/verses
speaking of baptism. After studying these many passages I have attempted
to systematized them into a small outline which communicates as much
about baptism that has been inspired by the Holy Spirit in the Bible.

1. THE SYMBOLISM AND PURPOSE OF BAPTISM

A Public identification with (a) the person and name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
hence (b) forgiveness of sins, and (c) commitment to Christ and His Church.
Baptism is a concrete, historical, public response of faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ for persons who have experienced forgiveness of sins and the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The following chart should be a help in
understanding the relationships.

3
Friberg, Louw-Nida.
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THE RELATIONSHIP OF BAPTISM IN THE

NAME OF JESUS CHRIST TO FAITH IN CHRIST 4
The Benefits of Pictured in Baptism… Given to Those Who Exercise
Salvation in Christ… Faith in Christ
Romans 6:1,3,4
Union (Fellowship) with Christ. Ephesians 3:17
Colossians 2:11

Participation in His death and Romans 6:3,4 Galatians 2:20; 5:24

resurrection. Colossians 2:12

Forgiveness of sins and cleansing from Acts 2:38; 22:16 1 John 1:9
sins.

Gift of the Holy Spirit Acts 2:28 Galatians 3:2,14

1 Corinthians 12:13

Renewal by the Holy Spirit Titus 3:5 John 1:13

Membership in the body of Christ 1 Corinthians 12:13

Galatians 3:27

The Promise of Life the Kingdom of God. John 3:5 John 20:31

a. Public Identification with the person and name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Since Jesus Christ underwent Old Testament baptism to fulfill all
righteousness, being baptized in Jesus name is something He commands
(Matt. 28:19), because it is something that shows our identification with Him
from that point onward in our lives.

 Acts 8:16 – “For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply
been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

 Acts 19:1-5 – “1 And it came about that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul
having passed through the upper country came to Ephesus, and found some
disciples, 2 and he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you
believed?" And they said to him, "No, we have not even heard whether there
is a Holy Spirit." 3 And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" And
they said, "Into John's baptism." 4 And Paul said, "John baptized with the
baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was

4
Adapted from G. R. Beasley-Murray, “Baptism” in The New International Dictionary of New Testament
Theology, Vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986 reprint), p. 148
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coming after him, that is, in Jesus." 5 And when they heard this, they were
baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

 Acts 22:16 - 'And now why do you delay? Arise, and be baptized, and wash
away your sins, calling on His name.'

 Romans 6:3 - “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized
into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?”

 In 1 Corinthians 1:13-17 Paul reproves the Corinthians for the divisions in the
church existing over who was baptized by who. It is clear by the fact that
Paul gets on to the Corinthians for making it a big deal over who they were
baptized by that it is who they are baptized into that counts. So then it is
not who baptizes us (the pastor or church leader) but who we identify with
in that baptism (the Savior).

 Galatians 3:27 – “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed
yourselves with Christ.”

b. Public Identification with forgiveness of sins. Just as water washes away

dirt and filth, the waters of baptism symbolize the washing away of sin and
ungodliness from our lives, once and for all in the eyes of God.

 Acts 22:16 'And now why do you delay? Arise, and be baptized, and wash
away your sins, calling on His name.'

 Acts 2:38 – in his Pentecost sermon Peter commands the people who have
been pierced through in their hearts to be baptized to show that their sins
have been forgiven.

c. Public Identification of a Commitment to Christ and His Church. When the

person being baptized goes into the water alone and comes out to join his
friends, this symbolizes his desire to turn from individualism and
independence to belonging to a family and depending on others.

 In 1 Corinthians 12:13, Paul refers to baptism to make an argument. The

argument rests on the foundation that all who belong to Christ are part of
Christ and make up Christ’s church. The church is being referred to here in
chapter 12 as a “body.” It is into this body of Christ, into the church, Christ’s
church, that believers have been baptized. “For by one Spirit we were all
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baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free,
and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”

d. Putting off the Old Life and Putting on Christ. Just as one takes off his or her
wet clothes and puts on dry clothes, baptism symbolizes the putting off of
one’s old life and putting on Jesus Christ.

 In Colossians 3:9-12, Paul teaches that believers have “put off the old self
with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in
knowledge after the image of its creator.”

 Earlier, in Galatians 3:27, Paul also wrote, “For as many of you as were
baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

e. Putting on Jesus Christ in Baptism Means Inseparable Unity with Other

Believers. The oneness of the waters of baptism symbolizes the oneness of
other believers together in Christ. Just as one cannot be immersed into
many separated drops of water, one can only be immersed into the one
body of Jesus Christ, made up of inseparable believers.

 Returning to Galatians 3:27, we read in the very next verse that, “There is
neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male
nor female for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

 And returning to Colossians 3:9 and 10 Paul follows up in verse 11 in the

same way. “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and
uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.”

f. Sharing in Christ’s Burial and Resurrection. As one is immersed down into

the water and comes back up and out, this symbolizes our immersion into
the death of Jesus Christ as well as our rising back up and out of the grave
with Him. In so doing, we are identifying ourselves with the burial and
resurrection of Jesus Christ Himself.

 In Romans 6:3 and 4, Paul uses baptism as an illustration of our unification

with Christ Jesus. “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized
into Christ Jesus were baptized 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.”
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g. Pouring Out of the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament and Judaism practices
of baptism, there seems to have been no one immersing another into the
water. Rather, the individual would baptize himself. The symbolism here
seems striking in that the invisible but very present Holy Spirit is the one
baptizing the new believer into Christ. As well, the symbolism seems also to
point to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in one’s new life.

 Quoting the prophet Joel’s prophecy, Peter begins preaching his first sermon
after having received the fullness of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues.
He writes, “And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out
my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophecy, and
your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;
even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out
my Spirit, and they shall prophesy” (Acts 2:17, 18).
 At the end of the proclamation Peter makes, here’s what happened. “Now
when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the
rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ And Peter said to them,
‘Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’…So
those who received his word were baptized…” (Acts 2:37-38, 41).

Summary of the Symbolic Purposes of Baptism

Baptism in the NT took the one who wanted to repent of their sins and receive
forgiveness from Jesus Christ the Messiah and identified that person with Christ’s
salvation from sin, sealing that repentance, and giving the promise of the Holy
Spirit…once and for all. This is what baptism signifies for new Christians today.

 It pictures one’s commitment to identify with Jesus Christ who died and
rose again to redeem them from their sin.

 This is why the NT church administered baptism “in the name of Jesus Christ”
that is, in relation to and identification with Jesus Christ and with the use of
his name.

 The result is twofold: (1) the one who is baptized is publicly picturing that
he has called on the name of Christ for salvation (Acts 22:16), and (2) he is
demonstrating that the name of Jesus Christ is called over him, signifying
the one to whom he now belongs (James 2:7).
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 In the NT, baptism “to Christ” is baptism “to his death” as he stated in
Romans 6:3. How so?

1. First, it relates the new Christian to Christ’s redemption in His death

on the cross.

2. Second, it signifies an end to his life of sinful estrangement from

God and the beginning of his new life in Christ. This is what Paul
refers to in Romans 6:4 – “Therefore we have been buried with Him
through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from
the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in
newness of life.”

 The following statements by a theologian and preacher named G. Beasley-

Murray should help elucidate the purpose of baptism.

o “Baptism to Christ is baptism to the church, for to be in Christ is to be a

member of the body of Christ (Gal. 3:27 ff.; 1 Cor. 12:13).”

o “Baptism to Christ is baptism in the Spirit of Christ (We were all

immersed in one Spirit…and were all saturated in (the outpouring of) on
Spirit”, 1 Cor. 12:13), for the Spirit and Christ are inseparable (Rom. 8:9
f.; 2 Cor. 3:17).”

o “Baptism to Christ is for life after the pattern of Christ’s dying to sin and
rising for righteousness (“We were buried with him through
baptism…that we might walk in a new life”, Rom. 6:4; see further the
baptismal ethics of Col. 3:3-13).”

o “Baptism to Christ is for life in the kingdom to be revealed in the day of

Christ (2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13; 4:30).”

o “Baptism to Christ is subordinate to the gospel of Christ (1 Cor. 1:17).”

o “It is an embodiment of the gospel of grace and the supreme occasion

for confessing it, hence the climactic point of the restoration of relations
between God and the repentant sinner.”

o “Since baptism signifies union with Christ (Gal. 3:27), all that Christ
wrought for man in his redeeming acts and bestows by virtue of them is
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conjoined with baptism in the apostolic writings. This includes union

with Christ in his death and resurrection (Rom. 6:1 ff.; Col. 2:11 f.),
forgiveness of sins and cleansing from sins (Acts. 2:38; 22:16), bestowal
of the Spirit (Acts 2:38; 1 Cor. 12:13), membership in the body of Christ
(1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:27), renewal by the Holy Spirit (Tit. 3:5), the promise
of the kingdom of God (John 3:5).”

If this is the purpose of baptism then this only means one thing for those
who want to be baptized or who are being baptized. You must have decided
once and for all to repent of your sin, thank God for forgiving you for your sin
through the death of Christ, entrust your life to God, and commit your life to
other Christians, the body of Christ, the church.

2. THE SUBJECTS OF BAPTISM: Only those who believe the gospel.

Baptism is a public statement by individuals who have committed

themselves to such a directing of their lives toward God
and to the church of Christ that,
in praying to God and confessing Christ publicly before others, they
have begun to live as soldiers of Christ
and as witnesses over against a hostile world.

Among denominations there is confusion as to who can and cannot be baptized.

Without oversimplifying things, I would like to quote to you every passage in the NT
which answers the question as to who can be baptized.

 Acts 2:41 – “So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and
there were added that day about three thousand souls.”

 Acts 8:12 – “But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about
the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized,
men and women alike.” Notice the clarity of this verse. Only those men and
women who heard and believed the preaching of the gospel were baptized.
There is in this verse the noticeable absence of infants, and the noticeable
emphasis and stress on men and women who believe.

 Acts 8:36-37 – “And as they went along the road they came to some water;
and the eunuch said, "Look! Water! What prevents me from being
baptized?" And Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And
he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
 17

 In Acts 9:18 it is the first reaction of Paul who has just come to faith in the
risen Lord Jesus Christ. “And immediately there fell from his eyes something
like scales, and he regained his sight, and he arose and was baptized.”

 Acts 10:47 refers to those who had received the Holy Spirit, which is an
obvious referent to salvation. It was unreasonable to forbid anyone from
being baptized who had received Christ and His Spirit. Surely no one can
refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit
just as we did, can he?"

 Acts 16:14-15 tells the story of Lydia and her household who believed and
was then baptized. “And a certain woman named Lydia, from the city of
Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the
Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. And when
she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, "If you have
judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay." And she
prevailed upon us.”

 Acts 16:32-33 tells a similar story of the Philippian Jailer who simply heard
the preaching of Paul and Silas. Though nothing is said of his believing yet
something is said of he and his household being baptized, it may be inferred
that he and his house believed, since this was the pattern thus far in the
book of Acts.
 There is also the story of Crispus and many of the Corinthians in Acts 18:8 to
whom Paul preached. “And Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in
the Lord with all his household, and many of the Corinthians when they heard
were believing and being baptized.”

 Paul encountered certain disciples in Ephesus, according to Acts 19:1 ff.

These had only heard of John’s baptism of repentance. Paul makes the
following statement followed by Luke’s commentary – “And Paul said, ‘John
baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him
who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.’ And when they heard this, they
were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

 When Paul was recounting his conversion before the Jews in Acts 22, he
recounts his encounter with Ananias who stated in verse 16 - “And now why
do you delay? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His
 18

name.” Ananias knew that if since Paul was really saved, there was no
reason to delay in being baptized.

 In 1 Peter 3:21, baptism here could mean one of two things. Either it is
translated, “an appeal to God for a clear conscience” or “an answer to God
from a clear conscience.” Either way it is clear that baptism is the occasion
of the new believer addressing him to God in response of the gospel. The
bold statement at the beginning of this point, and restated here, emphasizes
the context of the reference to baptism in 1 Peter 3:21-4:1.

Baptism is a public statement by individuals who have committed

themselves to such a directing of their lives toward God and to the
church of Christ that, in praying to God and confessing Christ publicly
before others, they have begun to live as soldiers of Christ and as
witnesses over against a hostile world.

WHAT ABOUT INFANT BAPTISM?

 In a nutshell, baptism is always noted as inseparable from one’s hearing
the gospel preached to them and one’s understanding and receiving of that
gospel as evidenced in their belief in Christ, repentance from sin, and
conversion (Acts 2:41; 16:33).

 In each verse above, baptism is always associated with conversion and

conversion with baptism.

 It must be noted then that this is why infant baptism finds no reference in
apostolic writings. Infants do not possess the necessary developed
intellectual faculties to hear the gospel of Christ and process it. There is
not yet the intellectual capacity to process the truth on sin, judgment,
repentance, salvation, etc.

 And since baptism is predicated by a public statement of faith in Christ, the

infant should not be baptized, since an infant cannot make any statement
of repentance from sin and of faith in Christ.

 This argument is most clearly demonstrated in every place baptism is

mentioned in the NT. This means that in those places there is reference to
“households”, the clear or chief argument should rule over the debated one.
 19

Those holding to infant baptism use as a chief argument the usage of the
word “household.” They would say that this word would include infants as
well as servants, etc. Therefore, when a household baptism took place
infants were also baptized. But the problem is that there is no single
instance of infant baptism in the NT to elucidate this claim concerning the
meaning of the word household.

Further, though there is debate over the term oikos, or “household” in

the passages where it occurs, (1) there is clearly no debate that baptism is
always linked with conversion in those same passages; and (2) there is
clearly no debate that baptism is always linked with conversion in all the
passages where “household” does not occur. If we take all the passages on
baptism where “household” is not used, there is enough information to
conclude that baptism follows conversion. These clear passages are the
sounding board for the more debatable passages where “household” is used
(and even in those passages it communicates the same conclusion as those
passages which do not use the term) ..
3. MANDATE OF BAPTISM: Baptism is not an option for believers.

“The idea of an unbaptized Christian

is simply not entertained in the NT”
William Hendrickson, Acts


There is still much debate over this issue of infant baptism today, with many
appeals to the teachings of the early church fathers. However, any evangelical
scholar would affirm that any of the early church fathers can side with any argument
at any point in their writings. Their writings must be taken in context as with
anything else. For instance, many cite The Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus, written
around A.D. 200 which contains instructions concerning the various stages one must
go through before being baptized. The church manual does make reference to the
baptism of “little ones,” an obvious referent to children, not necessarily to infants.
But around the same time Tertullian, also appeal to in support of infant baptism,
suggested that they should be led to Christ by proper instruction. He also indicated
that they should not receive baptism until personal conviction and their own free
choice led them to be responsive. Thomas Lea’s comment is appropriate here: “At
this stage it appears that those children who were baptized had made responses to
the gospel and that infant baptism was not yet a practice. During the third or fourth
centuries infant baptism came to be sanctioned in cases of sickness or danger of
death, but for many centuries adult baptism was more commonly adopted”
(“Baptism in the Early Church”, 33).
 20

A. Baptism is Commanded by Jesus Christ.

Matthew 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit…” Per one
commentator, “Matthew 28:19 clearly reflects that baptism and teaching
were partners in the process of making disciples. ‘Make disciples’ (aorist
imperative;   ) is the mandate. “Baptizing” (present participal;
 " ) and “teaching” (present participal; " ) are the two
procedures associated with the accomplishment of that mandate.” So here
as in John 3:22–4:2, baptism is directly connected with discipleship.

B. Baptism was Commanded by Peter under inspiration of the Holy Spirit in

Acts 2:38 – “And Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let each of you be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you
shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” Also commanded by Peter under
the same inspiration in Acts 10:48 – “And he ordered them to be baptized
in the name of Jesus Christ.”

C. Also important to understand the mandate is understanding the movement

from John’s command to be baptized to Jesus being baptized by John to
Jesus commanding baptism.

 When Jesus was baptized by John, Jesus was demonstrating that baptism
provided a means to be identified with repentance toward God.

 But after Jesus had completed redemption, and after He arose from the
grave, baptism then became an authoritative issue. This means that Jesus
commanded men to be baptized in order to identify themselves with His
redemption from sin through His death, burial, and resurrection.

 In other words, John’s baptism was an identification with a decision to

repent and turn to God in expectation of the Messiah. It was only a
temporary baptism until the Messiah’s work was completed. Jesus’
commanded a baptism which was more complete in what it portrayed.

 As one theologian stated, this is the understanding behind Peter’s command

in Acts 2:38, directed to those who were pierced by the pain of repentance
in verse 37. “Those who had already made the step toward repentance were
individually summoned to be baptized in view of Jesus, who had given the
commission, in order to receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the
 21

Holy Spirit and be incorporated in the Christian community. Baptism

becomes thus a sign of the beginning of the move toward repentance, that
by which the Lord who calls adds individuals to the Church…”

D. In conclusion, the following comments are in order.

 As part of a new believer’s incorporation into the Christian community he or

she must be baptized. It would not occur to them that there could be a
Christian in the local church who had not been baptized.
 In effect, the initiate, by his submission to baptism, declared himself a
disciple of Christ and committed himself to the kind of lifestyle pertinent to
that declaration.
 More than that, the fact of the close proximity, time-wise, between trusting
in Christ and being baptized (cf. Acts 2:38; 10:47 etc.) is significant.
 It implies that they could not conceive of a true Christian who was not willing
to express commitment to our Lord.
 That was not one of the options given to the person being evangelized. He
either trusted Christ and was baptized, knowing the implications in terms of
commitment and lifestyle, or he rejected the truth….”
 There is nothing more important in this life than one’s relationship to the
Lord. It was Christ who said “no one of you can be My disciple who does not
give up all his own possessions” (Luke 14:33). Christ must occupy first place if
one is to be properly called a “disciple.”
 What, then, are the implications of the fact that baptism was both part of the
initiation of every believer and directly connected with discipleship
commitment?
 Obviously, they did not, and in fact, could not conceive of someone
expressing saving faith in Christ without a corresponding commitment of
faithfulness toward him as one of his disciples.
 The early church in the book of Acts associated baptism with commitment.
Surely, salvation was by grace through faith. But the kind of faith that saved
was not passive. It was active and drove a person toward commitment and
faithfulness. The true (universal) church was made up of people with that
kind of faith. The local church strove for that kind of membership as is
demonstrated by the ideology behind water baptism and the association of
water baptism with Spirit baptism. God wants local churches that are
committed to doing his will. Such a church can only exist when it is made up
of believers that are committed to doing his will.
 22

 A proper understanding and administration of water baptism can be useful

as a means of demonstrating the central importance of discipleship
commitment in salvation and local church membership.”

Finally, this mandate had a mode. Because it signified total identification

with Jesus Christ and His work of redemption through His gift of repentance
the mode of baptism was by immersion in the NT.

4. MODE OF BAPTISM – ALWAYS IMMERSION.

 The Old Testament UNDERSTANDING

o 2 Kings 5:14 is probably the chief passage which we may use from the OT to
help understand the word baptizo. In the Septuagint (Greek OT) the
translators of the OT Hebrew used baptizo to describe Naaman’s activity in 2
Kings 5:14: “So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan,
according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the
flesh of a little child, and he was clean” (NAS). This word “dipped” is
translated ebaptisato in the Septuagint here in 2 Kings 5:14. As one
theologian states, “the implications of this text for the issue of mode are
obvious.”

o The Septuagint also uses this word to refer to a figurative or metaphorical

baptism of Israel into judgment and destruction in Isaiah 21:4. There the
point is clear that God will immerse Israel into destruction, death, judgment,
etc.

 The New Testament UNDERSTANDING

o Mark 7:14 which seems clearly to indicate immersion as the mode of

washing eating ware. It is important to note that usually any city of that
day and time had tunnels dug from large water sources which led into
the city providing a source of fresh water. Cisterns or wells were also
dug throughout the city the provide water. Archaeology to the present
day has never discovered such things as well pumps or any other
mechanism which would provide running water inside a house or
 23

dwelling. Rather, one must go to the cistern or well or water supply and
draw water up from it and take it back to the house. Again, as there was
no “running water” source within the house, any washing usually took
place by immersing the item into the water.  Washing or bathing did not
take place by pouring as this would make a mess, often turning the dirt
floors into mud. Mark 7:14 - and when they come from the market
place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are
many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as
the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.) The passage in Luke
11:38 again indicates mode of washing is probably is immersion, since
hands are washed by immersing them in water (though many times
hands are put under running water). Luke 11:38 - And when the Pharisee
saw it, he was surprised that He had not first ceremonially washed
before the meal.

 In this next set, the phrase “in the Jordan River” or phrases very
similar to this are used. While the Greek preposition en necessarily
refers to the people’s presence in the Jordan River (i.e., actually
standing within the water of the river) the verb doesn’t necessarily
refer to one being immersed within that River. Logic would have to
play out here in reference to the custom of “baptizing” or
washing/cleansing according to the custom or norm. As we said
before, washing or cleansing was usually done by immersion of the
item into a container of water. If this was the custom, and if
baptizing a person signified their washing or cleansing from sin,
then the person was also probably immersed into water. This is
why such a large source as a river was used to do the baptizing. It
provided a place where people could baptize themselves as they
normally baptized everything else according to their custom –
immersion.


Cf. Beasley-Murray, p. 144. In reference to this washing of eating ware,
Beasley-Murray states, “The use of the term for cleansing vessels (as in Lev. 6:28
Aquila [cf. 6:21]; cf. baptismos in Mk. 7:4) does not prove the contrary [to
immersion], since vessels were normally cleansed by immersing them in water.” To
be fair, Beasley-Murray does point the reader to “note the common association of
sprinkling and cleansing from sin in the OT, e.g. Num. 19:18 f.; Ps. 51:7 (50:9); Ezek.
36:25)” (ibid). But in the effort to determine the meaning of this word exegetically,
these references to sprinkling cannot and should not affect the meaning of the
references to immersion.
 24

o Matthew 3:6 - and they were being baptized by him in the

Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.

o Mark 1:5 – “And all the country of Judea was going out to him,
and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by
him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

o Mark 1:9- “And it came about in those days that Jesus came
from Nazareth in Galilee, and was baptized by John in the
Jordan. “

o The same concept would apply here to what we see in Acts

8:38-39 – “And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both
went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch; and
he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water,
the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch
saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing.” Philip and
the Eunuch are seen going “down into the water” and then
they “came up out of the water.” Now, granted, if
immersion is understood by this, then both were immersed.
Yet where is it indicated in the NT that the baptizer and the
baptizee were both immersed at the baptism of a new
believer? Again, it is only inference that suggests that the
going down into the water and coming up out of the water
would suggests an immersion of the new believer in
between.

o Again here in John 1:31,33 the greek preposition en is used

to indicate immersion. The same understanding would
apply as in the previous paragraph. John 1:31 "And I did not
recognize Him, but in order that He might be manifested to
Israel, I came baptizing in water." 33 "And I did not
recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said
to me, 'He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and
remaining upon Him, this is the one who baptizes in the Holy
Spirit.'

 Another argument for immersion is the reference to one

“coming up out of” the water. Matthew 3:16 – “And after being
baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water…”
 25

 By way of elucidation, in the inter-testamental period, the

Apocrypha reveals the concept of immersion when it uses
baptism to refer to personal bathing and ritual washing. There
were baptisteries constructed throughout Israel. They were
called mikvehs. They held around 100 gallons of water and had
steps which descended down into the baptistery where one
would immerse himself for ritual cleansing. This was then the
natural concept which extended from one’s personal bathing by
immersion into water. There are two references in the
Apocrypha which shed light on baptism by immersion. In these
two passages the word for baptism is used to refer to this
personal bathing as well as ritual washing.

o RSV Judith 12:7 – “So Holofernes commanded his guards not

to hinder her. And she remained in the camp for three days,
and went out each night to the valley of Bethulia, and
bathed at the spring…”

o RSV Sirach 34:25 – “If a man washes after touching a dead

body, and touches it again, what has he gained by his
washing?”

 The bapto word group may be dealt with here to seal the
argument regarding the mode as immersion. As stated before, it
is the root form of baptizo and baptisma. From the very earliest
appearance of its usages, it always referred to dipping in water
(or some other liquid). The following are its usages in the NT
which clearly indicate immersion as the word is clearly defined.

o Luke 16:24 - "And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham,

have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip
of his finger in water and cool off my tongue; for I am in
agony in this flame.'”

o John 13:26 – “Jesus therefore answered, "That is the one for

whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him." So when He
had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son
of Simon Iscariot.”
 26

o Revelation 19:13 – “And He is clothed with a robe dipped in

blood; and His name is called The Word of God.”

CONCLUSION
Given this information today concerning baptism we issue to you several
things to think upon:

1. Have you repented of your sins? Have you asked God to forgive you
for your sins through Christ’s death? Have you entrusted yourself to
God and committed your life to Christ and His body the local church?
If you have been baptized, yet the answers to these questions are
no, then that baptism represented nothing in the real, biblical sense
of the word. If you have not repented and received Christ’s
forgiveness then I urge you to talk to myself or another pastor
before you leave this morning.

2. If however, you have repented, received forgiveness for your sins,

committed your life God, to Christ, and to His body then you must
ask whether or not you have been baptized since this is the only
biblical means of identifying with your salvation. If you have not
been baptized yet, then again talk with myself or another pastor and
we can speak with you privately about this matter. Remember,
baptism is a mandate by Christ Himself to identify with Himself if you
have called upon Him as your Lord and Savior.

3. If you have been baptized as an infant and yet since that time you
have made a conscious decision to repent of your sin and commit
your life to Jesus Christ, you too have a mandate to publicly identify
with Christ by baptism. Since baptism is connected to conversion,
you need to be baptized after that conversion, not before.

Following are words that Philip Henry, father of Matthew Henry, a famous
Puritan pastor, wrote for his children which became their baptismal
statement:
 27

I take God to be my chief end and highest good.

I take God the Son to be my prince and Savior.

I take God the Holy Spirit to be my

sanctifier, teacher, guide, and comforter.

I take the Word of God to

be my rule in all my actions
And the people of God to
be my people under all conditions.

I do hereby dedicate and devote to the Lord

all that I am, all that I have, and all I can do.

And this I do deliberately, freely, and forever.