BAPTISM Jake Gurley III I. Introduction 1. Nearly every Christian church practices some kind of baptism. A. It has been a significant event at the beginning of the Christian life since the Pentecost following Jesus death. B. One of the last commands of Jesus to his disciples were to go...make disciples...and baptize (Matt 28:19-20). C. It has a significant place in the salvation process: conviction, repentance, faith, baptism, and Christian fellowship. 2. Not all Christians, however, agree on the meaning or mode of the rite. A. Some churches believe in baptism as a power of regeneration. B. Others believe baptism as essential to seal the believer in unity with Christ. C. Many churches believe baptism is an outward symbol of an inward reality. D. Very few reject baptism altogether as a significant event in the life of a believer. II. The Meaning of the Word 1. The word baptism is a transliteration of the Greek word baptizo. A. A translation of the Greek word means to dip, immerse, or plunge. B. It may also be used figuratively as soak. 2. By the mid-third century when Latin was taking over Greek as the main language of the Christian Church, sprinkling had become the prominent mode of baptism. A. In order to avoid apparent inconsistencies from text to practice, the Latin translations of the Greek text did not translate baptism as immerse. B. Instead, they transliterated the Greek word into Latin characters containing the same sounds, thus allowing the definition to be expanded to whatever they desired. C. The Latin Vulgate was a primary text used by translators of the King James Version into English. D. In addition, the Church of England also practiced sprinkling as the main mode of baptism, so it is no surprise that the English version was also carried over as a transliteration of the Greek word into English characters. E. Perhaps it is more poetic to have John the Baptist, rather than John the Dunker, or John the Plunger. III. Origin of the Practice 1. Many Ancient Near East cultures practiced some kind of baptism. A. Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Babylonian, and Persians all had sacred baptism. B. From India, SE Asia, Polynesia, to North American natives, there appears a universal practice of ceremonial washing which includes immersion. C. Many of the practices were involved with specific worship, such as Bacchus in Rome, Isis in Egypt, and Mithras in Persia. 2. In the Old Testament, ritual cleansing was required by priests (Lev 11:32, 15:11...), usually performed by dipping something into water.
A. The closest to New Testament baptism is Naaman lowering himself into the Jordan described in 2 Kgs 5:14 (LXX translates the Hebrew tabal as baptizein ). B. In later Jewish history, proselytes were ceremonially immersed in ritual purification as noted by Epictetus, Sibyline Oracles, Judith, Sirach, the Mishna, and others. C. Ritual baths can still be seen in Israelite archaeological sites such as Qumran and Masada. D. Modern Judaism continues to practice the Mikvah, which is ceremonial cleansing through immersion. IV. John the Baptist 1. John immersed Jews and Gentiles in the Jordan, just north of the Dead Sea. A. Jerusalem Jews would travel east and cross the Jordan before going north, in order to avoid contact with the despised Samaritans. B. John preached repentance to those he considered hypocrites and encouraged baptism as a sign of proselytes coming into relationship with God. 2. His message was one of repentance and renewal (i.e. Old Testament prophets) coupled with eschatological hope (the Kingdom of God is at hand Mk 2:18, Lk 3:10-14...). A. He links the two ideas to warn of the coming messiah, whose ministry he was introducing (Lk 3:16). B. He focused on the hope reflected in Deut 30-31, Isa 40, Ezek 36, Jer 31... V. The Baptism of Jesus 1. Jesus was baptized by John (Mk 1:9-11, Jn 1:32-34...). A. Considering the meaning of John s baptism noted above, the early church leaders needed to clarify why the sinless Son of God desired baptism. B. It would seem logical for Jesus to be the baptizer (i.e. Jn 3:22), even to John (Matt 3:13-14). 2. Meaning of Jesus baptism. A. The first reason was that he was submitting himself to the will of God as an act of righteousness (Jn 3:14-15). B. The second reason was the necessity to fulfill the messianic role. 1) It identified him with the prophecies of Ps 2:7, Isa 42:1... 2) Since the term messiah (Greek Christ ) means, anointed one, he needed to be anointed to begin his ministry. 3) The only one who could anoint him was God (Matt 3:16, Mk 1:10, Lk 3:22, Jn 1:32-34). 4) Jesus saw his baptism in water as bracketing his earthly ministry with a baptism in blood at the end (Lk 12:50, Mk 10:38, 1 Jn 5:6). 3. By-products of Jesus baptism. A. It provided confirmation of his humanity. 1) Not as a confession of sin, but an identification with sinners. 2) His humanity was to experience life as man (Heb 2:17-18). 3) He identified with the sinners to give them the gospel (Lk 5:29-32).
B. It provided confirmation of his deity. 1) The visual reality of the Holy Spirit coming upon him in the form of a dove provided confirmation of God s blessing for his disciples to see. 2) It was a confirmation of the truth of the Trinity that the disciples would reflect upon later (Matt 28:20). C. It provided a model of inclusion into the family of God. 1) He did not ask his followers to do what he was not willing to do. 2) Entrance into the Christian faith needed a public symbolic action to confirm the believer s commitment (i.e. proselyte into Judaism). 3) While baptism is a one-time event at the beginning of the Christian life, the Lord s Supper is a regular renewal of that commitment. VI. Christian Baptism 1. The beginning point is the command of Jesus to his disciples to baptize new converts (Matt 28:19-20). 2. Less than 50 days later, the Holy Spirit was poured out leading to thousands of instant converts who were immediately baptized by Jesus disciples (Acts 2:41). 3. The meaning was closely tied to John the Baptist s message of repentance and forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38), with the addition of faith in Christ (Col 2:12). 4. Paul expanded the meaning into imagery beyond mere repentance. A. The believer symbolically acts out dying to (sinful) self, and being resurrected into a (morally) new life with Christ (Rom 6:1-4). B. Baptism signifies making a break with the past (whatever it is) and commit to following Christ with single-minded purpose (Eph 4:5). C. The believer enters into union with Christ as an adopted son of God (Gal 3:26-29). D. Baptism unites converts with fellow believers in faith and purpose (1 Cor 12:12-13). E. Paul acknowledged that baptism could be abused and was more focused himself on preaching rather than baptizing (1 Cor 1:14-17). VII. Major Differences in Methods and Meaning 1. The Sacramental View (Rom. Catholic, Lutheran...) A. Sacramentum is a Latin word meaning token or pledge (of the sacred). 1) It may refer to a guarantee of full payment of a transaction such as a downpayment. 2) It may also refer to a pledge of loyalty to an individual or group that always included a physical element with the vow. 3) In the theological sense, it refers to physical tokens (water, bread, wine...) guaranteeing a future salvation. 4) Baptism is one of seven sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church (baptism, confirmation, communion, penance, orders, marriage, last rights). B. Baptism conveys God s grace to the one baptized (1 Pet 3:20, Titus 3:5). 1) It does not infuse spiritual substance into the individual, but spiritually unites them with Christ through the Holy Spirit, in his death and resurrection. 2) It regenerates the individual resulting in the remission of sins ex opere operato ( from the work done i.e. the act itself confers grace, no faith is necessary).
3) It removes the guilt of personal sin along with original sin and subsequent punishment. 4) Baptism unites the person in the universal (catholic) Church, allows participation in the sacraments, and opens the door into ministry. 5) The lifelong benefit to the individual is a reminder of the uniting for inspiration and encouragement in life. C. Lutherans differ from this view in that faith must be present in the candidate through knowledge, assent, and trust. 1) For infants the faith is manifested through the parent s faith. 2) Children of Christians have a special faith (i.e. Jewish females who are non-circumcised yet considered part of faithful Israel). D. Children must be baptized. 1) To remove the guilt of original sin leading to condemnation. 2) Non-baptized children who die cannot enter heaven nor are sent to hell, but enter limbus infantium that is not as good as heaven nor as bad as hell. 3) The only other acceptable baptisms are baptism by desire (those who died before a desired baptism could be performed), and baptism by blood (those who were killed before a desired baptism could be performed). 4) Arguments used to support infant baptism: a) Children can have faith (Matt 18:6) b)john the Baptist had pre-natal faith (Lk 1:15) c) Paul equates baptism with circumcision done on the 8 th day (Col 2:11-12) d)children are in the Lord (Eph 6:1) e) Households baptized included children (Acts 16:15, 33) f) The faith of the parents is crucial. E. The mode of baptism is not tied to one specific form as long as it is done with water. 1) Sprinkling, pouring, or immersion are allowable. 2) Although the mode of baptism in the New Testament is immersion, the others are acceptable adaptations. 3) The administrator of baptism is not limited to a priest (even a non-believer may do it) as long as proper procedure is followed. 4) A conditional baptism by a priest may be done at a later date if desired. VII. The Reformed View (Reformed, Methodist, Anglican, Presbyterian...) 1. Baptism is considered an important sacrament. 2. It does not convey saving grace but sovereign grace, and is the sign and seal of the benefits of the covenant with Christ. A. It is an outward and visible sign and seal of an inward invisible reality, not simply as a symbol, but containing a real and effectual promise attached to it. B. It is similar to the Old Testament covenantal sign of circumcision God made with Abraham (Gen 17:11). C. Baptism embodies God s covenant to bring people into union with Christ. D. It is a means of initiation into the covenant, and a sign of salvation. E. Baptism is not a means of regeneration, but a by-product of it. 3. Adults and children should be baptized.
A. Baptism of adults is based on repentance and faith. B. There is no single explanation in various churches as to why a child should be baptized. C. Calvin explained that children are covenanted to God through baptism because the faith of the parents are planted like seeds into their children. D. This is fides vicarra (i.e. faith by proxy). E. Infants can possess the Holy Spirit through whom faith develops in due time, bringing the seed to fruition (irresistible grace means the child belongs to the body of Christ by virtue of promise). F. Arguments to support this view: 1) Abraham s seed benefited from his covenant with God (Gen 17:9-14) 2) The Mosaic covenant was given to entire families including children (Deut 29:10-13) 3) Entire families were baptized (Acts 16:15, 33) 4) Baptism replaces circumcision as the initiatory rite into a covenant relationship with God (Acts 15:1-2, Gal 2:3-5, Col 2:11-12) 4. The mode of baptism. A. The mode of baptism is inconsequential. B. Sprinkling, pouring, or immersion are acceptable. C. While the New Testament baptism was immersion, it is not authoritative as the only mode possible, but historically has been adapted into other methods as necessary. D. Only church officers (pastors, elders...) may administer baptism. VIII. The Baptist View 1. Baptism is a symbolic action reflecting an inward commitment to Christ. A. It is commonly referred to as believer s baptism because only believers are considered candidates for baptism. B. It does not effect or cause salvation and has no meaning independent of faith. C. A child does not need to be baptized to remove guilt from original sin, but is innocent until an age of accountability is reached in which they can willfully and intentionally sin. 2. The meaning of baptism. A. Immersion symbolizes identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (Rom 6:1-4). B. It illustrates repentance and faith, verified and confirmed by a congregation of witnesses. C. It shows a willingness to die to sin, be transformed into a new creature, and walk in a new way of life (Col 2:9-13, 1 Pet 3:21). D. As a public testimony, it functions as an initiation into the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:12-13). E. It is an act of obedience following Jesus example and command (Matt 28:19-20). F. Baptism and the Lord s Supper are considered Ordinances (commanded by Christ), rather than Sacraments (required for salvation). G. Since the Holy Spirit is believed to come into the believer upon trusting in Christ, it is possible to obtain regeneration without baptism.
1) If a person dies prior to baptism their faith has made them secure. 2) However, if a person refuses a public baptism, questions may arise concerning their willingness to surrender to God, or completely commit themselves to following Christ (i.e. are they truly repentant and regenerated?). 3. The mode of baptism. A. Since the meaning of the word baptism is to immerse, immersion is the only acceptable mode (Mk 1:10, John 3:23, Acts 8:36...). B. The New Testament does not teach any other method either lexically or contextually. 1) The imagery of baptism as death, burial, resurrection or transformation can only make sense in light of immersion. 2) While ritual cleansing in the Old Testament was done with sprinkling, pouring, or washing ( Lev 14, Num 19...), the consistent New Testament practice and teaching by Jesus and his disciples was immersion. 3) Historical adaptations of the practice by churches cannot be considered determinative nor authoritative. C. Most Baptist churches require immersion from a church with similar beliefs to become a member of a local congregation. 1) If a candidate for membership has not been baptized by immersion, or did not have a believer s baptism, the baptism is considered meaningless and they are required to be re-baptized by immersion (Acts 19:1-5). 2) Baptism is normally required to participate in the Lord s Supper, be a voting member, serve on boards, lead ministries, or teach., but not to generally participate in worship or activities. 3) Since salvation is a once-in-a-lifetime decision, baptism is as well (baptism does not symbolize rededication). 4) The local church typically determines those authorized to baptize (usually the Senior Pastor). 5) Children can be baptized as long as they can express a basic knowledge, faith, and desire to commit themselves to Christ. 6) Many Baptist s practice child dedication, not as an attempt to confer grace on the child, but commit the parents to raise the child in a Christian manner.