baptism

BAPTISMWhat Can WeAgree On?

DDown through history, therite of water baptism

has been widely regardedas a symbolic entry into thechurch. Some baptize infants,and others baptize people onlyafter their confession of belief.Some see baptism as essentialfor salvation, but others see it as far less important than beingspiritually immersed into Christ.

Then there is the mode ofbaptism. Some sprinkle, somepour, and some immerse. Somebaptize in the name of theFather, Son, and Spirit, whileothers do so in Jesus’ name only.

Because of these manydifferences, pastor-teacher Bill Crowder takes a look in the following pages at the storyand meaning of baptism, andwhat we can all agree on.

Martin R. De Haan II

Managing Editor: David Sper Cover Photo & Design:Terry BidgoodUnless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version.Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.All rights reserved.© 2008 RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, Michigan Printed in USA

CONTENTS

A Time For Clarity . . . . . 2

Baptism Foreshadowed In The Old Testament . . . 5

Baptism As Practiced By John . . . . . . 8

Baptism As Practiced By Christ And The Apostles . . . . . 14

Baptism AsPracticed Throughout Church History. . . . . . . 22

What Is The Point Of Baptism? . . . . 25

Does Baptism StillMatter Today? . . . . . . . . 32

Q0912 Baptism pp.qxp 4/23/08 5:35 PM

A TIME FORCLARITY

IIn the April 12, 2006,issue of USA Today, Iread that “statistics find

Americans slowly driftingaway from the ancientbaptismal ritual.” The articlecontends that a majorBaptist denomination “hasseen its rate of baptism fallabout 35% from 1972 to1985.” Then the article went on to say that “the ratestalled for the next 20 years,even though Baptists arepledged to heed the Bible’s‘great commission’ inMatthew 28:19-20: ‘Go, therefore, and makedisciples of all nations,baptizing them in the nameof the Father, the Son, andthe Holy Spirit, and teachingthem to obey everything thatI have commanded you.’ ”

USA Today added thatanother large denominationgrew “from nearly 1.8million in 1980 to nearly

2.8 million in 2004. But thetotal number of baptisms by immersion in water . . .has hovered from around175,000 to 200,000 yearly.”

With these trends in view, the article’s writerasked, “If baptism is thedoor into a faith, where did all those people go?”

Yes, where did all thepeople go? Apparently fewer are going into thewaters of baptism. It’s agrowing reality in the world of Christendom thatbaptism is both ignored and misunderstood—amisunderstanding that I can personally relate to.

A FOG OFCONFUSIONI was born into a family that attended a church thatpracticed infant baptism. Asa result, I was sprinkled as a baby. At age 12, followingextended catechism classes,I was re-sprinkled asconfirmation of that earlier

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© 2008 RBC Ministries

sprinkling. After high school,however, I found myselfwandering aimlessly bothpersonally and spiritually. A well-meaning friendencouraged me to become aChristian as the solution forthe drifting that was marking

out my life. I assumed that,given my church upbringing,I was already a Christian.He explained, however, thatI needed to come to churchwith him and talk to thepastor after the service. Idid. The pastor’s counsel?“In 2 weeks we will baptizeyou, and you will be aChristian.” Unfortunately,that event of baptism—one

of immersion—did not resultin my life being changed.

When I was in mytwenties, after I at last hearda clear explanation of whatit means to enter the familyof God, I received Christ asmy Lord and Savior. Aftertrusting Christ, I was toldthat, once again, I needed to be baptized. But this timeit was as a public testimonyof my profession of faith inChrist. So, I was baptized by immersion yet again.

I look back over thoseevents with very mixedemotions. After twosprinklings and twoimmersions, believe me when I say that Iunderstand people’sconfusion on the matter of water baptism, what itrepresents, and what itaccomplishes. I’m prettysure many other folks havea story similar to mine inwhich the matter of baptismis surrounded by a thick fogof confusion.

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It’s a growing reality in the worldof Christendom that

baptism is bothignored and

misunderstood.



AN IMPORTANTDISCUSSIONSome might say thatbaptism is insignificant—an ancient ritual withoutany modern relevance. But I disagree. The level of confusion surrounding the subject merely amplifiesthe need for a carefulunderstanding of the issue,if for no other reason thanthat Jesus Himself made itan issue:

When He had beenbaptized, Jesus came up immediately from thewater; and behold, theheavens were opened toHim, and He saw theSpirit of God descendinglike a dove and alightingupon Him (Mt. 3:16).

[Jesus said], “Gotherefore and makedisciples of all the nations,baptizing them in thename of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt. 28:19).Yes, Christ’s example and

words lift up baptism as animportant matter that needsto be carefully thoughtthrough and discussed. But where do we begin?

Perhaps the best place to start is by trying to reconstruct the setting inwhich Jesus’ audience heardwhat He said about baptism.Though the events of theGospels are recorded in the New Testament, Jesus’audience was made up ofpeople who were still livingin a period of Old Testamentculture and national law.Therefore, we must begin with what peopleunderstood baptism to meanin their time if we are tograsp the framework inwhich they would haveheard and understood Jesus’command to baptize.

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Jesus Himself made baptism

an issue.



BAPTISMFORESHADOWEDIN THE OLDTESTAMENT

WWilliamShakespeare,

in The Tempest(Act 2, Scene 1), wisely said, “What is past isprologue.” He was extolling the value of seeing the events andpractices of yesterday as the seeds of today. This is especially helpful in wrestling with the issue of baptism.

From a first-centuryJewish point of view, many Bible scholars believethat two practices preparedthe way for baptism andhelp to explain its natureand purpose. One was the practice of the mikvah(the ceremonial bath), and the other was the rite of circumcision,which we will consider first.

THE PICTURE OFCIRCUMCISIONFrom the time of Abram,circumcision was a physicalsign of a chosen people’scovenant relationship withGod (Gen. 17:11). Althoughother nations also practicedcircumcision, the rite tookon a special meaning for theJewish people. At the veryleast, it showed that Godhad a right to order even themost intimate and personalareas of their lives.

Some believe that, in asimilar way, baptism laterbecame a sign of a NewCovenant for followers ofChrist.

It must be understood,however, that these twopictures (circumcision andbaptism) are not exactequivalents. Circumcisionwas to be performed only on males. Baptism is notgender-specific.

In addition, circumcisionwas done on male infantson the eighth day after their

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birth. Baptism, as describedin the New Testament, was a public profession ofpersonal faith in Christ.Circumcision was a mark of national identity. NewTestament baptism was asign of entrance into theinternational body of Christ.

Because of thesedistinctions, the most wecan safely say is thatcircumcision foreshadowedthe significance of baptism.

It’s also important to see how water baptism waspracticed in Jewish cultureprior to its New Testamentmeaning.

THE PRACTICE OF THE MIKVAHWhile I was on a trip toIsrael, our study group spent several hours atQumran. An archaeologicaldig is underway there tounearth the life and cultureof the Essene sect, aconservative, ascetic Jewishgroup in the first century.

As we toured this ancient community, one of the places we examinedwas an ancient mikvah. In their purificationceremonies, the Jews would descend a set ofseven steps into the water,then exit by a different set of steps. This signified thatthe sins of which they hadbeen cleansed had been left behind in the waters. It was a strategic part of the community life of the Essenes.

Today within Judaism,the purification ceremony of the mikvah (immersion in a ritual bath) is stillpracticed. Onlineencyclopedia Wikipediasays this of the mikvah:

Its main use nowadays is by Jewish women toachieve ritual purity after menstruation orchildbirth, by Jewish mento achieve ritual purity,as part of a traditionalprocedure for conversion

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to Judaism, and (in somecases) for utensils usedfor eating and cooking.This ancient practice of

ceremonial cleansing is alsoused as a rite of spiritualconversion. According toRabbi Maurice Lamm inBecoming A Jew:

Immersion, tevillah,is the common corecomponent of every[traditional] Jewishconversion process, for male and female,adult and child,ignoramus and scholar. It is sine qua non, and a conversion ceremonywithout immersion isunacceptable to thetraditional religiouscommunity and simplynot Jewish in character.In addition to the

mikvah’s use for ceremonialcleansing and conversion, a metaphorical use of theword links the mikvah to the aspirations and hopes of Judaism.

Wikipedia further states:

The Hebrew word mikvah also means“hope.” The prophetJeremiah repeatedlyrefers to this dualmeaning in using rain,living water, and themikvah itself as a symbol of hope in and from God (see Jer. 14:22; 17:13).Above all, the mikvah

expressed the hope that the provider God would care for and meet the needs of His people.

For the first-centuryJewish community, all of these ideas could have converged in theirunderstanding of baptism.New Testament followers ofChrist would eventuallyconclude that when it cameto baptism, what was pastwas simply a prologue. From a Christian point ofview, one era was coming to an end.

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BAPTISM ASPRACTICED BY JOHN

TThroughout history,there are individualswho have bridged

one era to another. Thesetransitional personalitieslived in times of drasticchange and were often part of the reason for thechange itself.

In the 1960s, the Beatleshad that kind of influence,bridging the conservativedays of the “Ozzie andHarriet” 1950s to theturmoil-filled 1970s ofVietnam and Watergate.Their music drew youngpeople into radically differentways of thinking, helping tofeed the whitewater rapids ofchange that were being feltin the culture. The Beatlesnot only reflected thatseason of change, they alsocontributed to it, building abridge from yesterday totomorrow.

Bridge personalitiesbecome human transitionpoints at critical times inhistory—and John theBaptizer was one of themost strategic “bridgepersonalities” in the Bible.

BRIDGING FROMOLD TESTAMENT TONEW TESTAMENTJohn the Baptizer was a prophetic voice in thewilderness who had beenraised according to strictNazirite law (Lk. 1:15; Num.6:1-21). His message was anuncompromising, radical callfor personal and nationalrepentance.

At the same time, John was the emissary and forerunner of the long-awaited Messiah King. Hiscalling was to announce the arrival of the One whowould bring grace not onlyto the nation of Israel but tocitizens of the whole world.

In this transitional role,John stood on the platform

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of his own national andcultural heritage—even as he announced the arrival of a radically newday. His use of baptism as a point of identificationfor the kingdom, therefore,must be seen in this light.

Notice how John himselfexplained his baptismalministry:

I indeed baptize you withwater unto repentance,but He who is comingafter me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am notworthy to carry. He willbaptize you with the HolySpirit and fire (Mt. 3:11).What significance did

John intend for his baptism,and how did it relate to hismessage of repentance? The Jamieson, Fausset, AndBrown Bible Commentarysays:

This baptism was at oncea public seal of their feltneed of deliverance fromsin, of their expectationof the coming Deliverer,

and of their readiness towelcome Him when Heappeared. The baptismitself startled, and wasintended to startle, them. They were familiar enough with the baptism of proselytesfrom heathenism; but this baptism of Jewsthemselves was quitenew and strange to them.John’s baptism

would have been to his countrymen bothunderstandable andmysterious. With the historyof the mikvah bath, theywould have seen in John’sbaptism all that waspictured in the mikvah—spiritual cleansing,conversion, and, perhapsmost of all, spiritual hope.

The unsettling mystery of John’s baptism, however,was signaled in his wordsthat the One who followedhim would baptize them“with the Holy Spirit andfire.” With these words he

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showed a nation that hismission went beyond themoment, beyond the ritual,and beyond the waters ofbaptism. It pointed them to the coming of their long-predicted Messiah.

A POWERFULMESSAGEJohn’s baptism expressed thehopes of prior generations—and even more. Matthew 3helps us to understand thescope of John’s message and his baptism:

A MessianicAnnouncement

In those days John theBaptist came preaching inthe wilderness of Judea,and saying, “Repent, forthe kingdom of heaven isat hand!” (Mt. 3:1-2).The any-moment

appearance of the long-awaited Messiah andkingdom of God was to beboth the motivator and theaspiration of the people asthey submitted to the waters

of baptism. It was notmerely about ritual—it was about anticipation.

A Public ConfessionThen Jerusalem, allJudea, and all the regionaround the Jordan wentout to him and werebaptized by him in theJordan, confessing theirsins (vv.5-6).John’s baptism was

an occasion for publicconfession of personal andnational sin. Those whostepped into the waters withhim showed their willingnessto prepare themselvesspiritually for the coming of their King.

A Call For ChangeTherefore bear fruitsworthy of repentance(v.8).John’s message of the

kingdom and the Kingreflected a personalreadiness not only for a newday but for new ways. Hisbaptism signaled the needfor a spiritual revolution.

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That’s why John’sbaptism created such astir—it called people to atransformation of life, andmarked them out as thosecommitted to such change.To that end, Mark describedthe people’s response to thatcall:

Then all the land of Judea,and those from Jerusalem,went out to him and wereall baptized by him in theJordan River, confessingtheir sins (Mk. 1:5).The launching point

of spiritual development for many in the first centurycame from John’s baptism in the waters of the JordanRiver. It was a beginningthat some of them continuedto embrace decades later.Notice:

[Apollos] had beeninstructed in the way of the Lord; and beingfervent in spirit, he spokeand taught accurately thethings of the Lord, thoughhe knew only the baptism

of John (Acts 18:25).[Paul] said to them,

“Into what then were youbaptized?” So they said,“Into John’s baptism.”Then Paul said, “Johnindeed baptized with abaptism of repentance,saying to the people thatthey should believe onHim who would comeafter him, that is, onChrist Jesus” (19:3-4).Perhaps nearly

3 decades later, theseindividuals were still livingout the commitments anddecisions made in theJordan River with John.

JOHN’S BAPTISM OF JESUSBecause John’s baptism islinked to confession of sin,one of the surprising events of the New Testament is thatJesus asked John to baptizeHim. Matthew tells us:

Then Jesus came fromGalilee to John at theJordan to be baptized

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by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are Youcoming to me?” But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill allrighteousness.” Then heallowed Him. When Hehad been baptized, Jesuscame up immediately fromthe water; and behold, theheavens were opened toHim, and He saw theSpirit of God descendinglike a dove and alightingupon Him. And suddenlya voice came from heaven,saying, “This is Mybeloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mt. 3:13-17).The voice from heaven

is important. Together withJohn’s own declaration ofJesus’ greatness (Jn. 1:29-36), the voice from heavenseparates Jesus fromeveryone else who was

coming to John for baptism.But why would Jesus

submit to this “baptism ofrepentance”? Historically,conservative Bible teachershave explained that Jesus’baptism was not anacknowledgment of personal wrongdoing but an act by which He showedHis willingness to identifywith those He came to save.Within this view, Jesus’humility gave the Father in heaven an opportunity to declare that Jesus wasunique among those whoasked John to baptize them.

Recent studies haveoffered additional insight.Robert L. Webb, forinstance, sees John’sbaptism as having nationalimplications for Israel. Hesuggests that John’s baptismwas signaling the need for aradical national change inview of the coming of God’sMessiah. Then he adds:

If this is so, then Johnwas calling for the people

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to respond to who theywere as a nation, notreally who they were as individuals. Of course,it was individuals whohad to respond, andmany could respond outof a personal sense ofresponsibility for Israel’sstate. But equally, manyof those in Israel whowould be consideredfaithful could respond out of a belief in anddesire for John’sreconstituted Israel. Thus, without having tospeculate about Jesus’personal state of mind,we can conclude thatJesus did indeedparticipate in John’sbaptism, and it was for Him a baptism ofrepentance. Jesus wasacknowledging Israel’s sinand need to turn around,and He was committingHimself to do what Hecould to bring this about(www.bible.org).

If Webb is right, thenJesus stepped into theJordan River with John to join his generation in a recognition of the need for national repentance. His submission to John’sbaptism, then, showed His own commitment topersonally do somethingabout the sins of the

nation—a commitment He fulfilled for Jew andGentile alike on the cross.

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Jesus’ submission to John’s baptismshowed His owncommitment topersonally do

something about the sins of the

nation—acommitment He fulfilled . . .on the cross.



Regardless of where weland on the issue of definingthe scope of John’s baptism,however, one thing isindisputable. As the voicefrom heaven confirmed,Jesus did not ask John to baptize Him as anadmission of personal sin but rather to stand with John in anticipation of great spiritual change.

Looking back, we cannow see that, in fulfillment of John’s message, this was a time of spiritual transitionfrom law to grace, from theOld to the New, from thesacrifices of priests to thesacrifice of the Christ. John’s ministry bridged theeras of God’s work, leadingfrom the Old Testamentunderstanding of the needfor forgiveness—whethernational or personal—to the New Testament focus on spiritual cleansing andpersonal wholeness forindividuals, and perhaps,eventually, even the nation.

BAPTISM ASPRACTICED BYCHRIST AND THE APOSTLES

IIn the days after John’sministry, Jesus and His apostles included

baptism in their own publicministries. As we seek tounderstand the meaning of baptism for ourselves, it’simportant for us to followthe unfolding story of what it meant to them.

CHRIST’S USE OF BAPTISM

Jesus’ Practice OfBaptism. After His baptismby John, Jesus, through Hisdisciples, baptized thosewho came to Him:

After these things Jesusand His disciples cameinto the land of Judea,and there He remainedwith them and baptized(Jn. 3:22; see 4:2).While we might

speculate that Christ, 14



like John, baptized inanticipation of the need for personal and nationalrepentance, no details aregiven about His baptismalmessage or methods.

Nevertheless, it was sucha significant part of His earlyministry, that some of thefollowers of John were sodisturbed and threatened by Jesus’ practice of baptismthat they called it to theprophet’s attention:

They came to John andsaid to him, “Rabbi, He who was with youbeyond the Jordan, towhom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing,and all are coming toHim!” (v.26).John’s response was a

beautiful expression of thechange of heart he wasasking of the nation. Hereplied:

A man can receive nothing unless it has beengiven to him from heaven.You yourselves bear me

witness, that I said, “I am not the Christ,” but, “I have been sentbefore Him.” He who has the bride is thebridegroom; but the friendof the bridegroom, whostands and hears him,rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice.Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I mustdecrease (vv.27-30).Jesus’ Picture Of

Baptism. Jesus did not just practice baptism,however. He used the wordpicture of baptism and theprinciple behind it whendealing with a problemamong His followers.

Two of His disciples(James and John) sent theirmother to Jesus to requestthat, in the kingdom, they beallowed to sit on either sideof Christ the King. It was an audacious request thatoutraged the other disciples.In dealing with the question,

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however, Christ did notspeak in terms of theiraudacity—He spoke interms of the broaderspiritual meaning behind the physical act of baptism.

Jesus said to them, “You do not know whatyou ask. Are you able to drink the cup that Idrink, and be baptizedwith the baptism that Iam baptized with?” (Mk. 10:38).Here it is clear that

Christ was using baptism,along with the cup, as a picture of being fullyinvolved and immersed in what awaited Him. Thecup points to Christ’s wordsat the Last Supper in whichHe took in His hand the cup and told His men that His very life-blood wasgoing to be “shed for manyfor the remission of sins”(Mt. 26:28).

He then told them about a coming “immersion” He would face—challenging

them to think about whetherthey could embrace thatbaptism. What was it?According to Bible scholarWilliam Hendriksen:

The word “to bebaptized” is probablyused here in thefigurative sense of “to beoverwhelmed” by agony.Jesus must be plungedinto distress (The GospelOf Mark, p.412).Could they be fully and

completely involved withHim in His suffering?Certainly not. In fact, of thetwo brothers, James did noteven stand with Christ at the cross—let alone allowhimself to be “overwhelmedby agony.” In reality, theywere making a promise thatcould not withstand the testof being “baptized” into the consequences of thatpromise.

Jesus’ Command ToBaptize. Interestingly, asJesus’ personal baptismbegan His earthly ministry,

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some of His final commandsinclude the challenge to Hisfollowers to baptize and bebaptized:

Go therefore and makedisciples of all the nations,baptizing them in thename of the Father and ofthe Son and of the HolySpirit (Mt. 28:19).

As part of Christ’s Great Commission to His followers, Jesus regardedbaptism as being part of thediscipling process. He toldHis disciples to baptizeconverts in the “name of

the Father and of the Sonand of the Holy Spirit.”

Pastor James M. Boicesaid this of the baptismChrist called for in thiscommission:

This does not mean thatempty rites or ceremoniesare to take the place of a vital relationship withChrist. Rather, first, at some point one’scommitment to Jesus as Savior and Lord must become public, forbaptism is a public act (it is a declaration beforethe world that a personintends to follow Jesus);and, second, the personis uniting with thechurch, which is Christ’svisible body. This is bothnatural and necessary. If a person is trulyconverted, he or she will want to join withother similarly convertedpeople (The Gospel OfMatthew, Volume 2,pp.648-649).

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“Go therefore andmake disciples ofall the nations,

baptizing them inthe name of theFather and of theSon and of the

Holy Spirit.”—Jesus (Mt. 28:19)



THE APOSTLES’ USE OF BAPTISMWhen Christ ascended intoheaven from the Mount ofOlives (Acts 1), He leftbehind a cadre of followerswho were committed to themessage of the cross. Butthey were also committed toobeying Christ’s instructionabout baptism.

Baptism In TheBook Of Acts. In theearly church, new believerswere baptized. This practicebegan on the Day ofPentecost:

Peter said to them,“Repent, and let every oneof you be baptized in thename of Jesus Christ for theremission of sins; and youshall receive the gift of theHoly Spirit.” . . . Thenthose who gladly receivedhis word were baptized;and that day about threethousand souls were addedto them (Acts 2:38,41). On the day the church

was born, baptism became

the external mark ofidentification for those whohad committed their lives to Christ. The imagery ofcleansing from the mikvahand the transformational callpictured in John’s baptismwere foundational to thebaptismal practices of thefledgling church.

Verse 38, however, raisesa huge question. What doesit mean to be baptized “forthe remission of sins”? Andwhat are the implications ofthat statement on salvationby grace through faith?

There’s no question that Peter linked repentanceand conversion, and thenlinked baptism to both. The question that has beendebated for centuries is howthose three relate to oneanother.

While there continues tobe much disagreement aboutPeter’s intended meaning inActs 2:38, Bible scholarGeorge Ladd gives us somehelpful thinking:

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Baptism would be thepublic evidence of [a]repentant spirit . . . Thereception of the HolySpirit is not dependentupon baptism, but itfollows baptism which isan outward and visiblesign of a penitent spirit.In the early church,converts were baptizedwithout delay. So being baptized andreceiving the Spirit werepractically simultaneous(The Wycliffe BibleCommentary, p.1128). Others have pointed out

that when Peter said, “Letevery one of you be baptizedin the name of Jesus Christfor the remission of sins,” the word for can refer tobeing baptized “with a viewtoward” the forgiveness thatcomes through Christ.

The record of the earlychurch’s practice of baptismcontinues throughout thebook of Acts (8:36; 10:47-48;16:15; 18:8; 19:5), and in

every case it seems to havebeen the outward publicresponse of those wholooked to Christ and Hisrescue as the source of theirforgiveness and new life.

Baptism In Paul’sLetters. More than any other apostle, Paulpresented his perspectiveson baptism when he wroteabout this practice in hisown public ministry.

Paul’s Own View OfMinistry. While recognizingthe important spiritualsignificance of baptism,Paul apparently did notmake baptism a priority ofhis own public ministry. Wesee this in his letter to theCorinthians, where he askedthose who had developedan unhealthy identificationwith their own leaders:

Is Christ divided? WasPaul crucified for you? Orwere you baptized in thename of Paul? I thankGod that I baptized noneof you except Crispus and

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Gaius, lest anyone shouldsay that I had baptized in my own name. Yes,I also baptized thehousehold of Stephanas.Besides, I do not knowwhether I baptized anyother (1 Cor. 1:13-16).Paul baptized only a few

people himself. Apparently,he did not want to confusethe grace and salvation ofGod with the physical act of baptism. His priority waspreaching the gospel, notbaptizing new believers(v.17).

At the very least, thisshows us that Paul did notview baptism as a worknecessary for salvation. Hesaw it as an act of obediencefor the redeemed, not as apart of the redemptivetransaction.

Paul’s Words On“Spirit Baptism.”

For by one Spirit we were all baptized into onebody—whether Jews orGreeks, whether slaves or

free—and have all beenmade to drink into oneSpirit (1 Cor. 12:13).Here Paul sees baptism

as more than a public riteinvolving water. If he wasreferring to water baptism at all in this passage, he wasreferring to a baptism thatphysically and publiclyillustrated how the Spirit of God has placed us intothe body of Christ. His focus was not about beingimmersed in water or in theSpirit. Rather, his focus wason the fact that we come into relationship with oneanother by the same Spirit aswe place our faith in Christ.

Paul’s Teaching On“Baptism Into Christ.”

Or do you not know thatas many of us as werebaptized into Christ Jesuswere baptized into Hisdeath? (Rom. 6:3).For as many of you as were baptized intoChrist have put on Christ (Gal. 3:27).

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When Paul wrote to the Corinthians about Spirit baptism, he wasclearly speaking of thebeliever being placed intoone body—the body ofChrist. In a similar way, in his letter to the Galatianshe referred to being baptized“into Christ.” Here Paul wasnot primarily speaking ofbeing identified with Christin the eyes of men. Instead,he was emphasizing that in God’s eyes those whohave been “baptized into Christ” actually died with Christ when He became our substitute in His death.

Paul’s Statement OnBaptism For The Dead.While Paul wrote to clarifythe nature of what it meantto be immersed and washed“in Christ,” sometimes hemade statements that aredifficult to understand in our own day and culture.For instance, Paul raised an interesting and confusing

thought about baptism when he wrote:

Otherwise, what will theydo who are baptized forthe dead, if the dead donot rise at all? Why thenare they baptized for thedead? (1 Cor. 15:29).This statement has been

taken by some to imply thatwe can be baptized not onlyas an expression of our ownfaith but also in behalf ofthose who have alreadydied.

In reality, however, Pauldidn’t tell us what he wasreferring to when he spokeof baptism for the dead. Soit’s dangerous to build atheological position on suchan obscure passage.

Because Paul made thecomment while emphasizingthe importance of a futureresurrection of the dead, it’s likely that he wasreferring to a pagan practiceto illustrate belief in anafterlife, without intending to affirm the practice itself.

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BAPTISM ASPRACTICEDTHROUGHOUTCHURCHHISTORY

IIhave already shared my own story of beingsprinkled twice and

immersed twice. In eachcase, I was baptized bysincere individuals whobelieved in both theimportance of baptism andin the significance of howand why it was performed.

These practices, however,have come down to usthrough the filters of churchhistory. The New Testamentitself doesn’t give explicitdetails on the process ortechnique that is to be usedin baptizing. As a result,when the church splinteredand divided into sects anddenominations over thecenturies, the practice andpurpose of baptism wasrepeatedly reinvented to

accommodate the nuancesof the different groups. Thisresulted in three basicmodes of baptism:

BAPTISM BYIMMERSIONBaptism by immersion ispracticed in a variety ofways, but all with onesignificant common thread—the person being baptized isplaced into the water, thenbrought out again.

Adherents of immersionpoint to the fact that in itsoriginal language, the wordbaptize means literally “toplace into.” Additionally,they declare that immersionis the mode of baptism thatmost completely portrays thestory of our salvation. Theyexplain that being placedinto the water pictures ourdeath and burial with Christ,just as coming up out of the water illustrates ourresurrection with Him to a new life and relationshipwith God.

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BAPTISM BYPOURINGIn pouring, those beingbaptized stand in water(often a natural setting of acreek, pond, or river), andhave water poured over theirheads. Here the picture isone of being washed andcleansed by the Spirit andwork of Christ on our behalf.

Excavations of ancientbaptistries and the artworkof third-century Christiancatacombs show earlyChristians being baptized in just that way. Many todayhold this archaeologicalevidence as the definitivereason for practicingbaptism by pouring.

BAPTISM BYSPRINKLINGSprinkling seems to have the most recent history. Itappears to have originatedfollowing the apostolic era and continues today in many Christiandenominations, especially

among those that practiceinfant baptism. For supportof this position, some seeevidence in Isaiah 52:13-15,which reads:

Behold, My Servant shalldeal prudently; He shallbe exalted and extolledand be very high. Just asmany were astonished atyou, so His visage wasmarred more than anyman, and His form morethan the sons of men; soshall He sprinkle manynations. Kings shall shuttheir mouths at Him; forwhat had not been toldthem they shall see, andwhat they had not heardthey shall consider.Baptism by sprinkling

is also used in parts of theworld where lack of water is a critical issue.

BAPTISMALVARIATIONSThe differences in baptismalpractices go beyond themode of baptism, however.

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In some traditions, warmwater is preferred to coldwater (or vice versa); inothers, the water must bemoving. In some practices,the baptismal candidatewears a robe; in others, they are required to wearregular street clothes. Someof these practices have to do with practical concerns(such as modesty), whileothers seem more connectedto convenience thanconviction.

There seems to be no end to the nuances andintricacies of method, yetquite often each groupimplicitly or explicitlybelieves that they arefollowing the NewTestament pattern.

Admittedly, I have alsofollowed a similar pattern ofconviction. Over a period ofmore than 20 years, I servedas a pastor in three differentchurches in three differentregions of the United States.All of those churches were

baptistic in tradition andconviction. I practicedbaptism by immersion,however, not because Ipastored baptistic churches.Rather, I pastored baptisticchurches because I felt that immersion is the modethat best pictures baptismaccording to the NewTestament descriptions.

But I must say that whileI still hold that view, I donot believe that all followers

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Out of a genuinedesire to be

thoroughly biblical,we could find

ourselves becomingslaves to the “letterof the law” whilepotentially missingthe “spirit of the

law” in our practiceof baptism.



of Christ must be held to the standard of my own convictions. My fear is that out of a genuinedesire to be thoroughlybiblical, we could findourselves becoming slavesto the “letter of the law”while potentially missing the “spirit of the law” in our practice of baptism.

So then, what would be“the spirit of the law”?

WHAT IS THE POINT OF BAPTISM?

TThe onlineencyclopedia AllExperts gives

us an interesting analysis of the current Christianperspective on baptism:

Today, water baptism ismost readily identifiedwith Christianity, where itsymbolizes the cleansing(remission) of sins, andthe union of the believerwith Christ in His death,

burial, and resurrectionso that he becomes oneof Christ’s faithful. MostChristian groups practicesome form of literalwater-based baptism andagree that it is important,yet strongly disagree withother groups regardingany or all of severalaspects of baptism, such as:• form of the baptism• recipients of baptism• meaning/effects of

the act of baptismHowever, a few

Christian groups assertthat water-based baptismhas been supplanted by the promised baptismof the Holy Spirit, andwater baptism wasunnecessarily carriedover from the earlyJewish Christian practice. I find this to be a good

summary of the presentstate of Christendom when it comes to ourmodern approach to the

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ancient practice of baptism.If nothing else, it helps us to see that there is a needfor both personal integrityand shared grace in the way we practice or do notpractice baptism.

Regardless of our view, it should be clear that baptism has a richhistory and is tied to thetruths of our life in Christ.

A PICTURE IS WORTH ATHOUSAND WORDSWithout question, few books are as committed to using picture and imageryas the Bible. From Jesus’ use of parables to the vast array of metaphor andimagery, the Bible is withoutquestion a book of pictures.

For that reason, we oftenfind ourselves not asking,“What does the Bible say?”but “What does the Biblemean by what it says?” Forexample, the Bible says that

we are to practice the Lord’sTable, but the meaning ofthe bread and cup of thatcelebration is to proclaimthe Lord’s death until Hereturns (1 Cor. 11:23-26).

Likewise, Jesus used aseries of “I am” statementsto make word pictures of the various aspects of Hiscoming: a door (picturingthe way to the Father), livingwater (that which satisfies),and the bread of life (thatwhich feeds our deepestneeds), to name just a few.

This use of a wordpicture also applies to ourunderstanding of baptism.We need to understand thewords, but we must also seethe picture that was beingpainted by those words.

WHAT BAPTISM MEANSIn the New Testament,Koine Greek (the universallanguage of the day) wasused to communicate thetruths of the gospel. It is

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helpful to notice that baptizowas the word from which weget the term baptize.

Strong’s ExhaustiveConcordance gives thisdefinition of baptizo:

A rite of immersion inwater as commanded by Christ, by which oneafter confessing his sinsand professing his faith in Christ, having beenborn again by the HolySpirit unto a new life,identifies publicly withthe fellowship of Christand the church.

Notice that while thedefined mode is seen asimmersion, the point of thedefinition is that baptism is clearly a declaration offaith by someone who hasalready trusted Christ. In the New Testament, this isthe critical point in everycase. For example:

Those who gladly receivedhis word were baptized;and that day about threethousand souls wereadded to them (Acts 2:41).

When they believedPhilip as he preached thethings concerning thekingdom of God and thename of Jesus Christ, bothmen and women werebaptized. . . . Now as theywent down the road, theycame to some water. Andthe eunuch said, “See,here is water. Whathinders me from beingbaptized?” Then Philipsaid, “If you believe withall your heart, you may.”And he answered and

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“Those who gladly received his word were

baptized; and thatday about threethousand souls

were added to them.”—Acts 2:41



said, “I believe that JesusChrist is the Son of God.”So he commanded thechariot to stand still. And both Philip and theeunuch went down intothe water, and he baptizedhim (Acts 8:12,36-38).Repeatedly, the book of

Acts indicates that, above allelse, baptism is the publicact by which individualsdeclare their personalconfidence in the savingwork of Christ. Though theNew Testament does notgive us clear procedures forbaptism, it does give us clearunderstanding of what thepicture of baptism means.

WHAT THE PICTUREOF BAPTISM MEANSSo what is actually beingdisplayed or pictured whena follower of Christ submitsto baptism?

Public DeclarationOf Faith. I find itinteresting that in the earlychurch, lacking the modern

conveniences of indoorbaptistries, baptisms almostalways occurred outside.Today we still speak ofbaptism as being a publicdeclaration of faith in Christ.In many ways, though, ourpractice is less public andmore of a private declarationgiven within the family of faith. In either case,however, baptism is a way of proclaiming our personalfaith to others.

Admittedly, baptism isnot the only way of makinga public declaration of faith.Church membership,catechism, confirmation,and a variety of otherdenominational variationson the theme are used as“virtual equivalents” thatcan fulfill the need for apublic declaration.

What we can all agree on is that Jesus asked us to declare our faith publicly.We see this clearly when Hesaid, “Whoever confessesMe before men, him I will

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also confess before MyFather who is in heaven”(Mt. 10:32).

Portrayal Of TheGospel. In 1 Corinthians15:3-4, Paul wrote:

I delivered to you first of all that which I alsoreceived: that Christ diedfor our sins according tothe Scriptures, and thatHe was buried, and thatHe rose again the thirdday according to theScriptures.In a sense, when

combined with the Lord’sTable, baptism helps topresent a rich picture of themessage that was deliveredto Paul and has beenhanded down to us. In the elements of the Lord’sSupper we have a visualreminder of how Christ diedfor our sins. In baptism,especially with immersion,Christ’s burial andresurrection is picturedwhen new life is declared in the child of God.

A Heart OfPersonal Trust. We have already seen thatChrist instructed Hisdisciples to baptize thosewho embrace Him by faith(Mt. 28:19-20). When we submit to baptism asbelievers, we are following acustom that for 2,000 yearshas set Christians apart. It’sa simple yet profound act bywhich we declare to Christand to the world that wehave given ourselves to theOne who loved us and gaveHimself for us.

Identification With Resurrection.In the traditions whereimmersion is practiced, thisis graphically seen. Noticewhat we find in the apostlePeter’s first New Testamentletter:

There is also an antitypewhich now saves us—baptism (not the removalof the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a goodconscience toward God),

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through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who hasgone into heaven and is at the right hand of God,angels and authorities and powers having beenmade subject to Him (1 Pet. 3:21-22).In baptism, we identify

with and proclaim ourconfidence in the truth of Christ’s resurrection. It’s a powerful demonstration ofwhat Christ has done for usin conquering death, hell,and the grave for all whocome to Him by faith.

ATEST CASEA friend of mine pastors a church that practicesbaptism by immersion.Recently, however, friendswho attend his church toldme of a baptismal servicethat was, for them, veryunusual.

A man had come toChrist and had asked to be baptized. But he hadsignificant health and

disability issues. In my ownexperience, I have seencases where individuals inwheelchairs were carried—sometimes wheelchair andall—into the baptistry so thenew follower of Christ couldbe baptized. But this pastorwisely asked, “Is thatnecessary?” He waswondering whether themethod was as important as the heart. I think he waswise to remember that thepoint of baptism is to be apublic identification withChrist that needs to bepracticed with considerationfor those who choose todeclare their faith in Jesus.

After careful andprayerful consideration, this pastor and hisleadership team agreed thatthe importance of the heartand spirit surpassed theimportance of the mode. Theresult was that a baptism bysprinkling took place in achurch that was committedto baptism by immersion.

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Some would see this as compromise. I saw it asrefreshing. It seems to be a wise and appropriateapplication of Paul’s ancientwords of instruction to theRoman church:

Who are you to judgeanother’s servant? To hisown master he stands orfalls. Indeed, he will bemade to stand, for God is able to make him stand. One person esteemsone day above another;another esteems every day alike. Let each befully convinced in his own mind (Rom. 14:4-5).Paul wrote those

words in a day when there probably wasagreement about thepractice of baptism. Butsome had become involvedin divisive debates aboutwhether followers of Christshould participate in theholy days and festivals of ancient Israel.

I have become convinced

that this same application of wisdom can also give uscounsel in considering ourdifferences in the area ofbaptism. We have seen thatbaptism is not an issue that

determines eternity. It’s an act of public faith and trust in Christ—anoutward symbol of an inner change. We cancelebrate that intent if we will “let each be fullyconvinced in his own mind.”

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Baptism is not an issue

that determineseternity. It’s an act of public

faith and trust in Christ—an outward symbol of an inner change.



DOES BAPTISMSTILL MATTERTODAY?

TToday, the practice of baptism has oftenbecome disconnected

from its ancient intent. Nevertheless, the

principle and truth behindbaptism still matters formany reasons. Perhaps most specifically, it mattersbecause, as in the firstcentury, if we accept Christas our personal Savior andLord, we are called upon todeclare our personal faith.It’s more than a duty or an act of obedience, it’s anopportunity to declare ourgratitude for the love andgrace of Christ.

If you have trusted Jesusas your own Savior, baptismgives you an opportunity totell others that your life hasbeen changed. You can sayof Christ, “I am His and Heis mine.”

If you have not

been baptized since yourconversion, I encourage youto talk with your pastor or aspiritual mentor and discussthis important issue. Christwas baptized with sufferingand death for us. Now weare given the privilege ofresponding to His gift with our own personaldeclaration of faith.

The book of Acts declares that on the Day of Pentecost, “Those whogladly received his wordwere baptized” (2:41).You can join them in this joyful act ofobedience, identification,and proclamation of Christ’ssalvation. Yes, the realmeaning and message ofbaptism still matters today.

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“Those who gladlyreceived his wordwere baptized.”

—Acts 2:41



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