Baptism
When someone decides to ‘GET RIGHT WITH GOD,’ part of the “outward sign” of their accepting Jesus Christ as their Saviour is being baptized. Starting a new life in Christ is an exciting time, but there are also five basic questions and ideas developed over the centuries regarding baptism that should be clarified.
- Who should be baptized?
- What is baptism?
- Can you go to heaven by being baptized?
- Why should someone be baptized?
- When should someone be baptized?
Let's take a look at each of these questions.
Who should be Baptised?
Anybody who has repented of their sin and accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour.
What is Baptism?
Because some churches sprinkle water on people instead of immersing them, one question is whether this is ok. The only consistent answer around the world comes from the Bible. Nowhere in the Bible does anything but “immersion” take place. Baptism is always by immersion.
“Baptize” is from the original Greek word baptizo. This comes from the root word bapto, this was a term used in the first century, the time of the early church, for immersing a cloth first into bleach and then into dye, which both cleansed it and changed the colour of the cloth. This is a wonderful picture of baptism's cleansing us of sin and becoming a new person through Christ. So, when you process cloth to change its colour, you are said to “baptize” it. If sprinkling of any kind was to be practiced, a different Greek word would have been used, but it was not.
If you have never seen a baptism it’s very simple.
It is done by standing, sitting, or kneeling in some water. Many churches have baptistery tanks or pools, some use a members swimming pool or perhaps a nearby lake, river, or even the sea! Wear something you can get wet in, usually old clothes or a swimsuit, some churches like to use white clothes or a white gown over the top.
After praying, the person being baptized will be asked if they confess verbally to those present "I accept Jesus as my Saviour and Lord." When this has been done, the Christian doing the baptizing lowers the person being baptized into the water saying, "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." The person being baptized only needs to be under water for a second or two, (it may be a good idea for them to hold their nose with their fingers to keep water from getting in their nose.) You could also literally call this “immersion.” there is sometimes a celebratory song or hymn.
After the service some churches have a ‘bring and share’ meal together to celebrate.
By the way, these "steps" and the people's "lines" are not official. They are simply an example of the many variations. As you can see, baptism doesn’t require an elaborate ceremony, and can be done in about 5 minutes anywhere you can find enough water to immerse someone, just as it was in the early Church era.
Can you go to heaven by being baptized?
People are saved (and get to go to heaven) by believing that Jesus is the Christ and putting their faith in Him. Baptism alone does not save. However, salvation (being saved) and baptism are always tied together.
Many ask whether infants or young children should be baptized. It may help if we understand where the idea and practice of baptizing infants came from.
Around 400 AD, a man named Augustine came up with the idea of “original sin.” This basically said that everyone inherits the sin of Adam at birth and is therefore separated from God from the beginning of their life.
This caused many parents to become concerned over the fate of their children, should they die before they could “get right with God.” Since only one of the four steps required to get right with God could be done to or for a small infant child or baby, they decided to baptize them to “take care of the original sin.”
Since it is risky to fully immerse an infant in water people decided to sprinkle them with water instead. Thus, both baptizing infants and baptizing by sprinkling came from human ideas. They did not come from the Bible.
If we look in the Bible we see that children are never seen to “accept Christ” (and therefore get right with God).
It is interesting that God never tells us what to do to keep a child safe. Did He just forget this important point, letting many children go to Hell and suffer eternally? No! A child is safe in the arms of God until they can understand for themselves how to be saved by accepting Jesus as their own Lord and Saviour. So only adults and older children who can understand separation from God because of sin are at the age when personal acceptance of Christ is possible.
However, it is the practice of our church to have a part of a service for parents who wish to give thanks to God for the safe delivery and life of their children. Christian parents commit themselves to bring up their family with God’s help and the support of the church community.
Why should someone be baptized?
In the Bible repentance and baptism go together, tying repentance and baptism together provides forgiveness of your sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Act 2:38 ESV Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
We “put on Christ” when we are baptized. Gal 3:27 ESV ‘For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.’
Rom 6:1-8 AUV-NT
1. What shall we say, then? Should we continue sinning so that more of God’s unearned favor will [have to] be shown?
2. Certainly not! How can we, who died to sin i.e. stopped living under its power, go on living in it i.e. practicing it any longer?
3. Or, do you not know that all of us who were immersed into Christ Jesus were immersed into His death?
4. Therefore, we were buried with Him through [our] immersion [in water] into [a relationship with] His death, so that, just like Christ was raised up from the dead through the glorious power of the Father, so we also can [be raised up from the water to] live a new life.
5. For, if we have become united with Christ in an act similar to His death i.e. by being buried in water], we will also be [united with Him] in an act similar to His resurrection from the dead i.e. our rising from the water to live a new life].
6. We know that our old self was [figuratively] crucified with Christ, in order that the body of sin i.e. our whole life of sin might be destroyed i.e. become powerless to control our actions and thoughts, so that we should not be enslaved to the practice of sin any longer.
7. For a dead person is freed from [the control of] sin.
8. Now if we have died with Christ [i.e. to the practice of sin], we believe we will also live with Him. [Note: This “living” probably refers to our spiritual relationship with Him during our Christian life].
These verses tell us that baptism (immersion) pictures the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. In the same way that Jesus went through these things on earth, so our old nature and way of life is to “die” and we are to be “buried with Him through baptism into death” and raised to “walk in newness of life” (live like Jesus). So we do not just try to be a better person, we bury the “old person” in the water and become a “new person” through our acceptance of Christ as our Lord and Saviour. It is literally like a new birth, and a new beginning for us.
Baptism is not an outward cleaning, but saves us through an inward cleaning. It is an appeal to God for a good conscience and asks God to take away the guilt of our past sin (that Christ paid for, wiping our “inner slate” clean).
1 Peter 3:21 MSG The waters of baptism do that for you, not by washing away dirt from your skin but by presenting you through Jesus' resurrection before God with a clear conscience.
When should someone be baptized?
“When should we get baptized: immediately, as a part of accepting Christ; or later as a follower of Christ?”
Many churches practice or teach all or some of the following things:
- “Baptism is just an outward sign of an inward grace, so it can be done later.”
- “You need to ‘grow in Christ’ (become good enough) before you are ready to be baptized.”
- “To join our church, you have to be baptized into our church.”
The Bible is clear — believing in Christ for salvation and baptism were always together. Thus, “when we believe” is the right time to be baptized. However If you “believed” some time back and were not baptized for whatever reason, then this should become a priority for you to fulfill what God asks you do in the Bible.
Consider these accounts of the early church:
Acts 2:38 and 41 ESV And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one 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, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.’
Acts 10:46-48 ESV ...they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, "Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.
The Philippian jailer “believed” with his household and they were baptized — even though it was the middle of the night!
Act 16:25-33 ESV About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened.
When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here."
And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his household.
Galatians 3:26-27 HCSB “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
Ephesians 4:4-6 MKJV There is one body and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all.
On top of all these references, when Jesus left the earth He told his followers to make disciples (followers), baptise them, and teach them. Jesus apparently felt it was important to make this a priority for His followers.
Matthew 28:18-20 AUV-NT Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. So, as you go, make disciples out of people from all the nations, then immerse believers [See Mark 16:15-16] into the name of [i.e. to enter a relationship with] the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. [Then] go on teaching them [i.e. these new converts] to obey everything I have commanded you and my presence will be with you always, even to the end of the age.
Conclusion
Well, now you have it — the who, what, when and why. The only question left to ask yourself is, “what will I do now?” That is between you and God.
ESV = The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
HCSB = Holman Christian Standard Bible, copyright 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers.
MKJV = Modern King James Version, copyright 1962-1998 by Jay P. Green, Sr.
AUV-NT = The New Testament: An Understandable Version, copyright 1994 by William E. Paul,
Much of this article was based upon or quoted from pages on ClarifyingChristianity.com
