The practice of baptism in the
New Testament was carried out in one way: the person being baptized was immersed or put completely under the
water and then brought back up again. Baptism by immersion is therefore the “mode” of baptism or the way in which
baptism was carried out in the New Testament. This is evident for the following
reasons:
(1) The Greek word βαπτίζω (G966) means “to plunge, dip, immerse”
something in water. This is the commonly recognized and standard meaning of the
term in ancient Greek literature both inside and outside of the Bible.
(2) The sense “immerse” is
appropriate and probably required for the word in several New Testament
passages. In Mark 1:5, people were baptized by John “in the river Jordan” (the Greek text has ἐν,
G1877, “in,” and not
“beside” or “by” or “near” the river). Mark also tells us that when Jesus had
been baptized “he came up out of the
water” (Mark 1:10). The Greek text specifies that he came “out of” (ἐκ,
G1666) the water, not
that he came away from it (this would be expressed by Gk. ἀπό,
G608). The fact that
John and Jesus went into the river and came up out of it strongly suggests
immersion, since sprinkling or pouring of water could much more readily have
been done standing beside the river, particularly because multitudes of people
were coming for baptism. John’s gospel tells us, further, that John the Baptist
“was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there” (John
3:23). Again, it would not take “much water” to baptize people by sprinkling,
but it would take much water to baptize by immersion.
When Philip had shared the gospel
with the Ethiopian eunuch, “as they went along the road they came to some
water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What is to prevent my being
baptized?” ’ (Acts 8:36). Apparently neither of them thought that
sprinkling or pouring a handful of water from the container of drinking water
that would have been carried in the chariot was enough to constitute baptism.
Rather, they waited until there was a body of water near the road. Then “he
commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And
when they came up out of the water
the Spirit of the Lord caught up Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, and
went on his way rejoicing” (Acts 8:38–39). As in the case of Jesus, this
baptism occurred when Philip and the eunuch went down into a body of water, and
after the baptism they came up out of that body of water. Once again baptism by
immersion is the only satisfactory explanation of this narrative.
(3)
The symbolism of union with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection seems
to require baptism by immersion. Paul says,
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, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father,
we too might walk in newness of life. (Rom. 6:3–4)
Similarly, Paul tells the
Colossians, “You were buried with him in
baptism in which you were also raised
with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead”
(Col. 2:12).
Now this truth is clearly
symbolized in baptism by immersion. When the candidate for baptism goes down
into the water it is a picture of going down into the grave and being buried.
Coming up out of the water is then a picture of being raised with Christ to
walk in newness of life. Baptism thus very clearly pictures death to one’s old
way of life and rising to a new kind of life in Christ. But baptism by
sprinkling or pouring simply misses this symbolism.
Sometimes it is objected that the
essential thing symbolized in baptism is not death and resurrection with Christ
but purification and cleansing from sins. Certainly it is true that water is an
evident symbol of washing and cleansing, and the waters of baptism do symbolize
washing and purification from sins as well as death and resurrection with Christ.
Titus 3:5 speaks of “the washing of regeneration” and, even though the word baptism is not used in this text, it is
certainly true that there is a cleansing from sin that occurs at the time of
conversion. Ananias told Saul, “Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins calling on his name” (Acts 22:16).
But to say that washing away of
sins is the only thing (or even the most essential thing) pictured in baptism
does not faithfully represent New Testament teaching. Both washing and death
and resurrection with Christ are symbolized in baptism, but Romans 6:1–11 and
Colossians 2:11–12 place a clear emphasis on dying and rising with Christ. Even
the washing is much more effectively symbolized by immersion than by sprinkling
or pouring, and death and resurrection with Christ are symbolized only by
immersion, not at all by sprinkling or pouring.
What then is the positive meaning
of baptism? In all the discussion over the mode of baptism and the disputes
over its meaning, it is easy for Christians to lose sight of the significance
and beauty of baptism and to disregard the tremendous blessing that accompanies
this ceremony. The amazing truths of passing through the waters of judgment
safely, of dying and rising with Christ, and of having our sins washed away,
are truths of momentous and eternal proportion and ought to be an occasion for
giving great glory and praise to God. If churches would teach these truths more
clearly, baptisms would be the occasion of much more blessing in the church.
The pattern revealed at several
places in the New Testament is that only those who give a believable profession
of faith should be baptized. This view is often called “believers’ baptism,”
since it holds that only those who have themselves believed in Christ (or, more
precisely, those who have given reasonable evidence of believing in Christ)
should be baptized. This is because baptism, which is a symbol of beginning the Christian life should only be given to
those who have in fact begun the
Christian life.
The narrative examples of those
who were baptized suggest that baptism was administered only to those who gave
a believable profession of faith. After Peter’s sermon at Pentecost we read, “Those who received his word were
baptized” (Acts 2:41). The text specifies that baptism was administered to
those who “received his word” and therefore trusted in Christ for salvation.
Similarly, when Philip preached the gospel in Samaria, we read, “When they believed Philip as he preached
good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized both men and women”
(Acts 8:12). Likewise, when Peter preached to the Gentiles in Cornelius’
household, he allowed baptism for those who had heard the Word and received
the Holy Spirit—that is, for those who had given persuasive evidence of an
internal work of regeneration. While Peter was preaching, “the Holy Spirit fell
on all who heard the word” and Peter and his companions “heard them speaking in
tongues and extolling God” (Acts 10:44–46).
Peter’s response was that baptism
is appropriate for those who have received the regenerating work of the Holy
Spirit: “Can any one forbid water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just
as we have?” Then Peter “commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ” (Acts 10:47–48). The point of these three passages is that baptism is
appropriately given to those who have received the gospel and trusted in Christ
for salvation. There are other texts that indicate this as well—Acts 16:14–15
(Lydia and her household, after “the Lord opened her heart” to believe); Acts
16:32–33 (the family of the Philippian jailer, after Peter preached “the word
of the Lord to him and to all that were in his house”); and 1 Corinthians 1:16
(the household of Stephanas).
In addition to these indications
from New Testament narratives that baptism always followed upon saving faith,
there is a second consideration that argues for believers’ baptism: the outward
symbol of beginning the Christian
life should only be given to those who show
evidence of having begun the Christian life. The New Testament authors
wrote as though they clearly assumed that everyone who was baptized had also
personally trusted in Christ and experienced salvation. For example, Paul says,
“As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:27).
Paul here assumes that baptism is the outward sign of inward regeneration. This
simply would not have been true of infants—Paul could not have said, “As many infants as have been baptized into
Christ have put on Christ,” for infants have not yet come to saving faith or
given any evidence of regeneration.
Paul speaks the same way in
Romans 6:3–4: “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.” Could Paul
have said this of infants? Could he have said that “all infants who have been
baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death” and “were buried
therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the
dead”? But if Paul could not have said those things about infants, then those
who advocate infant baptism must say that baptism means something different for
infants than what Paul says it means for “all of us who have been baptized into
Christ Jesus.” Those who argue for infant baptism at this point resort to what
seems to the present author to be vague language about infants being adopted
“into the covenant” or “into the covenant community,” but the New Testament
does not speak that way about baptism. Rather, it says that all of those who
have been baptized have been buried with Christ, have been raised with him, and
have put on Christ.
A similar argument can be made
from Colossians 2:12: “You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were
also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from
the dead.” But it could not be said of infants that they were buried with
Christ, or were raised with him through faith, since they were not yet old
enough to exercise faith for themselves.
Grudem, Wayne A. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House, 2004.
For more on Baptism, click HERE and listen to a recent sermon I preached about Baptism.
