Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Matthew 28:19, ESV

And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name. Acts 22:16, ESV

And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them. saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation." So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. Acts 2:40-41, ESV

 

What is baptism? Why is it so important? Does it make any difference how you are baptized? These are but a few questions that the typical person has when confronted by the many verses in the New Testament that refer to baptism. In the last article, I left you with another "homework" assignment to find out as much about baptism as you could from sources inside and outside of the New Testament. Of course, the most important of these will be those references, examples, and commandments concerning baptism that we find within the pages of the Bible, but historical sources are also needed for things that various religious groups may have added after the New Testament was completed.

 

For the purposes of this study, we are limiting our study of baptism to the one commanded by Christ in the passage from Matthew 28 that is recorded above. John the Baptist's baptism, though similar in numerous aspects including the mode in which it was done, differs in the fact that his was not a baptism into Christ, and therefore was not a baptism which allowed us to enjoy the spiritual blessings that are given to one who is "in Christ". Galatians 3:26-27, and Romans 6:3 both tell us the way to get "into Christ" is by being baptized into Christ. 

 

So, to answer the questions, "why is baptism important?", we now see that all spiritual blessings are in Christ (Ephesians 1:3) and we are placed "into Christ" through baptism, (Galatians 3:26-27 and Romans 6:3). Add this to Christ's commandment that we become His disciples (followers) by being baptized (Matthew 28:18-20), that our sins are removed by baptism (Acts 2:38 and Acts 22:16) and that we are saved by baptism (I Peter 3:21 and Acts 2:40-41), and we can readily see from the Scriptures that baptism is a vital part of God's salvation plan. It should be noted at this point that baptism is not the only thing required for salvation and the forgiveness of our sins, but it is nevertheless one of the things that is a commanded part of our responsibility.

 

The second question, "Does it make any difference how you are baptized?" is a vital question that must be answered. In modern times, baptism has been represented as anything from sprinkling and pouring of water, to a full immersion in water. Many religionists have gone so far as to claim that baptism is just figurative and is therefore unnecessary. Further, baptisms and other religious rites are practiced in many religious circles upon not only adults, but also infants. With so many different opinions about baptism, is it even possible for us to know what it was that Jesus had intended when He commanded His apostles to baptize people in order to make them disciples?

 

Well, that's a lot of things to think about, so let's break all of these things down into "bitesize" pieces. First, as to the mode (way or manner) in which we are baptized. Is it sprinkling or pouring as some suggest? Does it have to be a full immersion in water? Several Greek words will help us to understand the way in which Jesus intended for us to be baptized. First, the word sprinkle is "rhantizo in the original Greek. Among other places in the New Testament, it is used in Hebrews 10:22, "having our hearts sprinkled (rhantizo) to cleanse us from a guilty conscience, and having our bodies washed with pure water." We can see from this passage that the word "rhantizo" is translated as sprinkle and does not refer to baptism. The Greek words for pour are "katacheo". "ekcheo" and "ballo". These words are used numerous times in various ways in the New Testament, but are never translated as baptism, nor are they ever used to refer to baptism.

 

On the other hand, the Greek word "baptizo" means to immerse. It is always translated as baptism. and is in fact the Greek word used in all of the passages that are referenced above. Even without understanding Greek, we can see evidence of the immersion of baptism in Acts 8:38 where Phillip baptized the Ethiopian eunuch, "they both went down into the water, Phillip and the eunuch, and he baptized him", and also in Romans 6:4 and Colossians 2:12, where the phrase "buried with Him (Jesus) through baptism" is used. From the evidence of the Scriptures, we can see that those who were baptized went down into the water to be buried with Him. In all three passages, the word "baptizo" is used.

 

While the research into the Greek plainly shows that baptism was always practiced as immersion in the New Testament (since the word literally means "to immerse") the question that follows next would be this: Can it be something other than immersion? The simple answer to that question must come from you: Do you want to risk Heaven by assuming that something not specifically commanded will be okay? This answer cannot reasonably come from anybody other than the one who is contemplating their position before God at the Judgment, so it is crucial that each one of us answer it for ourselves. Of course, it also has ramifications for our loved ones whom we want to steer in the right direction on this, but it will ultimately be an individual Judgment, so we as individuals need to do our best to answer this question as accurately as we possibly can.

 

The next question is this: Is infant baptism required, and if not required, is it acceptable? Again, from the Bible, we see that people were to "repent and be baptized" (Acts 2:38) and to "believe and be baptized" Mark 16:15-16. Both requirements are clearly for a level of understanding and maturity that an infant cannot possess. Some will point out that the jailer and his entire family were baptized (Acts 16:34), but it should also be pointed out that the jailer and his entire family believed (Acts 16:35). As for children, I believe you will find that Jesus indicated that they were already in a safe condition when He stated that we needed to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of God {Matthew 18:3). 

 

So, where did the practice of baptism (immersion) get switched to sprinkling or pouring? The earliest documented case I found was of a man by the name of Novation, who in AD 253 was on his death bed and wanted to become a Christian. The religious leaders of his day compromised and poured water over his body since he could not be practically immersed. As to infant "baptism" some enterprising people in the 4th century AD decided that infants were no longer saved, so they sprinkled water over them and called it baptism. Obviously, the child could neither understand the need for repentance or belief in Christ, but the religious leaders of the time saw a good opportunity to get someone for life if they could perform a religious ceremony on them and conveniently add them to their church at the same time. So, we see that pouring and sprinkling as a substitute for baptism were ordained by men, rather than commanded by God in the Scripture. The question necessarily arises "will God accept such substitutions? The answer can only be made by God, but it seems a risky proposition all the way around to me.

 

Well, that's a lot for one study, so I will leave it in your capable hands for now. What did you find in your studies? Did they reveal anything different? I would sincerely be interested to know, so please feel free to share your findings in the comments below. Thanks for reading today - I hope it helps you to begin a more thorough study on your part.