Lesson 10: Baptism

Some people interpret certain verses of scripture to mean that baptism is a part of salvation. They believe a person is not really saved until he is baptized. Ananias told Saul, “Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins” (Acts 22:16) However, our sins are washed away by the blood of Christ (1 John 1:7). The washing of the water can only represent a spiritual reality. Ananias was telling Saul that he should make the physical demonstration of the step of faith. Baptism was the testimony that his sins were washed away.

In Hebrews 10:22, we are told that believers should approach God “with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Maybe the water refers to baptism. That is not absolutely certain. However, even if it does refer to baptism, the verse does not say that baptism saves us. It simply says that we should obey God’s command to be baptized.

Jesus told Nicodemus that a person should be “born of water and the Spirit” in John 3:5. This statement follows his statement that a person must be born again, which was confusing to Nicodemus. Nicodemus was thinking of physical birth. Jesus was saying that a person must be born not only physically, but spiritually, to enter the kingdom of heaven. To be “born of water” is the physical birth.

Baptism is not a work that a person does to qualify for salvation or earn salvation. Some people teach that because baptism is not a work that earns salvation, we should not practice it. They are concerned that people might put their faith in baptism rather than depending on the grace provided in the atonement. However, any command of Christ should be obeyed, and we should not think that our obedience to God’s commands earns our salvation.

Baptism can be called a means of receiving grace. That does not mean that it saves us, or that the action automatically gives grace. If a person is baptized without faith, it has no value. Baptism is a means of grace because it is an action that God designed for us. When we do it in obedience and faith, the Spirit of God works in our hearts to establish us in the Christian life.

► Why should we be baptized?

► A student should read Romans 6:3-11 for the group. What does baptism symbolize, according to this passage of scripture?

The Bible tells us that baptism symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. When a believer is baptized he testifies that he is connecting with the atonement provided by Christ. The apostle even made the statement that we are “baptized into Christ Jesus.”

In salvation, we receive the benefits of Christ’s death; but, in a special sense, we also share in his death. Jesus died because of sin, not his own sin, but the sins of the world. Likewise, in salvation we die to sin, because we repent of it and leave it.

The subject of Romans 6 is victory over sin. It does not refer to forgiveness only. It is clear that the believer is supposed to be free from the control of sin (12-14) and not continue in sin (1).

In salvation we share in Jesus’ resurrection. Just as he rose from the dead, we begin a new life when we die to sin. We begin a life of victory and freedom from sin.

The question of mode is this: should a believer be baptized by immersion, pouring, or sprinkling?

The majority of Christians throughout the world who practice the baptism of believers practice baptism by immersion.

There are several reasons that many Christians believe that immersion is the right way to baptize.

[1]1. The word baptize comes from a Greek word that means to immerse or dip.

2. Baptism symbolizes Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, which is best symbolized by immersion (Romans 6:3-5).

3. In the Bible, people went into the water to be baptized (Mark 1:10, Acts 8:38).

4. The early church practiced immersion except when it was impossible because of bad health or a lack of water. The Didache, a second century summary of the apostles’ teaching, says that a believer can be baptized with poured water if not much water is available.

Because of these reasons, many Christians believe that immersion is the biblical and historical mode of baptism.

Some Christians believe that another mode of baptism is scriptural. The Old Testament described ceremonies of sprinkling that represented the atonement. The New Testament also refers to the sprinkling of blood. Because sprinkling of blood could symbolize the atonement, it is possible that baptism by sprinkling could also. (For biblical references to sprinkling see Exodus 24:8, Hebrews 9:19-20, Hebrews 10:22, Hebrews 12:22-24, Numbers 8:6-7, Isaiah 52:15, Ezekiel 36:25, and 1 Peter 1:2.)

Because the Bible never makes a definite statement of what mode of baptism is required, we should be tolerant of Christians who have a different opinion on this issue.

The church is a community of faith living in a covenant with God. When a sinner repents and enters the community of faith, baptism is the public testimony of his conversion.

But what about a baby who is born to Christian parents who are in the church? The child is part of the community of faith. A young child is accepted by God until he is mature enough to make a choice about conversion.

Some churches believe that a baby should be baptized as a sign that he is in the community of faith. If the child accepts the doctrines of the church when he gets older, these churches have a ceremony called “confirmation.” Some churches don’t consider conversion necessary, because the child was born into the church and accepted what he was taught. (Examples are the Roman Catholic Church, the Lutheran Church, and the Church of England.) Other churches that practice infant baptism do believe that conversion is important. (For example, the early Methodists led by John Wesley believed that conversion is necessary even for a person who was baptized as a baby.)

Some believe that circumcision served a similar purpose in the Old Testament. A child was circumcised to symbolize that he was in the covenant. He did not have to wait until he was old enough to understand what the covenant meant.

The early church seems to have practiced infant baptism. Hippolytus wrote about apostolic tradition in A.D. 212 and said that children are to be baptized; and, if they are too young to speak, their parents can speak for them. Origen wrote in A.D. 248 that the apostles practiced infant baptism. Augustine wrote in A.D. 400 that infant baptism had been practiced by the whole church since the time of the apostles and that he had never heard of any person who denied baptism of infants.

In the book of Acts, the apostles sometimes baptized whole families (Acts 11:14, Acts 16:15, 33). We can assume that they baptized the children also.

Objections to Infant Baptism

1. In the New Testament, believers were baptized after a testimony of faith. They were people who had repented and believed the gospel. There are no directions for baptizing babies.

2. Infant baptism cannot fulfill the original purpose of testifying that the believer has died to sin and lives for God.

3. The historical result of infant baptism in most places has been to create congregations of unconverted people who think they are Christians.

Instead of baptizing babies, some churches have a ceremony for babies called a “dedication.” In that ceremony, the parents dedicate the child to God and promise to raise him with Christian training. In those churches, baptism does not occur until the child is old enough to understand repentance and faith.

When preaching to people who have been baptized as babies, it is not necessary to discredit their baptism. Instead, preach that a person is not saved without repentance and saving faith. If a person is living in sin, his baptism is not a reason for thinking he is a Christian.

► How long should the church wait to baptize a convert?

In the New Testament, converts were baptized immediately. Baptism did not represent a level of maturity or knowledge.

Some churches require converts to go through a period of education and Christian growth before they can be baptized. They want to make sure the converts are good examples of Christians. They want to see them live a Christian life for some time first so that fewer of them will fall away after baptism.

Baptism is a testimony that the person is converted. It is not a statement of spiritual maturity or knowledge. Therefore, baptism should happen soon after conversion. To wait seems to imply that we don’t know if a person is truly converted. It shows doubt in his testimony, which could cause him to become weak in his own faith.

Baptism is also a means of grace, because as a person obeys in faith and makes this public demonstration, God gives him establishing grace. If we make a convert wait to be baptized, we are keeping from him this help at the time when he needs it most.

If a person does not seem to understand the gospel and does not demonstrate a transformation by grace, he should not be baptized. If he does have those qualifications, he should be baptized soon as a means of strengthening his faith.

Sometimes people who profess to be Christians want to delay their baptism. They say that they have believed the gospel and repented, but they do not want to be baptized yet. Sometimes they delay for years. Sometimes people wait until they are dying.

If a person is not willing to be baptized, there is often a commitment connected to baptism that he is not willing to make. Maybe he does not want to be committed to the church. Maybe there is sin that he really has not stopped yet. Maybe he does not want to make a public testimony that he is a Christian.

If he is truly converted, a person is a Christian before being baptized. He does not need baptism to make him a Christian. However, if he is not willing to completely repent of sin and testify for Christ, he is not yet a Christian.

► What would you say to a person who says he is a Christian but does not want to get baptized?

► What should a pastor say as he baptizes the convert?

When Jesus gave the apostles the Great Commission, He told them to baptize “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).

To be baptized “in the name” of the Trinity meant to be baptized under their authority. Jesus used the term name similarly when he said he did not come in his own name (John 5:43).

Some churches believe that a pastor doing a baptism should say, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” Other churches believe that the proper way to baptize under the authority of all three persons of the Trinity is to say, “I baptize you in Jesus’ name.”

In the New Testament, we find several examples of directions for baptism, and the words are different from the words Jesus used when he gave the Great Commission. On the day of Pentecost, Peter told the converts, “Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 2:38). Paul baptized the Ephesian believers in the name of Jesus (Acts 19:5). Peter told the believers at Cornelius’ house to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. (Acts 10:48). Paul implied that the Corinthian believers were baptized in the name of Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:12-13).

In the book of Acts, baptism in Jesus’ name distinguished it from the baptism of John (which is also mentioned seven times in the book of Acts) and the baptisms of other religions.

It seems that the way the church fulfilled Jesus’ command was to emphasize the name of Jesus in baptism. It is likely that a pastor doing a baptism in the first century of the church said, “I baptize you in the name of Jesus.” In the first years of the church, faith in Jesus was the main issue. If a person believed in Jesus, he was a Christian.

However, according to very early church history, the church emphasized the Trinity at baptism. Within the first generation of the church, there were people who said they believed in Jesus, but did not really believe the right things about God. The Didache says that converts are to be immersed three times, with statements of belief in each member of the Trinity. Other writers, dating to A.D. 248 or before, wrote that the normal practice of the church was to mention the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit at baptism (Hippolytus, Origen, Tertullian, and others).

The problem today is that some religious groups deny the Trinity. They say they believe in Jesus, but they do not believe that Jesus is a person distinct from the Father and the Holy Spirit. They baptize in the name of Jesus because they believe that Jesus is the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They believe that all three are all one person.

Today most churches that believe in the Trinity baptize with the words, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” They are affirming faith in Jesus and belief in the Trinity.

Gathering: The converts to be baptized should stand together to be shown to the people who are there to watch. As the crowd comes together, someone could lead them in singing for a few minutes.

Scripture: Someone could read Matthew 28:18-20.

Declaration: The pastor should speak to the crowd and say, “These to be baptized today have testified to repentance and faith in Christ. As baptism represents the death and resurrection of Jesus, these believers testify by baptism that they have died to sin and now live for God. They have begun a new life in obedience to God.”

Prayer: Then the pastor should lead the church in prayer for the converts. His prayer should include statements like these: “Lord, we thank you for your grace that brought these to salvation and spiritual life. We thank you that you deliver them from the power of sin. We pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to fill them and give them victory every day. Make them witnesses to their community and a blessing to the church.”

Baptism: The converts should individually go into the water to the pastor. Before baptizing each, he should say, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

Hymn: After the baptism, the congregation could sing a hymn together. Someone could lead in another short prayer.

1. Jesus’ disciples baptized during his ministry.

2. The early church baptized people everywhere that the gospel went.

3. Baptism symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

4. Baptism is a testimony of salvation and a new life in Christ.

5. A convert should be baptized soon after conversion.

6. A person should not assume that he is a Christian because he was baptized.

7. The church should affirm Trinitarian doctrine in baptism.

1. Memorize the Seven Summary Statements for Lesson 10. Write one paragraph explaining the meaning and importance of each of the Seven Summary Statements (seven paragraphs) to someone who is not in this class. Turn this in to the class leader before the next class. Be ready to share a paragraph with the group if the class leader asks you to during discussion time. Write the statements from memory at the beginning of the next class session.

2. Remember to schedule your own outside-of-class teaching opportunities and report to the class leader when you have taught.

3. Interview Assignment: Talk to three different baptized believers and ask what their baptism meant to them. Write a brief summary.