Baptist Theology and Distinctive Doctrines — Unit 3: Believer's Baptism: Meaning, Subjects, and Mode

Key Verse

"Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:4, NKJV)

Learning Objectives

When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

1. Explain what baptism means and what it does not do, according to the New Testament.

2. Show from Scripture that the proper subjects of baptism are those who have believed.

3. Show from the Greek word and from the New Testament accounts that the mode of baptism is immersion.

4. State the main arguments for infant baptism and for sprinkling, and give the Baptist answers fairly.

5. Answer the claim that baptism is necessary for salvation, and explain how a pastor handles special cases.

Why Baptists Are Called Baptists

The name "Baptist" is not an accident. Among all the beliefs that make us who we are, none is more visible than this one: we baptize believers, by immersion, after they have trusted Christ. Other Christians often know us for this single practice. It is a mark of the doctrine of the last unit. A church made of the born again will baptize those who have been born again. The history of how Baptists came to this view, including the early debates among the English Separatists, is in Course 1. In this unit we study what Scripture says.

Roman Catholics, Orthodox, Lutherans, Anglicans, Presbyterians and Methodists baptize infants, and many sprinkle or pour. They are brothers and sisters in Christ where they trust Him. We state their reasons fairly. Then we explain why we cannot follow them.

What Baptism Means

Baptists teach that baptism is an ordinance of Christ. An ordinance is an act that Christ Himself commanded His church to practice. Baptists prefer this word to "sacrament," because the word sacrament is often used to say that the act itself conveys grace automatically. We say that baptism is a symbol, and an act of obedience, and a public testimony. It does not save.

It is commanded. Jesus said, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20). The order is plain: make disciples, baptize them, teach them. The disciple is made first.

It is a picture of the gospel. Our key verse says that in baptism we are "buried with Him" and raised "to walk in newness of life." Going under the water pictures the death and burial of Christ and our death to the old life. Coming up pictures His resurrection and our new life. Colossians 2:12 says the same: "buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God." The picture belongs to the one who has actually died and risen with Christ by faith.

It is a public confession. In the book of Acts, baptism was how a new believer said before the world, "I belong to Jesus." It is an act of loyalty. In many countries today it still costs something, and a believer's baptism may be the first public step against family and community pressure.

It is the door to church life. In Acts 2:41 the believers were baptized and then added to the church. Baptists therefore require baptism before church membership. The act does not make a person a Christian. It marks the entrance into the visible fellowship.

The two Baptist confessions we study agree. The Second London Confession of 1689 says that baptism is for those who actually profess repentance and faith, and that the right way to baptize is by immersion. The New Hampshire Confession of 1833 describes baptism as the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 says the same, and calls baptism a symbol of the believer's faith in a crucified, buried and risen Savior.

Who Is to Be Baptized: The Subjects

Baptists say that only believers are to be baptized. The New Testament examples all point the same way.

• At Pentecost, "those who gladly received his word were baptized" (Acts 2:41).

• In Samaria, "when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized" (Acts 8:12).

• At the house of Cornelius, those who heard the word received the Holy Spirit, and Peter then asked, "Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" (Acts 10:47).

• The Philippian jailer was told, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household," and they all heard the word of the Lord (Acts 16:31-34).

• At Corinth, Crispus believed in the Lord with all his household, and many of the Corinthians hearing, believed and were baptized (Acts 18:8).

Nowhere does the New Testament record an infant being baptized, and nowhere does it command it. Every command and example that is given connects baptism with hearing, repentance and faith.

The Argument for Infant Baptism

Those who baptize infants have serious reasons. We should know them well.

The household argument. Acts 16:15 and 16:33, and 1 Corinthians 1:16, tell of the baptism of whole households. Some scholars, among them Joachim Jeremias, have argued that these households surely included infants. Other scholars, among them Kurt Aland, argued against this, and the historians have not agreed. Our answer. The text does not say there were any infants. In the jailer's house, all heard the word and all rejoiced, believing in God (Acts 16:32-34). At Crispus's house, the household believed (Acts 18:8). The word "household" does not tell us who was in it. To build a doctrine on a possibility is not a safe way to handle Scripture.

The covenant argument. Reformed and other Christians teach that baptism has replaced circumcision as the sign of God's covenant, and that since infants were circumcised, infants should be baptized. They point to Colossians 2:11-12, where circumcision and baptism are placed near each other. Our answer. In the Old Testament, circumcision marked the males of a nation, born in the line of Abraham. The New Testament, however, makes the sign of the new covenant a mark of those who have been born again. Colossians 2 speaks of a circumcision "made without hands," the putting off of the sinful nature, and being "raised with Him through faith." The sign goes with faith. Jeremiah 31:34 says that in the new covenant all shall know the Lord. And women were never circumcised, yet they were baptized (Acts 8:12).

The blessing of children. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them" (Mark 10:14). Our answer. We agree gladly. Baptists bring their children to Jesus in prayer and teaching and consecrate them to the Lord. But Jesus blessed the children. He did not baptize them. The scene supports love for children, not a rite.

The witness of the early church. Origen and later writers speak of baptizing infants, and in the third century the practice was common. Our answer. Our authority is Scripture, not the practice of later generations. Even in the early period, there were doubts. Tertullian, around the year 200, advised delaying baptism, including for little children. The practice grew when the belief grew that baptism washed away sin, which is a doctrine we cannot accept (see below).

The Mode: Immersion

The Greek word baptizo was used for dipping or plunging something into liquid, such as dipping cloth into dye. The ordinary Greek word for sprinkling was another word (rantizo). When the New Testament writers wished to say "baptize," they chose baptizo, and we believe they meant what the word meant.

The New Testament scenes fit immersion:

• John baptized at Aenon near Salim "because there was much water there" (John 3:23).

• Jesus, "when He had been baptized, came up immediately from the water" (Matthew 3:16; compare Mark 1:9-10).

• Philip and the Ethiopian "went down into the water," and afterward "came up out of the water" (Acts 8:38-39).

• Paul uses the picture of burial and resurrection (Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12). Sprinkling does not picture burial.

Baptists add that the earliest Christian writers also describe it so. A very early church manual called the Didache (probably late first or early second century) directs that baptism be done in running water, and if there is none, in other water, and only if neither is enough that water be poured three times on the head. This shows that immersion was the normal practice and that pouring was an exception. The 1689 Baptist Confession affirms the same.

Objections from the Other Side

Defenders of sprinkling or pouring raise questions.

Three thousand in one day. How could the apostles immerse three thousand in Jerusalem on Pentecost (Acts 2:41)? Our answer. Jerusalem had many pools and ritual baths, and the text does not say how long it took or how many helped. A difficulty of arrangement does not change the meaning of the word.

The jailer at night. Could a baptism by immersion take place in a prison at midnight (Acts 16:33)? Our answer. The text says that the jailer took them out, and later brought them into his house. Scripture does not say that the baptism occurred in the cell. A river or pool outside Philippi is possible (compare Acts 16:13).

The "sprinkling" passages. Ezekiel 36:25 and Hebrews 10:22 speak of sprinkling clean water or hearts. Our answer. These verses speak of cleansing the heart, not of the baptism ordinance. Neither mentions baptism.

Is the mode essential? Some say it does not matter. Baptists answer that it does, because otherwise the picture of burial and resurrection is lost. A believer who cannot be immersed, such as someone gravely ill, is another matter. We do not say that such a person is lost. We say that the normal obedience is immersion, and we make every effort to give it.

What Baptism Does Not Do

Some Christians teach that baptism is necessary for salvation, or that it regenerates. This is called baptismal regeneration. Roman Catholics and Orthodox teach that baptism removes original sin and gives new life. Lutherans teach that baptism is a means by which God gives faith and forgiveness. Some churches, such as the Churches of Christ, teach that an adult must be baptized to be forgiven. These teachers appeal to a number of verses.

• "He who believes and is baptized will be saved" (Mark 16:16).

• "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God" (John 3:5).

• "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38).

• "Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins" (Acts 22:16).

• 1 Peter 3:21, which says that baptism "now saves us."

Our answer. We read these verses in light of the whole New Testament. First, the Bible says that we are saved "by grace ... through faith ... not of works" (Ephesians 2:8-9). If baptism were required, it would be a work added to faith. Second, in Mark 16:16 the second half of the verse says that the one who does not believe is condemned. It does not say the unbaptized is condemned. Third, the thief on the cross was promised paradise, and he was never baptized (Luke 23:43). Fourth, Cornelius's household received the Holy Spirit before they were baptized (Acts 10:44-48), and Paul thanked God that he had baptized few of the Corinthians, because "Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel" (1 Corinthians 1:14-17). He could not have said so if baptism were necessary for salvation. Fifth, the word "for" in Acts 2:38 translates a Greek word which may also mean "because of," as in Matthew 12:41, where the people of Nineveh repented "at" the preaching of Jonah. Some scholars debate this reading, and we do not rest our whole case on it. As to 1 Peter 3:21, Peter says it is not the removal of dirt from the body but "the answer of a good conscience toward God," through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The reality is faith in the risen Christ, which baptism pictures.

The ordinance is not unimportant, and neglecting it is disobedience. But the one who saves is Christ, trusted by faith.

A Question of Practice: Who Baptizes, and What of Earlier Baptisms?

Baptists also ask who should administer baptism and whether baptisms in other churches count. Most Baptists teach that the church, through its pastor or another person whom it authorizes, administers baptism, and that the person baptized should be a believer. Some Baptists, especially in the Landmark tradition, will not accept baptisms performed by churches that do not teach believer's baptism by immersion. Others receive believers who were baptized by immersion in other evangelical churches. Baptists differ also about whether a person who was baptized as an infant and later trusted Christ must be baptized again. The majority say that infant baptism was not baptism as the New Testament defines it, so the believer should be baptized on profession of faith. Course 4 discusses preparing candidates and administering the ordinance.

Pastoral Application

A Baptist pastor in Cuba is visited by a man in his forties. He was baptized as a baby in the Catholic church and now loves Jesus. He says: "My mother is very sad that I want to be baptized again. She says that I am denying my first baptism. Pastor, am I?"

The pastor first affirms the man's faith and respects his mother's love. He explains that the Baptist church does not call the man's first christening a sin or a mockery, but believes that the New Testament baptism follows personal faith. He shows him Acts 2:41, Romans 6:4 and Matthew 28:19-20. He tells him that the baptism will not make him saved. He is already saved by grace through faith. It will be his first public act of obedience as a follower of Christ. He encourages the man to visit his mother, tell her about his new life in Christ, and invite her to see the baptism. He prays with him, and does not criticize the mother's church.

Summary

Baptists baptize believers by immersion. Baptism is an ordinance commanded by Christ in Matthew 28:19-20. It pictures the death, burial and resurrection of Christ and the believer's union with Him (Romans 6:4), it is the believer's public confession, and it is the door into the visible church. The subjects are those who have repented and believed, as every New Testament example shows. The mode is immersion, based on the meaning of the word baptizo, the scenes in Scripture and the picture of burial. Arguments for infant baptism from households, covenant, the blessing of children and early history are answered from Scripture. Baptism does not save; we are saved by grace through faith. Baptists differ among themselves over the validity of baptisms in other churches, and a pastor must handle each case with patience, courtesy and firmness.

Further Reading

• James Leo Garrett Jr., Baptist Theology: A Four-Century Study (2009).

• John L. Dagg, Manual of Theology (1857), a public-domain classic.

• J. M. Pendleton, Church Manual (1867), a public-domain classic.

• E. Y. Mullins, The Axioms of Religion (1908), a public-domain classic.

• The Second London Confession (1689) and the New Hampshire Confession (1833), both public domain.

• The Baptist Faith and Message (2000), Southern Baptist Convention.

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