Baptist Worship, Ordinances, and Preaching — Unit 4: Baptism in Practice: Preparing Candidates and Administering the Ordinance

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. State who may be baptized, who may administer baptism, and why Baptists baptize by immersion.

2. Explain the meaning of baptism and answer the claim that baptism is needed for salvation.

3. Prepare a candidate through an interview, a short class and a clear testimony.

4. Plan and lead a baptismal service, including the practical details of water, clothing, safety and modesty.

5. Handle hard cases: infant baptism in the past, baptism in other churches, children, and families who oppose the baptism.

The Voice of This Unit

This unit is written from inside the Baptist tradition, for Baptist pastors. It is conservative and evangelical. The doctrine of baptism, with its meaning, subjects and mode, is taught in Course 2, Unit 3. The history of how Baptists came to hold it is told in Course 1. This unit does not repeat them at length. It asks a practical question: how does a pastor and a church prepare people for baptism and carry it out in a way that honors Christ? Where other Christians disagree with us, or where Baptists differ among themselves, we state the views fairly and then give the Baptist answer.

A Short Review of What We Believe

Baptists hold that baptism is the immersion of a believer in water, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience that pictures what Christ has done for the believer and what the believer now confesses. It is a church ordinance, which means that Christ gave it to His churches to practice. It does not save. It is the first public step of a new disciple.

Three biblical points support this.

The Lord commanded it. Jesus told the apostles to 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). Baptism follows discipleship. The order is that a person becomes a disciple and then is baptized.

The New Testament baptizes those who believe. At Pentecost, those who gladly received Peter's 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). The Philippian jailer believed with all his household and was baptized (Acts 16:31-34). In each case the Scripture links baptism to hearing and believing.

The word and the pictures point to immersion. The Greek word baptizo commonly meant to dip or immerse. Jesus came up out of the water (Mark 1:10). The Ethiopian and Philip "went down into the water" and then came up out of it (Acts 8:38-39). Paul says that we are buried with Christ through baptism and raised to walk in new life (Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12). The picture of burial and rising is best shown by immersion.

The Meaning of Baptism

Baptism says four things, and the pastor should teach all four to the candidate and the church.

1. It pictures the gospel. Christ died, was buried and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). The candidate goes under the water and comes up.

2. It shows the believer's union with Christ. He has died to the old life and now walks in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4).

3. It is a public confession. Before witnesses, the person says that Jesus is Lord. In many places this is costly.

4. It is the door into the visible fellowship of the church. The three thousand at Pentecost were baptized and "added" to the believers, and they continued in the apostles' teaching and fellowship (Acts 2:41-42).

The objection: "Baptism is necessary for salvation"

Some Christians teach that baptism is part of how a person receives forgiveness. They point to Acts 2:38, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins," and to Mark 16:16, "He who believes and is baptized will be saved." Some churches teach that baptism brings new birth, and others, such as the Churches of Christ, teach that it is required for forgiveness. Their concern is sincere: they want people to obey the commands of Scripture.

Our answer. We take baptism seriously, and we agree that a believer who refuses baptism is disobeying Christ. But Scripture teaches that salvation is by grace through faith, "not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). Many verses promise salvation to the one who believes, with no mention of baptism, for example John 3:16 and Acts 16:31. The thief on the cross was promised paradise and was never baptized (Luke 23:43). Cornelius and his household received the Holy Spirit as Peter preached and were baptized afterward (Acts 10:44-48), which shows that baptism followed the gift of salvation and did not cause it. On Acts 2:38, Baptist teachers point out that the Greek word translated "for" can mean "because of," and that, in any case, the whole of Acts joins forgiveness to repentance and faith (Acts 10:43). This reading is debated among scholars, and we should state the debate honestly, but the weight of the New Testament is on our side. In Mark 16:16, the sentence that follows speaks only of unbelief as the cause of condemnation. Baptism is the believer's first act of obedience, not his way of being saved.

Who May Administer Baptism?

The New Testament gives no verse that limits baptism to an ordained pastor. Philip, one of the seven chosen to serve in Acts 6, baptized the Samaritans and the Ethiopian (Acts 8). The usual Baptist practice is that the church authorizes baptism and the pastor, or another person the church appoints, performs it. This keeps order, and it reminds everyone that baptism is an ordinance of the church and not a private act.

Baptists have not agreed on every detail. Some, especially those in the Landmark tradition mentioned in Course 1, teach that only a church of the same faith and order can give a valid baptism. Others say that what matters is that the candidate is a believer, that the baptism is by immersion, and that it is done in obedience to Christ. We return to this under the hard cases below.

Preparing the Candidate

A hurried baptism is a poor start. A careful pastor builds a simple path of preparation.

Step 1: A personal conversation

Meet the person privately, preferably with a mature member present. Ask in simple words how he came to trust in Christ. Listen for four things: that he knows he is a sinner, that he knows Christ died and rose for him, that he trusts Christ alone, and that he wants to follow Him. If you doubt that he is converted, do not baptize him yet. Teach him further and pray with him. This protects the meaning of the ordinance.

Step 2: A short class

Offer a class of two or three meetings. In it, explain the gospel, assurance of salvation, the meaning of baptism, the meaning of church membership, and the first habits of the Christian life: Bible reading, prayer, worship, giving and witness. For candidates from another tradition, explain kindly why we baptize believers by immersion.

Step 3: A testimony

Ask each candidate to prepare a short testimony of two or three minutes, written down if he is shy. It should say who he was, how he came to Christ and what Christ is doing in him. If a candidate speaks little, ask a few questions and let him answer briefly.

Step 4: The church's part

Because baptism is a church ordinance, the church should know the candidate. In many Baptist churches the pastor, or the deacons, present the testimony and the church votes to receive him on his profession of faith and baptism. The vote is the church's way of saying that it believes the person's testimony and welcomes him. The details belong to Course 3 on polity. Some churches vote before the baptism and others after it. The important matter is that baptism is not done in secret or by an individual alone.

Children and young people

Baptists do not set a fixed age. Jesus welcomed children (Mark 10:14), and some children do truly believe. But the Baptist church must guard against baptizing a child merely because friends went, or because a parent wishes it. Talk to the child alone and in his parents' presence. Ask him in his own words what Christ did and why he wants to be baptized. If you are unsure, wait. A child who waits a year or two is not harmed, whereas a child baptized without understanding may later doubt it.

Planning the Service

The practical details

Plan these details:

• The place. A baptistery in the church is ideal. Where there is none, a river, a lake, a swimming pool, or a large tank or cistern will serve. If you use a river or the sea, check for strong currents, cold, snakes and the depth of the water. Ask permission from the owner or the authorities if needed.

• Safety. Never baptize a person in water where you do not feel safe. Choose a place where you can stand with firm footing. Have a second person with you.

• Clothing. Candidates should wear modest clothes that are not see-through, such as dark trousers and a shirt, or a plain robe. Bring dry clothes, towels and a private place to change. Women should be assisted by women.

• Warmth. Heat the water if you can, and have blankets ready in cold seasons.

• Music and Scripture. Read Romans 6:3-11 and sing of new life in Christ.

The order of the service

A simple order is enough:

1. Welcome, prayer and a hymn.

2. A short message from the Word on the meaning of baptism.

3. Each candidate gives a brief testimony, or the pastor introduces him.

4. The pastor asks, "Have you repented of your sins and trusted in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?" The candidate answers, "I have."

5. The pastor says, "On the profession of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, I baptize you, my brother (or sister), in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." He lowers the candidate beneath the water completely and raises him again.

6. A prayer, a word of welcome to the congregation, and the giving of a certificate or Bible.

The words are those of Matthew 28:19. They are not magic. They state what is being done and in whose name.

After the baptism

A baptism is a beginning. Assign a mature member to walk with each new believer for several months. Welcome each one formally into membership, if this has not yet been done. Unit 5 describes their first Lord's Supper.

Hard Cases

A person baptized as a baby. Most Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist and Anglican Christians have been baptized as infants. But Baptists hold that the New Testament baptizes only those who believe, and that baptism done before faith does not meet that description. So we ask them lovingly to be baptized as believers. This will need patience. Do not accuse their family or church of ill will. Say that the Bible shows believers' baptism, and that their own faith now deserves to be confessed.

A person who was immersed as a believer elsewhere. Baptist churches have differed on this. Many Baptist churches accept the immersion of a believer from another church, if it was after faith and in a church that taught baptism as a testimony and not as the means of salvation. Other Baptists, in the Landmark tradition, accept only baptism from a church of like faith and order. Some churches ask a person who was baptized believing that baptism saved him to be baptized again, because the meaning was wrong. Pastors should know their church's policy, put it in writing and apply it gently.

A person who is old, ill or unable to be immersed. The church should use care and imagination before giving up the form: a frail person can be lowered by helpers in a tank. If it is truly impossible, the church should pray and seek wisdom. The Didache, an early Christian document, allows pouring when water is scarce, and some Christians point to it. Baptists reply that the same document prefers immersion, and that Scripture and the meaning of the act support it.

A family that opposes the baptism. In some places a decision for Christ brings anger from relatives, even loss of work or home. Visit the family if the candidate wishes it, and speak kindly. Ask the candidate to count the cost, as Jesus taught (Luke 14:27-33). If he is a minor, respect the parents' authority and wait for a time, since the Lord does not ask a child to dishonor his parents (Ephesians 6:1-3). If he is an adult, do not delay beyond reason, for the early church did not wait for the world to approve.

A person who is baptized but later falls away. The church grieves and seeks him (Matthew 18:12-14). If he repents, the church receives him back. Baptism need not be repeated, because it is the one act that pictures his entry into Christ.

Pastoral Application

Carlos is forty years old and was raised in a devout Catholic family. After a friend invited him to Bible study, he came to trust Christ. He asks to be baptized. His mother is angry, and his brother says he has betrayed the family.

The pastor meets Carlos twice. Carlos says that he cannot earn salvation, and that Christ died for him. He wants to follow Christ openly. The pastor invites him to the baptism class. He prays with Carlos about his family and advises him to visit his mother and speak gently of his love for her. The church votes to receive him.

On the Sunday of the baptism, the church meets by the lake. Carlos gives his testimony, the pastor asks the question and baptizes him, and the church sings. Afterward a mature deacon walks with Carlos for several months. Later his mother attends the church for the first time, at a friend's baptism. The pastor does not argue with her. He keeps the door open.

Summary

Baptists baptize believers by immersion in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Baptism pictures the gospel, shows the believer's union with Christ, is a public confession, and leads into the fellowship of the church. It does not save, as Ephesians 2:8-9, the thief on the cross and the household of Cornelius show. The church authorizes baptism, and the pastor usually performs it. A careful pastor interviews each candidate, offers a short class, hears a testimony and brings the person to the church. He plans the water, clothing, safety and modesty, and uses a simple service of questions, the words of Matthew 28:19 and a prayer. Hard cases include those baptized as infants, those immersed elsewhere, children, the sick and families who oppose. A wise pastor deals with them patiently, in writing and in love.

Further Reading

• The Baptist Faith and Message (2000), Article VII, "Baptism and the Lord's Supper."

• The Second London Confession (1689), the chapter on baptism (public domain).

• The New Hampshire Confession (1833), the article on baptism and the Lord's Supper (public domain).

• J. M. Pendleton, Church Manual (1867, public domain), on baptism and the church.

• Course 1 of this specialization, on the origin of Baptist baptism and on Landmarkism; Course 2, Unit 3, on the doctrine of baptism; Course 3, on church membership.

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