BASIC BIBLE STUDIES
# 027
Baptism: What and Who?
In our two previous Studies we learned that baptism is an essential part of man's faith response to the gospel of Christ and to coming into a saved relationship with the Lord. Since remission of sins does not occur until one has repented and been baptized (Acts 2:38), it is vitally important to learn what baptism consists of and for whom it is applicable. Surely with reference to any condition or act having to do with the salvation of our soul we should want to make sure that we have properly understood and complied with that condition. We should not approach the matter in a nonchalant or lackadaisical manner, or with some false sense of security that the matter had already been taken care of for us by our parents when we were babies. Rather, we should want to make sure that we have correctly understood what God's Word teaches about baptism and that we have personally done what the Bible says concerning baptism.
What is baptism? How is it to be performed? If we ignore the religious traditions and doctrines that have developed over the centuries, and if we lay aside the creed books, catechisms, and church manuals that men have written, and go back to the New Testament and make a fresh study of it, what will we discover with reference to the action of baptism (what it is)?
Of the ministry of John the Baptist (that is, John the Baptizer, the man who administered baptism, hf), it is said: "Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan [river] went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins" (Matthew 3:5-6). Later, it is said: "And John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized" (John 3:23). In the Jordan river and in a place where there was "much water" John baptized people! What was the obvious action of baptism? Neither sprinkling, pouring, nor christening require "much water," but Bible baptism does!
In Acts 8 we read of the conversion of the treasurer of the queen of Ethiopia. After having Christ preached to him by Philip, the treasurer--who was a eunuch--requested baptism, and following his confession of faith in Christ as the Son of God "both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him" (Acts 8:38). What transpired in this New Testament account of baptism?
Later, the apostle Paul wrote: "Therefore we were buried with Him (Christ) by 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). In baptism there is the reenactment of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. As Paul stated in Colossians 2:12: "...buried with Him (Christ) in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him, through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead."
Is it important today for a person to do what the New Testament teaches with reference to how baptism is performed? If baptism is essential to salvation--and we have learned that it is (Mark 16:16; I Peter 3:21)--then should not a person who is serious about the salvation of his soul want to comply with what God's Word says regarding the way baptism is to be performed? If a person has only had a few drops of water sprinkled on him, or a small amount of water poured on him, or if as a baby a church official "christened" him, has that person truly been baptized? This is a question deserving of very serious consideration by every person who truly wishes to be saved.
Who is to be baptized? For whom is baptism valid? Following His death, burial, and resurrection, Christ commissioned the apostles: "Go therefore and make disciples of (teach, KJV) all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them (those baptized, hf) to observe all things whatever I have commanded you..." (Matthew 28:19-20). In Mark's account of this matter Christ said to the apostles: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned" (Mark 16:15-16). From these words, spoken by the Lord Himself, we learn that baptism is for an accountable, responsible being who can be taught and who can come to belief for himself. Baptism has no power to save one who is not capable of receiving an appropriate amount of teaching before being baptized, as well as further teaching after being baptized, nor does baptism have any saving power for the person who is not himself a believer.
Still further, when the apostles began to carry out Christ's great commission, they instructed people: "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins..." (Acts 2:38). Baptism is of no benefit to a person who has not personally repented of (turned from) his sins.
In Acts 8, when the Ethiopian treasurer requested baptism, he was told: "If you believe with all your heart, you may [be baptized]. And he answered and said, 'I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.' " (Acts 8:37). Baptism is valid only if a person is a believer in Christ and is willing to confess that faith (Romans 10:9-10).
Infants and young children who have not reached the age of accountability are not sinners, are not capable of being taught the gospel, are not capable of believing for themselves, have no sins of which to repent, and possess no personal faith in Christ that they can confess with their mouth as the Bible requires. With reference to little children Jesus said: "...of such is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 19:14). Contrary to doctrines devised by men since the close of the New Testament, children are not born in sin (though they are born into a world of sin), they are not born totally depraved, and they have not "inherited" the sins of their parents, grandparents, et al, all the way back to Adam. Rather, they are pure and innocent until they become accountable for their actions and are able to choose between good and evil. Thus, babies and young, unaccountable children are not candidates for baptism, and all adults who were "baptized" as babies (in the light of the fact that baptism is immersion--not sprinkling or pouring--were they truly baptized?) should seriously re-think this matter from the standpoint of Biblical teaching, and ask themselves: "Have I truly complied with what the Word of God says regarding baptism, or have I lived under the delusion that all of that was taken care of for me when I was a baby?" Our eternal salvation in heaven, as opposed to the loss of our soul in hell, is too vital a matter with which to "gamble." As the apostle Peter, writing to Christians, once said: "...be even more diligent to make your calling and election sure" (II Peter 1:10). Are you sure that you have complied with God's will regarding baptism?
If this essay has blessed you, feel free to forward it to others who may benefit from it.
Hugh Fulford