Bible Basics: Baptism
Jesus said, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Matthew 16:26 NIV). Any subject that relates to the salvation of one’s soul is important and needs careful study. Since Jesus said in Mark 16:16, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned,” baptism is such a subject. In order to accurately understand baptism, we must ask several questions. The first question is: Who commanded the act or practice of baptism? Jesus is the one who gave the command to baptize. In His Great Commission, Jesus said: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20 NIV). It would seem that the apostles took Jesus’ command seriously because in the first sermon that was preached, leading to the first group of people becoming Christians, Peter told those who sought to follow Jesus that they needed to be baptized. This is seen in Acts 2:38 — "Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'”
In our present time, there is much discussion regarding the proper form or method of baptism. People debate what is to be done, physically speaking, when one is baptized. This question can be easily answered by the New Testament. The Scriptures teach that the act of baptism requires water. In Acts 10:47 Peter states, “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water.” The Greek word for baptism speaks of being immersed, plunged into, or dipped in water. There are many examples of people in the Book of Acts becoming Christians and getting baptized. These instances clearly show that the person went to the water and was immersed in the water. Because of this, anything other than immersion in water is foreign to Scripture. The common practice of sprinkling water on people is not an accurate way to follow the baptism mandate.
Another important question to be answered as we delve into the baptism conversation is: Who is to be baptized? The person to be baptized must be a believer in Christ. Earlier, we referenced a Scripture that declared, “whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.” Therefore, we must conclude that belief in Jesus and the gospel message is essential. Again, there are traditions regarding who might be baptized that run contrary to Scripture. Such an erroneous tradition is the practice of baptizing babies. While we can agree that we love babies and they are cute, they do not have faith. They are too young to understand the concept of sin. They cannot believe the gospel due to their young age. Not only must someone be old enough to understand the gospel message regarding sin and the need for salvation, but that person must be a repentant believer.
Perhaps the least understood question regarding baptism is: What is the purpose of baptism? Baptism, properly understood, is an act and response of faith. Over the last few articles, as we have looked at "Bible Basics," we have investigated faith and repentance. When we add baptism to the discussion, are we looking at competing ideas or complementary ideas? The answer is that we are discussing complementary truths and ideas. Biblical faith involves more than mere assent to facts. We have discussed that faith will show itself in our lives and actions. Faith is not opposed to repentance, it shows itself in repentance. Our change of heart (repentance) is an action of faith. Similarly, faith expresses itself in baptism. Scripture teaches that our sins are washed away when we are baptized. At baptism, we receive the benefits of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Therefore, faith reaches out for salvation when we obey Jesus’ command to be baptized.
As we discuss Biblical faith and how it works, we must understand that the basis of our salvation is grace. We have faith in a Holy God who chooses to save us because of His amazing, abundant grace. Join me next week as we discuss grace. Keep looking up!