The word baptism has many uses in scripture, as do other words so it is important to look at them in context. We must also recognize that there are multiple types of baptisms referred to in the Bible, seven to be specific. The primary baptism is the believers’ baptism spoken of in the New Testament that we will be dealing with in detail in this study. The other baptisms are the baptism of John the Baptist (Lk. 3:3), the Holy Ghost (Mt. 3:11), fire (Mt. 3:11), death and suffering (Mt. 20:22), the baptism of Jesus (Mt. 3:16), and the baptism of Moses (1 Cor. 10:1-2).
Believers’ baptism as we call it is one of the two ordinances of the church along with the Lord’s Supper. It is something that Christ commanded to be done just prior to His ascension at the same time as He gave the great commission (Mt. 28:19-20). From this passage we learn that a person is to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, which is a demonstration of belief in the Trinity of God. Of course Christ doesn’t ask us to do things that He didn’t first do Himself (Jn. 13:15). We see that the Trinity was represented at Christ’s’ own baptism (Mt. 3:16-17). Christ was baptized to fulfill all righteousness (Mt. 3:15). He is God and was perfect, yet it was meaningful for Him to have been baptized; certainly it is for us as well. His baptism was also a picture of what He was going to accomplish through His death, burial and resurrection.
The meaning of baptism is often disputed. Many people take verses out of context and teach that baptism is a requirement for salvation (Acts 2:38; Matt. 16:16). This is clearly not the case as we know that there are no works that we can do to bring about salvation but it comes strictly by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Eph.2:8-9). Baptism is an outward show of an inward belief. It is a symbolic figure of something that was already accomplished at salvation. It is a picture of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. It also symbolizes that we also are dead to our sins and raised up in the likeness of Christ. This will take place in full at the rapture but it should be demonstrated in the new lives that we have in Christ now (Rom. 6:3-5). It is a testimony of our faith to others. It is an act of obedience as Christ has commanded us to be baptized after we believe (Mt. 16:16). This verse also shows us that a person must be a believer already in order to be baptized. This refutes the false practice of infant baptism. There were some households that were baptized but never do we have indication that those households included infants and so it must be understood that each individual in the household was a believer (Acts 16; 1 Cor. 1:16). It was men and women baptized according to Acts 8:12. We learn from Acts 2:38 that baptism also comes after repentance which shows us that belief and repentance are both requirements of salvation. Acts 10:47 shows again that salvation must take place prior to baptism as the Holy Ghost having been received (at the point of salvation) was the criteria to authorize them to be baptized. Romans 6 teaches that our baptism is to help the believer recognize that we are now dead to sin and self and that our old life and nature are to be changed into newness of life with Christ. Baptism is also a precursor to joining the local church according to Acts 2:41.
The mode of baptism is also disputed. There are those who sprinkle, those who pour and those that immerse. The symbolic picture alone of Christ being buried tells us that this is supposed to be immersion. Christ did not have dirt poured on Him, he was fully sealed in the tomb. We are to be buried with Him in baptism (Col. 2:12). Every part of our old man and sinful flesh is to be buried and our whole “new creature” (2 Cor. 5:17) is to be raised. The word bapto in the Greek is defined as “to dip” which would suggest immersion. We know that John the Baptist chose his spot for baptizing because there was much water (Jn. 3:23). We see that the Ethiopian eunoch and Philip went down into the water for this baptism (Acts 8:38). It is also clear that Jesus was immersed as the Bible says that he went up straightway out of the water (Mat. 3:16). We could say that baptism is that outward physical show of being part of the family of God in a way similar to circumcision in the Old Testament. It is something that could be done physically without truly being saved and if so then it means nothing because it does not have any part in salvation.
Baptism