Question: Baptism seems to be an issue which divides Christians and creates different denominations. Is this because the scripture is unclear about the meaning of baptism?
The scripture is clear. At the same time, it is important as Christians to distinguish between what is clear and what is of paramount importance. Baptism is an odd issue which falls somewhere in between. What I mean, is that a person’s motive for refusing to be baptized may be more crucial than the practice itself. Take for instance, a dedicated Christian who grew up in a tradition which baptizes infants. Although I do not agree with this practice and would subsequently encourage conscious believer’s baptism, I am aware that one does not shake off tradition and upbringing that easily. When someone says “Your interpretation of baptism is new to me. I must take some time to think about and study this issue,” I do not read that as rebellion but rather as sincere inquiry. On the other hand, one may say “Yes, I see clearly that the Bible is commanding me to be baptized but Aunt Flossy would be upset if I did.” Now we have a problem. Baptism, in this case, is spotlighting the fact that some are more interested in pleasing people than pleasing God. In summary, yes, it is clear in scripture, no, it should not be a divisive issue. As for importance? Importance comes into play when a person does understand the command and is deciding whether or not to obey or disobey God.
Question: What then, does the Bible clearly state as the meaning and purpose of Baptism?
Water baptism is a symbolic picture of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit The word literally means “to immerse”, or” to dip.” John the Baptist was actually John the Dipper. When one becomes a Christian he/she is spiritually immersed in three ways;
1) The Holy Spirit personally indwells them,
Acts 1:5, Rom. 8:9 “…you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit,” “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ he does not belong to Christ”
2) This same Spirit mystically links them with the body of Christ made up of fellow believers,
I Cor 12:13, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body”
3) They are also identified with the death and resurrection of Christ
Rom 6:3, “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too, may live a new life.”
Details about this baptism of the Holy Spirit must be saved for a later discussion. For now, my purpose is to show the relationship between spiritual baptism and water baptism. Being buried in water symbolizes the death of Jesus. Being raised out of the water symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus himself made this comparison by saying to his disciples
“For John baptized with water but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” Acts 1:8.
However, the practice of water baptism was to continue:
Matt. 28:19, “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”
Only God can baptize in the Holy Spirit, so Jesus must have been commanding them to continue a practice started by John.
One important principle of objective Bible interpretation is the connection to history. If Jesus is embracing the baptism of John, we would do well to find out what John’s baptism is all about. Other than stating that John was calling the Israelites to repentance (John 1), a thorough explanation is not given in scripture. Fortunately the testimony of Josephus, an ancient Jewish historian, fills this gap. In referring to “John, surnamed the Baptist”, Josephus goes on to say:
“He taught that baptism was acceptable to God provided that they underwent it not to procure remission of certain sins, but for the purification of the body if the soul had already been purified by righteousness.” (Antiquities 17 5.2)
Baptism was already a Jewish ritual before John the Baptist came on the scene. When he asked the people to be baptized, they understood exactly what he was talking about. It was a public way of repenting, relevant only if true repentance had already taken place in the heart. This idea fits I Pet. 3:21-23 :
“And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also, not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
In summary, the Bible clearly states the purpose of Baptism, in that Jesus related it to the Baptism of John. History, tells us what John’s baptism was for the Jew. Although the Jew would not have understood the foreshadowing of Christian symbolism, we assume such symbolism by the authority of Jesus’ words stated above in Acts 1:5.
Question: How do we know that John was immersing people and not sprinkling them?
Because, as already stated, the word literally means “immerse.” This is the direct translation of the word Baptitzo which has remained baptize as a transliteration in our English versions of the Bible. The reason we don’t see the word immerse is because King James, who authorized the first popular English translation, believed in infant baptism. His translators had to choose between academic honesty and their heads. Subsequent translations have retained the word baptize because we are used to it.
The practice of sprinkling began when the early Church developed a fear that infants might go to hell if they died. Since it was dangerous to submerge an infant in water, the sprinkling tradition came about. Although we can appreciate this concern for the salvation of infants, such a discussion forces us to ask if we believe in a God who would send an infant to hell. Aside from this being a difficult thing to imagine, the Bible tells us that the only ones going to hell are people who make a conscious decision to reject Christ (Matt. 12: 22-32) A baby is incapable of such a decision and would therefore be automatically covered by the redemptive blood of Christ.
Question: If somebody was sprinkled, not as an infant, but as an adult, still fully repenting, must they be baptized again by immersion?
Only if they wish. At this point, I think it is fair to say “OK the word means immersion technically but what’s the big deal? If they repented and got baptized as best they understood at the time, why take away from the specialness of this event by asking them to go through it again? I am referring only to believers’ baptism here. One who got baptized as an infant did not understand what was going on and should be encouraged to consider getting baptized again. How grave a situation this is, depends on the conditions addressed under question one.
Question: If this was originally a Jewish ritual, can we not view Baptism the way we would view other limited cultural commands? Are there not other ways to show public repentance?
With all due respect to the principle of cultural commands, Jesus instructed his disciples to baptize “all nations ” (Matt 28:19). This takes us out of a strictly Jewish context. However, it is important to keep in mind that the root principle here is repentance and that God is not too hung up over the water. If I led someone to Christ in the middle of the desert I might just baptize them with sand. If someone’s physical condition made water immersion dangerous, I would sprinkle instead. In summary, yes it was Jewish ritual yes, the repentance is the crucial action, more important than the water itself, but we baptize when possible, because Jesus told us to take this practice to all nations.
Question: Some churches teach that if we aren’t baptized we aren’t saved. Is this true?
Water baptism does not save us. This is the clear teaching of I Peter 3 and the words of Josephus. The Bible tells us that the sign of our salvation is the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:9). Although many in the book of Acts were baptized before receiving the Holy Spirit, (Acts 2:38) sometimes the order was reversed,
Acts 10:47 “Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have (past tenths) received the Holy Spirit just as we have”
What was significant is that new believers got baptized as soon as possible. The order did not seem to make as much difference. The value of baptism lies in its testing of our faith. It is the first thing God asks a new believer to do. If we can’t do the first thing, our whole commitment becomes questionable. To one who has really given his/her entire life to God, baptism is a very little matter. To one who has not yet made that decision, the idea of getting up in front of a group of people and making a ritualistic proclamation can seem like a very big deal.. It is a matter of perspective.
The people who led me to Christ said nothing about Baptism. They should have, but they didn’t. One month later, I was attending a church which baptized a few people during the evening service. Out of curiosity I asked what the practice was all about. After it was explained, I shrugged my shoulder and said, “Sure, I’ve been dedicated to Jesus for a month now and it has certainly been no secret. Why not make it even more public?”
Summary: The Bible is clear on the subject of baptism. Although it does not save us, it tests our obedience and serves to evaluate the seriousness of our new decision. The symbolism exists to celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ. Baptism need not be a divisive issue. We can respect people’s different church traditions, recognizing that God looks at the motives of our hearts. However, one who fully understands baptism and refuses to obey is falling into a precarious situation.
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