Water Baptism: What the Bible Teaches about It

Part Two

by G A N James

Introduction

This is the second part of a three-part series of messages on the topic: Water-Baptism: What the Bible Teaches about It. In this series of message we are addressing from a Biblical perspective some common questions that people ask about water-baptism. In the first part of the series, we examined the Bible’s answers to three of these questions: (1) What is baptism? (2) What is the significance of water-baptism to the Christian Faith? (3) Who should be baptized? In this the second part of the series, we will examine the Biblical answer to a fourth question: How one should be baptized?

How should one be baptized?

There are two main controversies which have arisen regarding the question, how one should be baptized. One is should one be immersed into water or should one be sprinkled with water for water-baptism? The other is what should be recited by a minister while performing a water-baptism? In this part of the weries of messages we will address the question of immersion into water versus sprinkling with water for water-baptism.

Immersion into Water

We have already established that water-baptism by virtue of the meaning of baptism is the act of dipping, submerging, or immersing a believer into water, signifying in the process the believer’s identification with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and for the salvation of mankind.  As we already pointed out, the original Greek words, baptisma and baptizo, used for baptism and to baptize respectively in the New Testament, mean immersion or dipping into water and to immerse or dip into water respectively.  Therefore, in addressing the question how one should be baptized, we can declare from the onset that, on the basis of the Biblical meaning of the word baptism, it is indeed a self-contradiction of its fundamental meaning to baptize in any other form but by immersion into water. Genuine water-baptism then involves actual immersion into water.

For a fact, any practice of water-baptism by any other form but by dipping or immersing into water is a distortion of or disregard to the meaning of the Greek word baptizo as used in the Bible. Therefore, the custom of pouring or sprinkling water over someone for water-baptism did not originate in the new Testament, nor has been represented in Greek literature.  No standard Greek lexicon, for instance, has given or has even adduced an instance when the Greek verb baptizo means pour or sprinkle.  Moreover, there is a distinct word for pour or sprinkle with water in the Greek and it is rhantizo.  This Greek word rhantizo which means to pour or sprinkle has not been used in the New Testament in connection with baptism.

From where then can we trace the origin of this gross misrepresentation of such an important Christian ordinance like water-baptism?  What could have led people to distort the self-explicit meaning of baptism into a concept that is so completely different? The answer to this question is virtually another case in the constant history of human apostasy and careless backsliding from God, resulting in distortion of God’s revealed truth to suit people’s own convenience and fancy.  In other words, the answer lies in religious tradition developed from apostasy and perversion of the truth of the word of God.

The most dangerous deceit which this kind of apostate neglect of God’s truth eventually creates is the emergence of such distortion and perversion of the word of God into established religious traditions and rituals.  Gripped by this religious deceit, people who fail to search the Scriptures to understand the truth of God’s word become ensnared by the false notion that they are doing God’s will once they remain loyal to their religious traditions and practices. In the process, they do not realize, or do not want to realize, that their religious traditions are the heritage of their fore-fathers’ backsliding and disobedience to God. And even when some become awakened to the realization that their religious traditions have actually misled them away from the truth of God’s word, they are faced with a superstitious fear and an overwhelming task of giving up their generations of revered vain religious traditions. This may well be the condition today of many who now recognize their need to be baptized in the right way by immersion into water, but find it extremely difficult to accept the fact that their religion’s traditional sprinkling of water for water-baptism, though an established religious practice for centuries, is wrong and contrary to the true meaning and practice of water-baptism revealed in the Bible.

According to Church history, the substitution of pouring or sprinkling for immersion, as the Christian ordinance of baptism, was not a practice of the early New Testament Church. The practice of pouring or sprinkling instead of immersing emerged gradually as apostasy and worldliness began to creep among Christian believers in the second century onwards, finally triumphing in the West as the Christian religion rose in social prominence especially under the Council of Trent.  It seems that at first the practice of sprinkling or pouring of water over one for baptism was used selectively only if adequate water was not available for immersion. However, such a custom would grow and become  a convenient practice for the socially sophisticated people who were being brought into the Christian religion. 

By the third century Emperor Constantine had decreed the Christian religion to be the Imperial religion for the Romans. Obviously in view of this, no longer was the divine necessity of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ regarded as an important pre-condition for one to be baptized and become a Christian. Those born in the Roman Empire were automatically born into the nominal Imperial Church.  Thus, if baptism still had any significance for initiation into the Christian religion, sprinkling water over infants born as Roman citizens, and thus considered born as members of the so-called Roman Church, became indeed an appropriate substitution for baptism by immersion into water. This is now all history, but today the practice of so-called infant baptism by sprinkling water over an infant, though contrary to the concept and practice of water-baptism given in the Bible, has emerged into an established sacred religious tradition which continues to deceive many.

Nevertheless, in the New Testament water-baptism was clearly practiced by immersion into water. The use of the Jordan River by John the Baptiste for baptizing Jews implied that John wanted to be where he could have had adequate water for immersion.  In Matt 3:6, we read that those who came to John for baptism “were baptized by him in the Jordan ....”

Another clear indication that the New Testament practice of water-baptism was immersion into water is in the case of the baptism of Jesus Christ Himself. The Bible gives us certain clear indications that Jesus’ baptism was by immersion.  In Mark 1:9-10, we read: “It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.”

Note the description of the process of Jesus’ baptism. Here we are told that Jesus “was baptized (or immersed or dipped) by John in the Jordan ... (and that Jesus was) coming up, out of the water....” That certainly implies that Jesus was immersed into the river rather that he was sprinkled with water or that water was poured over him.

Another Scripture in which the description of baptism implies immersion into the water is the account of the Eunuch’s baptism. Let us read the account in Acts 8:36-39: “Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, ‘See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?’ Then Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ And he answered and said, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’ So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.”

Note the eunuch’s inquiry when they were approaching water: "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" The implication is obvious to us here that if it was a case of needing water to sprinkle or pour over him for baptism, a renowned and wealthy eunuch travelling on a long journey in the desert certainly would have had a supply of water to spare some for sprinkling over him to fulfil a ritual which had just come to be of such great significance to him.  But, no doubt, Philip’s explanation of the practice of water baptism by immersion into water had made it clear to the eunuch that he needed more than a cup or bucket of water for baptism.  He needed adequate water to be immersed into in order to be baptized. Thus when they came to an oasis in the desert, both the eunuch and Philip went down into the water, and Philip baptized the eunuch in the proper way by immersing him into the water.

Note also that as far as the Holy Spirit was concerned, Philip’s mission was not yet accomplished even after he had ministered the Gospel to the eunuch, led him to believe on Jesus Christ, and taught him about the proper way of baptism.  But, when Philip had eventually baptized the eunuch, then his mission was accomplished — immediately “the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.” It was not sufficient for the eunuch to hear and believe the gospel taught by Philip, it was also very important to the Holy Spirit who had sent Philip on this mission that the eunuch be baptized in the proper way. This demonstrates Jesus’ teaching that belief in Him and baptism will bring salvation. Jesus said in Mark 16:1516: “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.”

Therefore, it is not enough just to believe in Jesus; it is necessary to be baptized in the Biblical way. Water-baptism by immersion into water appropriately represents the true doctrinal concept of a believer’s salvation.  This is found in Rom 6:34: “Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 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.” Christian baptism is actually the believer’s identification with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Thus, Christian baptism by immersion into, and rising out of, the water means that the Christian believer with all his sins become dead and buried with Christ, and is raised into the newness of the resurrection life of Christ.  Only baptism by immersion properly represents this glorious work of divine grace and salvation wrought in a believer through Christ.

However, we must end here. We will explore this question on the procedure for water-baptism further in the third or final part of this series of messages on water-baptism, as we address another controversial issue regarding what a minister should recite over a candidate when performing water-baptism.

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