baptism
Baptism
Most people know what baptism is (or at least we think we do) but there’s a burning question that divides the church in half -
“Do you have to be baptized to be saved?”
If so, then does it matter what method of baptism is done, ie. submersion, sprinkling, or pouring?
If it’s not necessary for salvation, then does it matter if we’re baptized at all?
The answers to these questions and more just might surprise you.
Before we begin it is imperative that we understand that water baptism is a command from the Lord Himself. Therefore, it should be obeyed, regardless of whether or not it saves a person!
Let’s examine some passages that deal specifically with water baptism. We will look more into the baptism of the Holy Spirit in just a bit.
Water baptism.
“Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be
baptized by him.
And John tried to prevent Him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?’
But Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he allowed Him.
When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.”
And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’”
Matthew 3:13-17
Let’s look at what the gospel of John says about the same event.
29. “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’
30. This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’
31. I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.’
32. And John bore witness, saying, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.’
33. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
34. And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”
John 1:29-34
John said that he came baptizing with water so that the Messiah would be revealed to Israel (v.31) and then he saw the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus and then he knew that He was the Messiah (v.32).
John and Jesus were cousins, yet John did not know that his own cousin was the long awaited Messiah until he baptized Him. And who was it that told John all of this? - God. God told John that whom he saw the Spirit descend on was the Savior of the world! - the Lamb of God. (v.33, 29).
God also told John that though he baptized with water, Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit (v.33).
So why did Jesus have to be baptized and what did He mean when He said, “for thus it is fitting, to fulfill all righteousness” in Matthew 3:15? What righteousness was being fulfilled?
God told John to watch for the One whom the Holy Spirit would descend upon. This was a specific direction given to John by God Himself. When John saw the Spirit descend on Jesus, he knew it was Him - the Messiah. In order for that to come about, Jesus had to be baptized by John thus fulfilling all that God had said - that Jesus was the Messiah and His Son in whom He was well pleased. And whatever God says will come to pass - that’s true righteousness. It was to fulfill the Word of God.
John’s baptism was merely a preparation for the baptism of the Holy Spirit which Messiah Jesus would administer!
What about Acts 2:38? Everyone knows that’s the verse that proves we have to be baptized to receive the Spirit and be saved, right?
Let’s look at the passage starting in verse 36.
36. “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly
that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified,
both Lord and Christ.
37. Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart,
and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men
and brethren, what shall we do?’
38. Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you
be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins;
and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all
who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.’”
Acts 2:36-39
People are constantly arguing over this portion of Scripture as to whether or not Peter is saying that one must be baptized to saved. Though there is continuous discussion over the word usage and original language in this section, the answer is really all in the context.
Notice what he says in verse 38: “…let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”. Is he showing the reason for baptism - so that one’s sins will be forgiven?
The word for “for” in the Greek means just that - for. There is no getting around it. The verb and tense in this verse also point to a result of doing something, be baptized for the remission of sins.
Advocates for the “baptism is necessary for salvation” viewpoint like to add that the same word “for” is also used when Jesus said in Matthew 26:28, “This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
“There you go! Jesus uses the same word “for” as Peter does when speaking of the remission of sins, so baptism must be necessary for the remission of sins.” - I hate to burst anyone’s bubble, but the word “for” in any language is a pretty common little word. Just because it’s used in two separate passages doesn’t prove anything. In actuality, similar phrasing - “for the remission of sins” - is used elsewhere and it deals specifically with baptism.
Mark 1:4 - "John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins." - Mark 1:4
Were the people’s sins forgiven because they were baptized
by John or because they repented? It was the repentance
(compare w/ Acts 17:30-31).
The baptism wasn't what brought about the remission of sins or saved people, it was the repentance.
"Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let every one of you
be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins;
and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'" - Acts 2:38
The same phrase, both dealing with baptism, but in context we begin to see both also deal with repentance, and according to Mark’s account, that’s what brings about the remission of sins.
Another fascinating parallel in Scripture is what we find in Luke chapter 3 and Acts 2:38. In Luke 3:10-14, we see the exact same question/answer format that we find in Acts 2:38.
10. “So the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?”
11. He answered and said to them, ‘He who has two tunics, let him
give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do
likewise.’
12. The tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him,
‘Teacher, what shall we do?’
13. And he said to them, ‘Collect no more than what is appointed
for you.’
14. Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, ‘And what shall we do?’
So he said to them, ‘Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely,
and be content with you wages.’
Luke 3:10-14
Notice that the people, being convicted, ask John the question “What shall we do?” and look at John’s answers. He gives them good, godly advice, but can any of those things he tells them, save a person from hell? No! These acts of kindness cannot save a person, so why would John tell them to do those things? Because they weren’t asking how to be saved (they knew that to be saved one must repent before the Living God and call on His name), but rather they were asking what to do in the Lord now that they were saved.
-Peter says virtually the same thing to the people who asked him the same question as John was asked, “What shall we do?”
37. “Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart,
and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren,
what shall we do?’
38. Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins;
and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”
Acts 2:37-38
Obviously Peter wanted them to be saved and told them to repent, but the gift of the Holy Spirit would come regardless of when they were baptized*. It’s like a pastor giving an invitation and saying, “Repent, and come to the front of the church and you will receive the Holy Spirit”. Will coming to the front of the church be when the Holy Spirit falls upon someone? Of course not, it’s simply the next thing the pastor says to those who cry out in repentance so he can pray with them and that their decision is made known.
Peter tells them to Repent and be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. Comparing what Mark says in chapter 1 verse 4, it’s the same response as what Peter gives - Repentance leads to the forgiveness of sins, not water baptism, but like all of God’s commands, we are to do them without fail and without questioning His word. Again, Baptism is a command from the Lord God (Matthew 28:19-20) and therefore should be obeyed, regardless of whether or not it saves a person!
*Notice Acts 8:15-17 & 10:44-48 for timing of the Spirit’s
coming and baptism.
What about 1 Peter 3:21?
“There is also an antitype which now saves us - baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
Does this prove that baptism is what saves us? No.
There are innumerable “answers” to this passage from other people, but the simplest is this: It’s the ‘answer of a good conscience toward God’ that saves us. The word for “antitype” in the Greek means “copy”. Looking at the context of this section in 1 Peter, we see that baptism is a copy of the flood of Noah’s day. The Great Flood was a judgment upon the earth for the wickedness of men.
The waters of baptism figuratively show that we “die with Christ” (Romans 6:3-6) and that our sinful nature is rendered destroyed, just like mankind in the Flood. When we are baptized, we are pledging ourselves to the Lord and displaying a fruit of repentance. This saves us in that we are confident that the Lord hears our cry for help and sees our act of obedience and therefore He saves us. We can then have a “good conscience toward God” knowing that He has redeemed us. Look at these two verses from Hebrews which speak of a good conscience:
“how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal
Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience
from dead works to serve the living God?”
Hebrews 9:14
“let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith,
having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies
washed with pure water.”
Hebrews 10:22
The “pure water” spoken of here is in reference to the ritual cleansing that the priests had to perform before entering the Tabernacle to minister before the LORD but that we need to be cleansed by Him, not by ourselves.
Jesus said:
“for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized
with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Acts 1:5
What was Jesus saying here? One interesting note is that in John 20:22, we see that the apostles had already received the Holy Spirit by the time Jesus spoke to them here in Acts 1. So what was He talking about when He said “baptized with the Holy Spirit”. It most likely has something to do with being “filled” with the Spirit as they were at Pentecost.
1. On the Day of Pentecost, as the Holy Spirit filled (Gr. pimplemi - to be filled; completed) the disciples in the upper room He gave them one of His gifts - tongues. Then they rushed outside and not only spoke in tongues but they prophesied on the Word of the LORD as well, another gift of the Spirit.
What if the "gift of the Holy Spirit" as Peter says in verse 38 isn't only that we receive the Spirit Himself (though we do when we believe and repent as He is a gift to us) but also that we receive His gifts as well? Prophesy, dreaming of dreams, visions which is possibly why Peter quotes not only from Joel chapter 2, but verses 28-32 in particular which touch on the gifts. All of these things will come in the last days! which we know is at hand, because John says it's the last hour.
Perhaps the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that day was a sign of the 'kickoff' to the last days, so to speak.
2. Peter, on the Day of Pentecost (which fulfills the New Covenant as foreshadowed in Exodus 19 and 20 and foreseen in Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Ezekiel 36:27), didn't quote from any other book that dealt specifically with the pouring out of the Spirit or the Day of Shavuot at Mt. Sinai. Instead he spoke from the prophet Joel. Why? When Peter quoted Joel, I think that by not quoting from Exodus or Jeremiah or even Ezekiel, he was pointing to the last days and the very next Feast after Pentecost to be fulfilled - the Feast of Trumpets!
Pentecost was the last of the Spring feasts and the feast of the first Harvest - Trumpets is the beginning of the Fall feasts and begins the latter Harvest with Tabernacles.
We know the imagery of the trumpet (shofar) points to the VOICE of the LORD and also to His RETURN! (Matthew 24:31; 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; and Revelation 1:10) So perhaps Peter was again using an illustration on the day of the LORD and His return. To point the people to that "terrible day" when God judges the nations, but rescues His remnant!
Joel chapter 2 starts by saying,
"Blow the trumpet in Zion,
and sound an alarm in My holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble;
for the Day of the LORD is coming, for it is at hand!
Joel 2:1
But it ends with salvation and refreshing from the LORD! Hallelujah!
“For by one Spirit we were all
baptized into one body - whether
Jews or Greeks, whether slaves
or free - and have all been
made to drink into one Spirit.”
1 Corinthians 12:13
We are the Lord’s if we are baptized by His Spirit, who is our seal
until the day of redemption(Ephesians 4:30). Just like Abraham circumcised himself as a seal of the faith (Romans 4:11), so baptism is
our seal (Colossians 2:12).
It’s also interesting to note that many people like to point out the apostle Paul’s writings on baptism and use these to support their belief on “baptism saves” yet Paul himself began his first letter to the Corinthian church with this statement:
“For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel,
not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made
of no effect.”
1 Corinthians 1:17
True, the context of this passage is about Paul’s defense that he nor any other man can save anyone, and that it is only Christ who saves and therefore He should be whom all identify with and not Paul or anyone else.
However, no matter how a person dissects this portion of Scripture, they cannot deny Paul’s statement that Messiah did not send him to baptize, but to preach the gospel!
Now, wouldn’t you think that if baptism was a part of the salvation process, then it would be included in the Gospel?! Yet Paul says that it’s not. And not only that, but if it was necessary for salvation, wouldn’t Paul be adamant about baptizing people even if they identified with him, yet he thanks God that he didn’t baptize that many of them!
What about Mark 16:16?
First of all, there is question as to whether or not verses 9-20 of Mark chapter 16 were even in the original copy of his gospel. But assuming they were then let’s examine this verse.
“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does
not believe will be condemned.”
Mark 16:16
He who drives his car and listens to the radio will get to his destination. Will listening to the radio affect whether that person gets to where he’s going or not? No, it’s simply part of their process of driving, but it doesn’t do anything to get them there, only driving the car will do that. If a person believes and is baptized they will be saved, but not because they’re baptized, but because they chose to believe.
What about John 3:5?
“Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of
water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.’”
John 3:5
In discussing salvation, Jesus talks about being born again, being born a second time. Not the same process of birth all over again, but a new kind of birth. In describing this, Jesus gives us some hints as to what He is saying.
“Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old?
Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
John 3:4
Nicodemus is thinking of another physical birth, yet Messiah points out in the next verse that one must be born of water and the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God. Jesus then says in verse 5-6,
“Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born
of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born
of the Spirit is spirit.’”
John 3:5-6
This begins to give us some clue as to what Jesus is saying. He seems to be comparing “water” with “that which is born of the flesh” and the “Spirit” with “that which is born of the Spirit” after hearing Nicodemus’ question about the “…mother’s womb.”
It’s highly probable that Messiah is using “water” as a picture of our first, physical birth from our “mother’s womb” in the placenta. We have to first, be born into this world, then we can be born into the next - through the Spirit.
It’s also very likely that Jesus is using “water” as an image of physical birth contrasted with “wind”, which represents the spiritual birth.
Everyone who is born of the Spirit is like the wind which blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but can’t tell where it’s at. Not like water, which you can see, feel, hear, and taste and know exactly where it is. Wind and water are two elements that share properties and a common world, yet they are vastly different in several ways. Being physically born and being spiritually born hold the same dynamics as water and wind.
So does it matter which method, or mode, of baptism you partake in?
The Greek word for baptism in the New Testament always implies a full submersion into the water. This best represents “dying with Christ” as Paul talks about and is probably the most accurate method in accordance with what the Bible says.
Though there is still more we could discuss, the main point is this: We are not saved by water baptism, but by the baptism of the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ - His family - and though there is nothing to the water, we are commanded to do it. If we refuse to be baptized, then we must ask ourselves ‘why’ and examine our hearts. We will probably find that we are not completely trusting the Lord with our salvation and therefore we are not saved anyway.
“Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. 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.”
Acts 8:35-39
