Doctrine of Baptisms

Under the New Covenant there is only one baptism that fulfills Jesus' mandate to be "born of the Spirit": spiritual baptism, which is also called being baptized with the Holy Ghost. "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all" (Ephesians 4:4-6). A precursor to being born again is repentance, which opens the door to life eternal. "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy" (Proverbs 28:13). Symbolically, water baptism is used to publicly declare repentance from dead works. "And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins" (Mark 1:5).

Water baptism is an outward show of our "enrollment": our repentance followed by our inclusion into the body of Christ. Water baptism is NOT the enrollment itself but rather a visible sign to the world that a person has repented and chosen the road less traveled: the road to life eternal. In addition to water baptism and spiritual baptism, there is a subsequent "baptism" referred to in the Bible as being baptized with fire. "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire" (Matthew 3:11). The facts about baptisms in the New Testament are:

  1. Jesus received water baptism (Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22). Symbolically, we see the physical example of this in Joshua chapter 3:

    2. And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God. And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the LORD of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the LORD of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap. (Joshua 3:9-13)

    Notice, in the Old Testament the entrance of the Word of God—the "ark of the covenant of the LORD"—into the Jordan parted the waters to give access to the Promised Land.

    Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:13-17)

    In the New Testament, the entrance of the Word of God—Jesus—into the Jordan parted the heavens to give access to God (full access will be received upon Jesus' death and resurrection).

  2. Jesus condoned his disciples performing water baptism: the focus should be on public "confession" of repentance (John 3:22-25; John 4:1-2). "But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance" (Acts 26:20).
  3. Water baptism was by immersion in water (sprinkling was used in the Old Testament), generally in a river or other body of water. "John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins ... And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water" (Mark 1:4-5, 9-10; see also Acts 8:36-39).
  4. Water baptism serves three purposes:

    1. First, water baptism is an excellent practice to help a new believer identify with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The new believer is submerged, representing his death to a life of sin (repentance), and then surfaced, representing his resurrection from the "dead" and his emergence as a "new creature." "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:3-4; see also Colossians 2:12).
    2. Second, water baptism reinforces the command to Christians to present their bodies as a living sacrifice. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1).
    3. Third, water baptism represents, symbolically, external purification of the temple of the Holy Ghost. As we discuss throughout this book, our bodies are important (see "We are spirits?"). "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own" (1 Corinthians 6:19)?

  5. John the Baptist foretold of the coming spiritual baptism: "I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost" (Mark 1:8).
  6. Spiritual Baptism (being baptized with the Holy Ghost) is immersion into the body of Christ through his shed blood (born again). "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:13; see also Galatians 3:27).
  7. Baptism with fire represents the manifestation of the power of God in the believer.

Baptism with fire is accomplished through the Word: "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you" (John 15:3). It involves the process to purify someone internally: mind and heart. "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). It represents the cleansing of the temple of God: "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word" (Ephesians 5:26). Step One requires the person to become born again (see "Born Again") and receive spiritual baptism (see "Baptize with the Holy Ghost and with Fire"). Step Two requires the person to receive the "sign of the New Covenant" (see "The Sign of the New Covenant"). Step Three involves baptism with fire. Ultimately, baptism with fire represents some one being fully indoctrinated into the Word of God. "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee" (Psalm 119:9-11). As the Word is increasingly sown in their hearts, "Christ the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:24) is formed in them (Galatians 4:19). "The sower soweth the word ... And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred" (Mark 4:14, 20).

The principles of the doctrine of Christ include repentance from dead works, faith toward God, the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. "Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son" (2 John 1:9). "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen" (Matthew 28:18-20); "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:16). Notice in the preceding verse that belief (faith) is the key to salvation; as stated earlier, being born again "enrolls" us into the body of Christ. The command to baptize "them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" is not commanding the person baptizing to say, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Rather, it commands us to teach and to "immerse" the nations in the doctrine of Christ: "for in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Colossians 2:9): for God "hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus" (Philippians 2:9-10). "For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect" (1 Corinthians 1:17).

The clearest example that shows the meaning of baptizo is a text from the Greek poet and physician Nicander, who lived about 200 B.C. It is a recipe for making pickles and is helpful because it uses both words. Nicander says that in order to make a pickle, the vegetable should first be "dipped" (bapto) into boiling water and then "baptized" (baptizo) in the vinegar solution. Both verbs concern the immersing of vegetables in a solution. But the first is temporary. The second, the act of [baptizing] the vegetable, produces a permanent change. When used in the New Testament, this word more often refers to our union and identification with Christ than to our water baptism. e.g. Mark 16:16. "He that believes and is [baptized] shall be saved." Christ is saying that mere intellectual assent is not enough. There must be a union with him, a real change, like the vegetable to the pickle!215

In conclusion, water baptism, especially by immersion, is a good practice; however, it is primarily symbolic. As such, water baptism should not be used as the gatekeeper for membership in a local church. In addition, salvation hinges on abiding faith in God (John 15:7) not on water baptism: "baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 3:21).

DRAFT V2010-06-28T4:47:26 PM