Ambiguity is defined as the state of being, “doubtful or uncertain especially from obscurity or indistinctness,” or “capable of being understood in two or more possible senses or ways.” I have found that many today approach the Bible with the attitude that it is somewhat ambiguous, or indiscernible with regard to its doctrines and meanings. It seems that this can often the attitude of those who don’t want to do the work of probing for the message or meaning contained in the text. While some use this as an excuse to not study, it is true that there are multiple concepts or passages that have a certain level of ambiguity - often due to translation issues, or a lost cultural connection that the original reader would have easily made. Peter talks about some of Paul’s writings that were hard to understand in 2 Peter 3:15-16. However, he also notes that some take difficult passages and twist them “to their own destruction.” It is important to note that Peter said “some” of Paul’s writings were hard; this implies that most of them were not.
Among the topics that should be simple, yet seems to remain in a state of ambiguity, is the subject of baptism. In Hebrews 6:1-2, the writer lists baptism as one of 6 components of the Christian faith that he calls “elementary principles.” These elements should have been foundational for every Christian, and presumably they still should be today. However, when the word baptism is used today, there are a multitude of various ideas that may swarm around the discussion. It is entirely possible for two people to have completely different pictures in their minds when discussing the issue:
Is it an infant or adult being baptized?
Is this baptism an act done to signify the individual has been saved in the past or is it the moment a person’s sins are forgiven?
Is the baptism done by immersion in water, or is it simply water poured on the forehead?
Is the baptism a moment where the individual is expected to have a charismatic experience followed by speaking in another language or working some other supernatural power?
Is the baptism at all symbolic of church membership or is it a personal decision?
We could continue to give examples, but I think the above will suffice to show that the subject of baptism is one in which many religious people have many different ideas. At this point, many will say “it doesn’t really matter what you believe or how you’re baptized.” However, that attitude does not reflect a desire to accurately follow the teachings of Jesus or lead us to resolution of the convoluted mess the subject of baptism has become in modern Christendom. Like the early Hebrew Christians, we “need someone to teach [us] again the basic principles of the oracles of God” (Hebrews 5:12). The answer cannot be deduced with the opinions of religious thinkers or leaders, or by personal convictions - we must consult the “oracles of God.” With that said, let’s look at some basic biblical facts regarding baptism.
Believer
Baptism is for the BELIEVER. This first point is one that has been debated for many years. There was some acceptance of infant baptism in the period prior to the Nicene Creed (325 AD), but it found full acceptance in the post-Nicene era. In the Reformation, the group who came to demand believer’s baptism (also called credobaptism) were known as the Anabaptists. They argued for a return to the biblical pattern where believers were baptized after they became disciples. There are many arguments that can be made to demonstrate they were correct.
The pattern that Jesus gives to His apostles in the great commission implies baptism follows becoming disciples. Today it is quite popular for people to talk about discipleship in terms of Christians maturing, but we begin to be disciples of Jesus when we choose to believe and follow Him. Jesus said,
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
There is a pattern here that should be noted: Men become disciples of Jesus (implying they have been taught), then they are baptized, then they are taught the remaining things Jesus gave as instructions. Teaching begins the conversion experience and continues on for life. Clearly, this cannot take place with an infant, or even a very young child. Paul said, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). Faith is the result of hearing the gospel - which requires maturity and understanding.
Christianity is a “taught religion.” In Jeremiah 31, God foretells a new covenant with His people where “no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The Hebrews writer identifies this prophecy with the new covenant in Christ (Hebrews 8). In the old law, children entered into covenant with God at their birth, males being circumcised on the 8th day. As they grew, they would have to be taught to know the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:4-ff). For Christians, we no longer have to educate those under the covenant to “know the Lord,” because they learned of him prior to entering it. This seems to be the distinction that Jeremiah was making, and it makes it the case that no one becomes a Christian without learning the gospel FIRST. This makes the great commission of immense importance as it is the knowledge of Jesus that leads to conversion and salvation (Romans 1:16, Mark 16:15-16, 2 Peter 1:3-4).
Another point that is made is that those who were baptized in the New Testament all had faith prior to their baptism. Of all of the conversion accounts we see in the New Testament, not one is given of a small child or infant. Every person that is baptized in the Bible is of an age to believe the gospel first. It is a deviation from the Biblical model to seek to baptize those who don’t first understand what they are doing.
Before
Baptism occurs BEFORE a person is saved. It happens quite often that I have a friend who posts a message similar to this:
“_________ gave his/her heart to Jesus today and was saved. He/she will be baptized two weeks from now on Sunday.”
Before I critique a statement like this, let me first say that I can’t think of anything better than someone acknowledging their sins and needs, and wanting Jesus to save them and rule their life. I’m also not putting myself in the judgment seat regarding what God will do with a person in this situation - that’s Jesus’ job (2 Corinthians 5:10, 2 Timothy 4:1). What I hope to accomplish is for someone to stop and ask the questions: “Why have so many in the modern church disconnected baptism from salvation?” “Why do I believe a person is saved at one point, and then later baptized?” In the above scenario, a person is saved on one day, and then they are baptized two weeks later. It is important to ask if this fits either the biblical pattern, or the biblical teaching regarding the purpose of baptism.
Let’s first look at the biblical pattern for baptism. Jesus put baptism in the great commission. We’ve already looked at Matthew’s version, note Mark’s:
“And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15-16)
Notice that hearing the gospel, faith, and baptism are all yoked together in Jesus’ evangelism plan. Baptism has always been part of the plan, and it has always come prior to salvation. When you note those who are converted in the book of Acts, there is not one example of someone being saved first, then baptized later - baptism is always an immediate response to faith.
Acts 2 - “Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins’” (38) - “So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls” (41). (if ever there was a time to wait, it was when 3000 were waiting in line!)
Acts 8 - “as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, ‘See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?’” (36)
Acts 16 - “And they said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’ And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.” (31-33)
Acts 18 - “Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.” (8)
Acts 19 - “On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (5)
Acts 22 - “And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’” (14-16)
The evidence is quite clear - the Biblical pattern shows that baptism was a part of the response of the believer before they were saved. It’s at this point that someone may bring up the thief on the cross. I hope you’ll take the time to listen to the podcast where I explain why his salvation does not cancel out the Biblical precedent for baptism.
Now that we’ve looked at some of the examples of baptism from the Bible, let’s look at just a few reasons why people were baptized.
Jesus said - “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16)
Peter said - “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38)
Ananias said - “Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” (Acts 22:16)
Paul said - “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4)
Peter said - “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21)
Notice that Jesus and Peter are in agreement that baptism is tied to being saved. Peter and Ananias both contend that baptism is tied to the forgiveness of sins. Paul said that the Roman Christians had been baptized “in order that… we too might walk in newness of life.” In all of these examples, baptism is a precursor to a saved, new life in Jesus free from sin. There is not one verse in the Bible that even hints otherwise. Biblical baptism always comes before salvation.
Burial
Baptism is a BURIAL. In a text previously cited, Paul reminds the Roman Christians that in their baptism, they had been “buried therefore with him by baptism into death” (Romans 6:4). When read in its entirety, this passage shows us how baptism is essentially a reenactment of the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. The Christian has been crucified with Jesus (Galatians 2:20, 5:24, Matthew 16:24), put his old man to death (Colossians 2:20, 3:3-5, 2 Corinthians 5:17), been buried with him in baptism (Colossians 2:12-13), and are raised to walk in a new way (2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 2:6, 4:22-24).
There are two roads that we need to traverse under this point. The first one is in regard to the modality of baptism. The word baptism comes from the Greek βαπτίζω (baptizo). This word is universally defined as meaning immersion or fully submerged. We have to insert our preferences to the inherent meaning of the word to make baptism mean anything other than full immersion under water. The biblical practice of baptism was to put the person under the water (to bury them).
We see this meaning in passages like Acts 8:36-ff, where the Ethiopian man sees water, and we read “he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.” It is quite clear that they didn’t both get “down into the water” to simply sprinkle some water on one man’s head. It must be noted that the Ethiopian man was traveling across a desert and would have had enough water for sprinkling or pouring with him - but the baptism didn’t take place until they came to a pool large enough for an immersion. In another place, we read that John the Baptizer was “baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there” (John 3:23). Again, why would John need a place with plentiful water if baptism is a pouring out of a small amount? Finally, we see that Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River. The text says, “when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water” (Matthew 3:16). How did he come “up from the water” if he was not down in it?
The second road we need to travel deals with why we bury things. When we bury something, it is not intended that it return in its current form. Paul is making this point in Romans 6 when he asks rhetorically, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2) Baptism is symbolic of putting our old, sinful self in the grave to rise no more. It is the Roman Christians’ baptisms that Paul appeals to in order to remind them that they had given up their past lives living in the flesh. The old ways were gone, and they should remember because they had a front-row seat at the funeral and burial! Baptism is a reenactment of the burial of Jesus, but it is an actual burial of our old, lost, sinful self. When we bury things, we hope they never return in their present form! Every Christian should have their own baptism to look back on and remember that the old life was so bad that they put it death and buried it. The memory of our baptism keeps us from digging it up again.
Blood
Baptism involves BLOOD. It is often asserted that by teaching the necessity of baptism, we are teaching a “water salvation.” I want to be clear - the water supplied by the Town of Plain Dealing in our baptistry will not save anyone. I do not believe a person is saved because they were baptized. No doubt, on the judgment day, many will cry out “Lord, Lord! We were baptized!” and they will hear the dreaded words “I never knew you; depart from me” (see Matthew 7:21-23). I agree with the old song that says, “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!” If we are saved on the day we stand before our Maker, it will only be because of God’s amazing grace through the blood of His Son (Ephesians 1:7, 2:8-10). However, many make the mistake of thinking that since baptism isn’t why we are saved, it therefore has nothing to do with salvation. They couldn’t be more mistaken. So how do blood and water come together then? Let’s detour to the Old Testament for a moment to help explain.
In 2nd Kings 5, we are introduced to Naaman, a commander of the army of Syria who is a leper. He is told by Elisha that he can be cleansed of his leprosy if he will “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times” (10). His immediate response is to critique the quality of the water of the Jordan, noting it had no healing powers, and that there were better rivers elsewhere. The text says,
“But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage.” (2 Kings 5:11-12)
One of his servants pleaded with him that perhaps it wasn’t the water of the Jordan that had power, but him being willing to obey God’s word that would cleanse him. On this plea, the Bible says that “he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean” (14). Naaman’s cleansing illustrates how God uses symbolic conditions to bestow His grace. Naaman was cleansed by the grace of God, the river had absolutely nothing to do with it - but he had to get in the river! Figuratively, God put healing “medicine” in the water.
In the same way, baptism doesn’t save us because being dunked under the water has saving power. What cleansed Naaman is what saves us - obedience by faith to God’s command. God put healing in the Jordan River to cleanse Naaman, and He, in a sense puts the blood of Jesus in the water when we are baptized. Note how often the concept of “washing” is tied to being cleansed from sins: (Ephesians 5:25-27, Acts 22:16, 1 Peter 3:21, Hebrews 10:22, Titus 3:5-7).
In Acts 2:38, Peter tells the crowd that baptism is “for the forgiveness of sins.” This statement is grammatically identical to Jesus’ statement about His blood in Matthew 26:28:
“for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
So, which is it? Is baptism for the forgiveness of sins or is it Jesus’ blood? The answer is that God washes us with the blood of Jesus when we submit to baptism. This is why so many passages dealing with baptism discuss the concepts of being “washed,” “cleansed,” or “saved.” Remember, Paul said in Romans 6 that when we were baptized, it was into “His death.” Jesus’ precious blood was shed in His death.
Birth
Baptism is new BIRTH. Thanks be to God that baptism isn’t only a bloody burial. The crucifixion and burial of Jesus would be a tragic tale if it weren’t mingled with the glorious victory of the empty tomb. In the same way, putting our “old man” to death is mingled with a re-birth to walk in a new life. Paul says it this way in Romans 6:4 - “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” A new person rises from every biblical baptism. This new life is described in multiple New Testament texts:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
“to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24)
“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;” (1 Peter 1:22-23)
After meditating on all of these texts, we can clearly understand the idea Jesus was trying to communicate to Nicodemus in John 3.
“Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 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?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, 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 3:1-6)
Jesus said that new birth was required to enter the kingdom of God. This new birth was noted as “of water and the Spirit.” Those who deny baptism is essential to new birth have tried to assert that the water in this text is not a reference to baptism with amazing logical gymnastics. Laying it beside the previously offered verses should suffice to demonstrate the connection, but Paul’s words to Titus should leave us with no doubts about Jesus’ meaning. He said, “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:4-5). Notice Paul discusses the “washing of regeneration” (water), and the “renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Spirit). Those are the same two elements present in John 3:3-5. If that isn’t enough, let’s revisit Peter’s plea in Acts 2:38, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” When we look at what he says, we’ll see the same elements are present: “be baptized” (water), “you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Spirit). The continuity is undeniable.
Every Christian is born again, there is no alternative. Every Christian can look back to their baptism and remember the burial of their old man, and the rising of a new creature in rebirth.
Badge
Baptism is a BADGE. OK, I’ll admit it, SYMBOL, SIGN, or IDENTIFYER may have been better words, but I wanted to maintain the alliteration we have going here. Baptism serves as an identifying mark for those who are kingdom people. In the family of Abraham, males were circumcised on the 8th day of life as a sign of their covenant with God (Genesis 17). This surgery provided a visual marker that demonstrated their unique place as the people of God. Paul explains to the Christians at Colossae that a similar thing had occurred to them when they were baptized.
“In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:11-14)
Notice that he says they were circumcised “without hands.” There are several times in the Bible where this terminology is used, and it always marks the work of God (Daniel 2:34, Mark 14:58, 2 Corinthians 5:1, Hebrews 9:11, 24). In this special surgery, God removed the “body of the flesh,” setting us free from the sins committed in the flesh.
There are two very important points to make here: 1) This surgery occurred when these Colossians had been “buried with him in baptism.” It was in baptism that their sins were removed, and the act serves as a visual identifying mark of those who now are in the kingdom of God. Unlike physical circumcision, this identifying mark can be displayed by all Christians, both male and female. 2) The work of new covenant circumcision is God’s alone. We already noted that it occurs “without hands,” but Paul goes further. He says our burial, rebirth, and spiritual circumcision occur “through faith in the powerful working of God.” Occasionally, when baptism is preached, someone will object saying that baptism is a “work,” and that we are not saved by works. The only work that occurs is baptism is the powerful working of God to transform a sinner into a living child of the kingdom. Baptism serves as a badge of the transformation that God has worked in us.
Become
Baptism is when we BECOME a member of Jesus’ kingdom, or church. If we return to Acts chapter 2, we see the response of many to Peter’s plea for repentance and baptism.
“So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” (Acts 2:41)
Notice the passive nature of what happened to them after their baptism - they “were added.” Later in the text, we read these words.
“praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47)
Some versions say the “Lord added to the church” (KJV, NKJV) instead of “to their number,” but the meaning is the same. They became a part of the ἐκκλησία (ekklesia), a word meaning a gathering or assembly of people. This word would come to represent those who had been gathered by Jesus into His new kingdom, the church. It reminds us of a parable Jesus told.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind.” (Matthew 13:47)
Like fish caught up in a net, those who submitted by faith to Jesus in baptism were gathered into His kingdom, the church. You cannot by will or work join or be voted into Jesus’ kingdom. A person must be born again and added by Him.
In baptism, we become a member of Jesus’ church. In a world where we think of the church as a building, and have heard of joining this church, or that church, this concept may seem strange to us. When I was baptized, I was a couple of hours away from our home congregation and was baptized in another church building. A well-meaning relative asked why I joined their church. What actually happened was that I became a member of the kingdom of God, which has no physical location or boundaries. I became a member of the same church that the Ethiopian eunuch became a part of when he was baptized in the middle of the desert (Acts 8:26-39). When we get back to a biblical understanding of the church as the singular group of God’s people in His kingdom, we can more easily understand the role of baptism in becoming a member of it.
I hope that if you’ve taken the time to read all of this and study the passages involved, you have come to a better understanding of baptism. If you have further questions, or disagreements, please feel free to reach out so we can learn together what the biblical truth on this important subject is. May our God bless you!