Answering Three Questions . . .

About Baptism
There’s a Lot of Confusion in the Religious World
About Baptism
1. How Is It Performed?
a. Immersion
b. Sprinkling water on a person
c. Pouring water on a person
2. Who Are to be Baptized?
a. Infants
b. Adults
 3. What Is the Purpose of Baptism?
a. To join a church
b. An act of obedience that follows
salvation by faith only
c. For the remission of sins
How Does the Bible Answer These Questions?
A good method of study is to look at every New
Testament passage that mentions “baptism” or
“baptize” and see what answers can be found to
these three questions.
 How Is Baptism to be Performed?
Let’s look at the meaning of the Greek word which is
translated “baptism” in the N.T.
1. Translated from (baptisma) --
from bapto, which means “to dip”
2. “A process of immersion, submersion
and emergence” (Vine).
Also, look at the meaning of “baptize” in the original
Greek
1. Translated from (baptizo) – from
bapto, which means “to dip” (Vine).
 2. “Used of the dyeing of an article of clothing,
or the drawing of water by dipping a bucket
into water in a well” (Vine).
3. New Testament baptism is the dipping or
immersion of a person in water.
Let’s Look at Some Passages that Imply Baptism Is to
be Done by Immersion.
1. John 3:23 – Now John also was baptizing in
Aenon near Salim, because there was much
water there.
a. Which action requires “much water”?
 (1) Sprinkling?
(2) Pouring?
(3) Immersion?
2. Acts 8:38 – So he commanded the chariot to
stand still. And both Phillip and the eunuch
went down into the water, and he baptized
him.
a. Which action requires both to go down
into the water in order for baptism to
take place?
b. Sprinkling, pouring or immersion?
 3. Matt. 3:16 – When He had been baptized,
Jesus came up immediately from the water…
(Coming up out of the water implies which:
sprinkling, pouring or immersion?)
4. Acts 22:16 – Arise and be baptized… (Which
action, sprinkling, pouring or immersion would
require Saul to arise to be baptized?)
Let’s Look at Some Passages That Teach Baptism is
a Burial (Immersion)
1. Rom. 6:4 – Therefore we were buried with
Him through baptism into death…
2. Col. 2:12 -- …buried with Him in baptism, in
which you were also raised with Him
through faith in the working of God, who
raised Him from the dead.
3. Rom. 6:17,3-5 -- But God be thanked that
though you were slaves of sin, yet you
obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine
to which you were delivered … 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.
 Who Should Be Baptized?
1. Mark 16:16 – He who believes and is bap-
tized will be saved … (A person must be old
enough to be taught and to believe.)
2. Acts 2:38 – Repent, and let every one of you
be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ…
a. A person must be old enough to be
aware of his sins and to repent of them.
b. He must be old enough to make his own
decision about being baptized.
3. Matt. 28:19 – Go therefore and make dis-
ciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit… (Persons to be baptized first had
to become disciples; that is, “be taught.”
4. Acts 2:41 – Then those who gladly received
his word were baptized… (Persons who were
baptized were old enough to hear and accept
Peter’s preaching.)
5. Acts 8:12 – But when they believed Phillip as
he preached the things concerning the
kingdom of God and the name of Jesus
Christ, both men and women were baptized.
(Those who were baptized were old enough
to believe what Phillip preached.)
6. Acts 10:48 – And he commanded them to be
baptized in the name of the Lord. (These
people were old enough to respond to Peter’s
command to be baptized.)
7. Acts 18:8 – And many of the Corinthians,
hearing, believed and were baptized. (The
Corinthians who were baptized were old
enough to hear and believe the gospel.)
8. 1 Pet. 3:21 – There is also an antitype which
now saves us – baptism (not the removal of
the filth of the body, but the answer of a good
conscience toward God), through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Those who are
to be baptized must be old enough to act in
response to their conscience.)
9. There is not a single instance in the New
Testament that implies the baptism of infants
or children not old enough to hear, believe,
repent and obey a commandment to be
baptized.
10. All who were baptized in the New Testament
were old enough:
a. To hear the gospel being preached
b. To believe what they heard
c. To repent of their sins
d. To obey the commandment to be
baptized.
What Is the Purpose of Baptism?
1. Mark 16:16 – He who believes and is
baptized will be saved, but he who does not
believe will be condemned.
2. Acts 2:38 – Then Peter said to them, “Repent
and let every one of you be baptized in the
name of Jesus Christ Christ for the remission
of sins…”
3 Acts 22:16 – Ananias told Saul to “Arise and
be baptized, and wash away your sins…”
4. Rom. 6:3 -- Or do you not know that as many
of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into His death?
5. Rom. 6:4 -- 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.
7. 1 Cor. 12:13 -- For by one Spirit we were all
baptized into one body.
8. 1 Pet. 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.
9. 2 Cor. 5:17 -- Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,
he is a new creation; old things have passed
away; behold, all things have become new.
10. Gal. 3:27 -- For as many of you as were
baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
11. John 3:5 -- Jesus answered, “Most assured-
ly, I say to you, unless one is born of water
and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of
God.
12. Eph. 5:25,26 – The church is composed of
those who have been cleansed with the
washing of water with the word.
13. Titus 3:5 – God saves us through the wash-
ing of regeneration and the renewing of the
Holy Spirit.
 Take a Look at the Following Scriptures in Which
Baptism Appears Before Salvation
(or One of Its Synonyms).
1. Before Salvation, Mark 16:16
2. Before Remission of Sins, Acts 2:38
3. Before the washing away of sins, Acts 22:16
4. Before walking in newness of life, Rom. 6:4
5. Before being raised with Christ and forgiveness of
sins, Col. 2:12,13.
In view of this, how can we possibly tell someone that
salvation comes before baptism?
 When Is Baptism Valid?
1. When it is performed by the immersion
(burial) of the person in water.
2. When the person being baptized is old
enough to hear, believe, repent and decide for
himself to obey the command to be baptized.
3. When a person has an understanding of what
the Bible teaches about the meaning and purpose of
being baptized.
Without these three circumstances, a person’s
baptism is not valid for the remission of sins.
 Notice the Example of Acts 19:1-5
And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that
Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to
Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them,
“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So
they said to him, “We have not so much as heard wheth-
er there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said to them, “Into what
then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s bap-
tism.” Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a bap-
tism of repentance, saying to the people that they should
believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on
Christ Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized
in the name of the Lord Jesus.
 The Baptism of These Twelve Disciples Was Invalid
Because of What They Didn’t Know When They Were
Baptized the First Time.
1. They knew only the teaching of John that
Jesus would be coming.
2. They did not know that Jesus had died for
their sins.
3. When they were baptized the first time they
could not have known that they were being
baptized into the death of Christ (Rom. 6:3).
4. They could not have understood that their first
baptism was “into the body of Christ,” 1 Cor.
12:13.
5. Their first baptism was not “in the name of the
Lord Jesus;” that is, it was a baptism that was
not authorized by Jesus Christ.
5. Upon learning these things they were bap-
tized again, Acts 19:5 – When they heard
this, they were baptized in the name of the
Lord Jesus.
A Person’s Baptism Is Invalid When:
1. Water was merely sprinkled or poured on him
in being “baptized.”
2. He (or, she) was “baptized” as a baby and not
a believer, had not repented and did not decide to
obey the command to be baptized.
3. He (or, she) did not know or understand the
meaning and true purpose of baptism. Most of the
time when a person is baptized into a denomination
he is not taught and does not understand the pur-
pose and meaning of being baptized.
 CONCLUSION
1. If either or all of these conditions were true of
your baptism, you have not yet been baptized “in the
name of the Lord Jesus.”
2. You are not yet saved, and are still in sin.
3. In which case, you still are in need of being
baptized again, just like the twelve disciples whom
Paul baptized a second time when they came to
understand the truth of the gospel about the death,
burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ of which their
second baptism was a form.