Baptism

The Jailor: "And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized." (Acts 16:33)

Corinthians: "Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized." (Acts 18:8)

Again we say, how much clearer must it be for us all to agree that baptism is a necessary part of salvation' There are those who say that faith is all that is necessary. Then why does the book of acts show us that in every case recorded for us to learn from, baptism was practiced'

Who is baptism for' I have a dear friend who is in a brotherhood that teaches and practices infant baptism. Is baptism for infants' Or is baptism only for those who know the significance of the act and what it represents'

Let's consider those things which the Scriptures teach that must precede baptism. First, the person must believe. This is emphasized strongly by Jesus, read again Mark 16:16. Can an infant have faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God' Do you remember what you "believed" when you were just a few months old' How significant are those "beliefs" to you today' Can an infant be taught about God' Can an infant respond to that teaching' We all know the answer to these questions: Of course not! Another act which must precede baptism is repentance. Can an infant repent' Again, the answer is no. And for what sins would the infant be repenting for' Confession of one's faith that Jesus is the Son of God is another act which must precede baptism. It is equally clear that an infant cannot confess to have a faith that they are incapable of having.

So, who should (must) be baptized' If you still don't know the answer to this question, then you should read again the eight accounts of the people being converted in the book of Acts. This time read the full accounts. They are found in the following chapters of Acts: two, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, fifteen, sixteen, and eighteen. However, the answer is one who believes that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God; one who has repented for all the sins he/she has committed and strives to sin no more; and one who is willing to and has confessed his/her faith in Jesus as the Son of God. Only for these people is baptism appropriate, and a meaningful act. Remember, you can fool man most of the time, but you can never fool God!

The form of baptism is also the subject of much false teaching. Here again, the Bible is quite clear as to the form. The Greek word we translate as baptism is "baptizo." It means to dip, immerse or plunge. There is no one who is a serious student of the Word that can deny this fact. If Jesus had intended for the disciples to pour as a method of baptism, He would have used the word "ekcheo." But He didn't! If He had meant for the disciples to sprinkle He would have used the word "rantizo." But He didn't! And if He had intended for the method of baptism to be any and all of these He would have used the words interchangeably. But He didn't! God's word tells us the method of baptism: immersion, and that's all.

What does baptism do' Well, first of all it is a picture of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul tells us this in a beautiful way: "Or 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." (Romans 6:3,4) It is also a picture of birth, for Jesus said, "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)

Baptism is necessary for the remission of sins. In Acts chapter 2 the three thousand that responded to the gospel on that day had said, "What shall we do'" (Acts 2:37b) "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 2:38)

Brothers and sisters, don't accept false teachings. Go to God's word for yourself and learn what It says about these and other subjects which are important to your salvation. May God be with you in your studies.

All scriptures quoted are from the New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen Kingery is an author, preacher, teacher and founder of Be Ye Doers Of The Word.