INTRODUCTION:

1.    Baptism must be a very important subject to Jesus.

2.    Jesus was baptized, and His final words to His apostles instructed them to baptize all of His disciples.

• Do you remember when you were baptized?

• Do you remember how you were baptized?

• Do you remember why you were baptized?

3.    Have you ever wondered if you were baptized the same way Jesus’ followers, in the New Testament church, were baptized?

4.    What does the Bible say about these things?

5.    Can you document, from scripture, what the Bible teaches on this subject?

• What scriptures would you use?

• What logical Bible based reasoning would you use?

6.    In the judgment, I will be judged by the word of God - not by what my favorite preacher or Bible teacher says.

7.    I  will not be judged by what, "I think" (John 12:48)

8.    I will not be judge by what, "I feel."

9.    So, we are going to study what the Bible says about baptism from four different perspectives.

• It’s action

• It’s subjects

• It’s purpose

• It’s element

DISCUSSION:

I. What action was involved in the baptism practiced in the New Testament — sprinkling, pouring, immersion or all of the above?

A.    What is important is how the word BAPTIZO (baptizw) was used by people of Jesus’ day.

B.    We are not concerned with how Americans use the term because the Bible was not written in 21st century English. It was written in Koine Greek — the universal language of the first century world.

C.    Our concern must be, what did the Lord mean when he chose the word he used BAPTIZO (baptizw) in the first century. (Mt. 28:19; Mark 16:16)?

D.    For example, in an effort to show the danger of using the English Dictionary to define first century Bible terms a speaker quoted, "Mark 16:16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." He then explained that One of the English definitions of "believe" is to have an opinion. One of the definitions of baptize is to sprinkle. One of the definitions of to save is "to pickle." So, the speaker quoted Mark 16:16 "he that has an opinion and is sprinkled shall be pickled."

E.    At this point we could go directly to the New Testament Greek Lexicons. But, before we do so, have you ever wondered how lexicographers decide what an ancient word meant?

F.    They do it by looking at how the word in question was used in context by ancient writers from the period in question.

G.    So, before we go to the lexicons let’s look at how the word translated baptize was used by ancient writers.

1.    Pindar (Born 522 BC) regarded life as a sea and likened himself to the cork on a fisher’s net. "For, as when the rest of the tackle is toiling deep in the sea, I, as a cork above the net, am unbaptized in the brine."—Pythic Odes.

a.    The cork was obviously getting wet, but it was not being pulled under the surface (baptized or immersed), so Pindar considered the cork "Unbaptized."

2.    The Greek historian Polybius (Born 205 BC) describes the fording of the river Tebia by the Roman Army. "They passed through with difficulty, the foot-soldiers baptized as far as the breast."—History Book 3.

a.    The soldiers were only baptized to the extent that they were immersed in the water. Since these men were not completely immersed, they were not considered by Polybius to be completely baptized.

3.    Strabo (Born 60 BC) described a march by the army of Alexander the Great.

"Alexander, happening to be there at the stormy season and accustomed to trust for the most part to fortune, set forward before the swell subsided, and they marched the whole day in water, baptized as far as the waist."— Geography Book 14.

4.    A medical work written sometime before the birth of Christ. The author described the breathing of a patient afflicted with throat trouble.

"And she breathed as persons breathe after having been baptized."

a.    How would one breathe after being sprinkled?

5.    Josephus, (AD 37) described an incident in which Herod the Great had hired two thugs to murder the 17 year old High Priest while making it look like a sports accident.

"Continually pressing down and baptizing him while swimming, as if in sport, they did not desist till they had entirely suffocated him." —Antiquities, Book 15.

6.    Josephus,

"And stretching out the right hand, so as to be unseen by none, he baptized the whole sword into his own neck." — Jewish Wars, Book 2.

a.    Did he sprinkle the sword into his neck? Did he pour the sword into his neck? obviously he buried the sword into the his neck

b.    How could one possibly be drowned by sprinkling?

H.    If the Lord meant to be understood, he would not have employed such a common word and applied such a radically different definition as sprinkle?

I.    "It is better to understand phrases according to their obvious import . . . .. When once we begin to withhold from words their ordinary and natural signification, we must not complain if Infidels charge our religion with mysticism or its expositors with fraud." (Bishop Middleton)

J.    "Words and phrases must not be taken in some recondite (obscure D.E.P.) sense, which men of learning and ingenuity, in support of an hypothesis, may devise; but in the ordinary sense of the words, wherein the persons addressed whether by preaching or writing, would be likely to understand them." (Dr. Bloomfield)

K.    Lexicons of the Greek Language.

1.    Lidell and Scott’s Greek Lexicon, 7th Ed. 1883.

"To dip in or under the water; of ships to sink or disable them; to be drenched; over head and ears in debt, drowned with questions."

2.    Greek Lexicon of the Roman and Byzantine Periods (146 BC to A. D. 1100), by E. A. Sophocles

"To dip, to immerse, to sink. To be drowned, as the effect of sinking . . .soaked in liquor . . .sunk in ignorance . . .There is no evidence that Luke and Paul and the other writers of the New Testament put upon the verb meaning not recognized by the Greeks."

3.    Thayer’s Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament:

"To dip repeatedly, to immerse, submerge. 2. to cleanse by dipping or submerging.

L.    Evidence from the scriptures that indicate that baptism is.

Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him {6} and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. (Matthew 3:5-6 NKJV)

It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. (Mark 1:9 NKJV)

Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized. (John 3:23 NKJV)

So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. {39} 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 8:38-39 NKJV)

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 6:4 NKJV)

buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. Colossians 2:12 NKJV)

II.    Who were the Subjects of New Testament baptism — Adult Believers, infants, or both?

A.    Who did Jesus say was to be baptized under the Great Commission?

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, {20} "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. (Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV)

"He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:16 NKJV)

B.    How did the Apostles obey the Lord’s Great Commission?

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 NKJV)

Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. (Acts 2:41 NKJV)

But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. (Acts 8:12 NKJV)

Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. {33} And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. (Acts 16:32-33 NKJV)

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 NKJV)

C.    Note the following comments from some who have practiced infant baptism.

1.    "Mr. Millet is unduly alarmed at our honest admission that there is no express command for infant baptism in the New Testament. He seems to think, indeed, that this admission ruins the cause of infant baptism. If so then it was ruined by Watson and Wesley and Knapp and Jacobi, long before we ever alluded to the subject. Nor is this all, for almost all writers in favor of infant baptism have made the same admission. "Southern Review.

2.    "It cannot be proved by the sacred Scriptures that infant baptism was instituted by Christ, or begun by the first Christians after the apostles." Martin Luther

3.    "There is not a single example to be found in the New Testament where infants were baptized … as in household baptism there was always reference to the gospel as having been received … The new Testament presents just as good grounds for infant communion." Dr. J.A. Starch

4.    "There is no trace of infant baptism in the New Testament. All attempts to deduce it from the words of the institution, or from such passages as I Cor. 1:16, must be given up as arbitrary. "Shaff-Herzog Cyclopedia, V. 1, p. 200.

5.    "It makes little difference whether Scripture has any actual references to the practice of infant Baptism or not. Probably it can be conceded that no explicit references are to be found there." — "Baptism of Infants" Catholic Encyclopedia.

D.    To summarize: in all of the examples of Christian baptism in the New Testament the people were baptized after they heard the gospel, believed it and repented.

III.    What was the purpose of Baptism in the Bible?

A.    A study of scriptures discussing baptism.

"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 NKJV) 

1.    Many argue that the phrase "for remission of sins" means that we are to be baptized because we already have remission of sins — not in order to obtain remission.

2.    They use examples from the English language like the following: "The statement, ‘He was hanged for murder’ means that the man was hanged for a murder he had already committed. Therefore to be baptized for the remission of sin means to be baptized because of remission you already have."

3.    This argument does not work in English or New Testament Greek.

4.    Although the English word "for" has many different meanings. The Greek word used in Acts 2:38 is never translated that way.

5.    In fact people who use the "hanged for murder" argument cannot even apply this reasoning to the verse in English.

6.    The preposition "and" KAI (kai) between "repent and be baptized," joins to two elements. Because of the use of "and" between repentance and baptism, if we are saved before we are baptized, we are also saved before we have repented which would make the verse meaningless. It would mean [repent and be baptized] after your are saved. It could not be interpreted repent before you are saved then be baptized after.

7.    The phrase "for remission of sin" is also found in Matthew 26:28.

"For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (Matthew 26:28 NKJV)

8.    If we apply the "Hanged for murder" analogy here, it has Jesus saying that he is shedding his blood because the people’s sins had already been forgiven.

9.    In Matthew 26:28 Jesus is obviously saying that he is giving his life in order to obtain remission of sin for us. In a similar fashion, Acts 2:38 instructs us to repent and be baptized in order to obtain remission of sin.

C.    Mk. 16:16.

"He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." (Mark 16:16 NKJV)"

1.    Question: If baptism is for salvation then why did Jesus not say, "but he who does not believe and is not baptized shall be condemned

2.    Answer: such a statement would have been redundant. If a person does not believe he cannot be baptized (1 Cor. 18:8)

3. If a wealthy friend of yours were to say to you "He that believeth and is baptized shall receive $1,000.00" What would you do?

4.    If a wealthy man were to die and leave a will distributing his property among his townsmen on the following basis, "He that can read and write shall have $1,000,000.00, but he who cannot read cannot have $1,000,000." There would be no dispute about the meaning of the statement.

D.    Gal. 3:26-27.

"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. {27} For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (Galatians 3:26-27 NKJV)

1.    Verse 27 begins with the preposition "for." It is translated from the word, GAR (gar). Thayer explains that this word, " .. .serves to explain, make clear, illustrate a preceding thought or word. Thayer’s Greek English Lexicon p. 100

2.    Thus, the word in verse 27 translated for, (GAR) mans that the baptism of verse 27 is explaining how we became "children of God through faith" in verse 26. So, we see that salvation comes through faith because those who had faith had been baptized into Christ. If we are in the Son of God, we are children of God.

E.    Acts 22:16.

"And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord." (Acts 22:16 NKJV) 

1.    Paul had already met Jesus on the road, believed him, confessed him as lord and had been praying and fasting for three days. If he was saved when he confessed Jesus as lord, why is he now told to wash away his sins?

2.    Only the Blood of Christ can cleanse of sin but where did Paul contact that blood? When he was baptized into Christ (Romans 6:4; Gal 3:27)

F.    Does the teaching that baptism is for the remission of sins conflict with salvation by grace?

1.    Paul says the Ephesians were saved by grace (Eph. 2:8).

2.    Luke tells us that they were baptized (Acts 19:5).

3.    The word grace means undeserved favor or an undeserved gift. If you washed my car and I gave you $1,000.00 it would still be grace or an undeserved gift. You could not possibly have earned the $1,000 by washing the car.

4.    In a similar fashion once can not possibly deserve salvation simply because he believes and is baptized — it is still of grace.

5.    Paul says that the Baptism is not a work

"not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit," (Titus 3:5 NKJV) 

6.    The command to be baptized is always in the passive voice. The commands to: hear, believe, repent and confess the Lord are all in the active voice.

7.    Both Jesus and Paul said faith is a work (John 6:28-29; Galatians 5:6)!

8.    The command is always to be or allow ourselves to be baptized. Hence baptism is never a work but rather an act of submission. Everyone is working but the person being baptized. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, are working. The candidate for baptism is submitting.

9.    We see the passive nature of the person being baptized in the following:

"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 NKJV)

H.    Where does the Bible place salvation: before or after Baptism?

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." (Matthew 7:21 NKJV) 

"If you love Me, keep My commandments." (John 14:15 NKJV) 

"And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples {2} 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 whether there is a Holy Spirit." {3} And he said to them, "Into what then were you baptized?" So they said, "Into John's baptism." {4} Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus." {5} When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.'"(Acts 19:1-5)

 

© David E. Parks February 22, 2003
dave@wcofc.org

Last modified Friday, March 30, 2007 01:45 PM


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