Scriptural Baptism
Paul O. Nichols
In the Great Commission given by Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20, there are four distinct commands. The first is to “go.” Obedience to this first command is necessary to keeping the second, “teach all nations.” The third command, “baptizing them,” is to be obeyed when the hearers accept the teaching of the gospel. The fourth command was to further instruct these new converts, “…teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”
Under the commission of Christ, the apostles preached the gospel to the multitude on the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem (Acts 2). The people who “gladly received the word were baptized” (Acts 2:41). All of these people were Jews, either by birth or proselytes (Acts 2:10). Under the same commission Peter taught Cornelius and other Gentiles, and commanded them to be baptized in water (Acts 10). Both Jew and Gentile then were commanded to be baptized by the authority of Jesus Christ.
Obedience is Essential to Salvation
The word of God teaches in many passages that obedience to the Lord is required for salvation. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Eccl. 12:13). The Apostle Paul teaches that Jesus Christ is “the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Heb. 5:9). John declares, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous” (1 Jn. 5:3).
Element for Baptism
The element required for scriptural baptism under the Great Commission is water. Jesus refers to baptism as being “born of water and of the Spirit” (Jn. 3:5). In the case of the Gentile converts, Peter asked the question, “Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized?” (Acts 10:47). After the gospel was preached to the Ethiopian eunuch, he asked Philip the preacher, “See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?” (Acts 8:36). In reference to baptism, Hebrews 10:22 teaches that our bodies are “washed with pure water.”
The amount of water is important for scriptural baptism to be performed. John Calvin, the father of Presbyterianism, took the position,
Whether the person baptized is wholly immersed, and that whether once or thrice, or whether he is only sprinkled with water, is not of the least consequence: churches should be at liberty to adopt either, according to the diversity of climates, although it is evident that the term baptize means to immerse, and that was the form used by the primitive church (Institutes, 4:15:19).
Even though Calvin advocated freedom of choice, he had to admit that immersion was the idea conveyed by the word “baptize,” and that immersion was the practice of the early church. Paul wrote, “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” (Rom. 6:4). Again he says, “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead” (Col. 2:12).
When the Lord said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mk. 16:16), He chose a word, baptizo, that means “immerse.” There are other words He could have used which mean “sprinkle” (rhantizo) and “pour” (ekcheo). However, He used a word which can only mean “immerse, dip, plunge.”
In the example of the Ethiopian eunuch, the preacher and the man “went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him” (Acts 8:38). Obviously, the man was immersed. The Bible also furnishes us with the knowledge that “Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water” (Mt. 3:16). Our Lord was evidently immersed. Now, who has the right to change or ignore what the Word of God teaches? Inspiration says, “There is one baptism” (Eph. 4:5).
The Purpose of Baptism
The purpose of baptism is plainly stated in a number of passages of Scripture. It is “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). It is to “wash away” sins (Acts 22:16). It is given to “save us” (Mk. 16:16; 1 Pet. 3:21). It is “the answer of a good conscience toward God” (1 Pet. 3:21). It is to make us a member of the Lord’s church
(1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 1:22-23; Acts 2:47). For a person to deny these statements is to deny the Word of God.
Who is a Scriptural Subject of Baptism?
Every eligible person in the world has the scriptural right to be baptized according to God’s Will. Moreover, they are commanded to be baptized.
In order to be eligible for baptism, one must be accountable for sin. This would exclude infants and others who do not have the mental capacity to know the difference between right and wrong. “Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear” (Isa. 59:2). “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezek. 18:4). It is sin that separates from God. The innocent have not the evil that baptism is given to remove. “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38).
One must be old enough to make the decision, with the ability to understand one’s actions. “They that gladly received his word were baptized” (Acts 2:41). One must have the capacity to hear with understanding and believe. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mk. 16:16). A person who is a candidate for scriptural baptism is a person who has been adequately taught:
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me (Jn. 6:44-45).
Too, a person must have a desire to obey the Lord, before they are eligible for scriptural baptism. The people “gladly received the word” and were baptized (Acts 2:41). The Ethiopian eunuch expressed his desire to be baptized, when he asked “What doth hinder me to be baptized?” (Acts 8:36).
Any person who has not been scripturally baptized is eligible for baptism, if he meets the requirements. In Acts 19, the Apostle Paul came to Ephesus and found twelve men who had been immersed with the baptism of John the Baptist. (The baptism of John pointed forward to the death of Jesus, and therefore, was not valid after He died.) These men were rebaptized in the name of the Lord Jesus with the baptism that pointed backward in time to the Lord’s crucifixion for our sins (Acts 19:5). Obviously, it is right to rebaptize a person who has not been scripturally baptized.
One who has not been baptized for the remission of sins is eligible for baptism (Acts 2:38; 22:16). So is one who has not been baptized in order to be saved (Mk. 16:16; 1 Pet. 3:21). Also, a person who failed to repent of his sins before baptism, since this is one of the prerequisites for scriptural baptism and salvation, should be rebaptized in order to be right with the Lord. One must make a scriptural confession with the mouth from the heart in order to be scripturally baptized (Acts 8:37; Rom. 10:9-10).
To sum up, one must hear the gospel of Christ (Rom. 10:17; Jn. 6:44-45); believe it from the heart (Mk. 16:16; Rom. 10:9-10); repent of his sins (Acts 2:38; 3:19); and confess with the mouth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Rom. 10:9-10; Acts 8:37). At this point a person becomes a scriptural subject for scriptural baptism.
Current Address: 14217 Rosehill, Overland Park, Kansas 66221
Originally published in March 1990 CE journal