Baptism: A Matter of Obedience
Selected Scriptures
I was flying across the country this week, long flight all the way to the East Coast, and the Lord always makes things serendipitous, always has a surprise or two. And I was sitting next to a man who eventually took out a bible and started reading it. And as he was reading it, I said to him, I said, "That's a bible you got there?" He said, "It is." And I said, do you understand what you're reading?" I thought I would just play Philip for a while. "Do you understand what you're reading?" He said, "Well, some of it. I know one thing. There are many ways to God." I said, "Keep reading. You're not done yet." He said, "Well, it's kind of hard to understand." I said, "Well, would you like to be able to understand the bible?" He said, "I really wanna be able to understand the bible. I really do." So I took out my MacArthur study bible, and I opened this thing, and he said, "This has all the answers."
Anyway, I had the opportunity to expose him to the gospel, and I'm gonna send him one of those bibles. But what a wonderful thing the Lord does in just kind of placing the right people in the right place at the right time. I'm always grateful for that. And this is the right place and the right time for you this morning, because I have a word from the Lord for you. It's from the Scriptures, and it's on the subject of baptism. Now, as a faithful pastor, I'm duty bound to speak on this subject. If I don't, I'd be unfaithful to the Lord, who commands us to be baptized, and if we're to be faithful under shepherds, we have to bring the issue to the people.
It's been a number of years since I've addressed the subject. It's been - in fact, somewhere between five and ten years since I've addressed this subject. And I confess to a certain amount of unfaithfulness in that regard. This is not something that we can overlook or pass by lightly.
It is not a particularly popular subject today. It's not of great interest in the evangelical community. It's been years since I've seen any new book written on baptism, or any book emphasizing baptism, or any series of messages, or any preacher or teacher emphasizing baptism. I never hear about it on the radio. I never hear about it on Christian radio, Christian television programs. I never see a baptism on a Christian television program, though you have a lot of services, you rarely if ever see a baptismal service.
The interest in baptism has sort of gone away, sad to say, in many cases. And we have a largely unbaptised church, which includes some of you. And I don't mean this church. I mean the church in general. It's amazing how many people who proclaim Christ and confess Christ have never been properly baptized.
Now, probably, the greatest number of people who call themselves Christians have never been baptized according to New Testament Baptism. It may well be that the majority of those who call themselves Christians have not been properly baptized. It's not as if it's not clear about what a baptism is, and how it is to be done. It is clear. It's just that there has been sort of an indifference to that very important matter, and I would like to, if I can, put an end to that indifference this morning, if that in fact is the case.
There are no doubt many of you here this morning who have confessed Christ as Lord and Savior, believe in your heart God raises from the dead, you've never been baptized. There are some of you who maybe have never seen a baptismal service. We have one here every Sunday night, but you're here in the morning and not at night, and you may not have seen one, or maybe only a few. May I be so bold as to suggest that a failure to be obedient in the matter of baptism, to take baptism seriously is at the root of some of the immense problems in people's lives, and in the church in general? Because it allows the church to fill up with people who are unfaithful to the simplest commands of the Lord and of his word. And that's serious. When Jesus said go unto all the world and make disciples baptizing them, he's giving a command to the apostles and to the church saying go out there, evangelize, make disciples baptizing them. And teaching them to observe whatsoever things I have commanded you.
The church then is commissioned in the great commission to do the work of baptizing. It's amazing to me to see mass evangelistic crusades, these massive crowds of people, these huge crowds of people, and supposedly people coming to Christ. Never do you see a baptism. Never is there a baptism at such events. And yet, on the day of Pentecost, 3000 people believed, and 3000 people were baptized when the church began.
When the Holy Spirit spoke in Acts 238 speaking through Peter, "repent and be baptized". He gave a command there to the individual who repents and believes. So the church is commanded to baptize. The individual's commanded to be baptized. There is really no lack of clarity with regard to this. In fact, in each of the cases where the great commission is given in Matthew, Mark and Luke, there's an emphasis on baptism.
In spite of this, there is widespread non-compliance with what is a very simple demand. In many ways, it's sort of the easiest act of obedience as a Christian you can do, because all the rest have to do is sorting out the stuff that's in your mind and heart for the most part. This simple act, when obediently done, demonstrates a heart that seeks to honor the word of the Lord. When not done, it betrays several possible motivations.
A person who claims to be a Christian has not been baptized fits into the following categories: 1) Ignorant. That is, they've never been taught about baptism, and that's very possible in many places. From time to time, we have people baptized here who were converted years ago, but never were taught the significance of baptism. And some have been taught wrong. They had been taught that if they were baptized, or if they were immersed, or christened as a baby, that's sufficient. So it's possible that some people are unbaptized in the church because of ignorance. Secondly, pride is an issue. People who have allowed a long period of time to go since their conversion, they named the name of Chris for a long time, they are involved with the church, they're known as Christian people, they've never been baptized. It's a little bit embarrassing to acknowledge that failure and that disobedience for such a long time. And so, they're not willing to humble themselves, admit they've been disobedient, and be baptized. So, it could be ignorance. It could be pride. It could be indifference. There are plenty of people who just can't be bothered. They can't find a spot in their day timer for it. Doesn't fit into their schedule. It's not a priority. They know it's commanded in the bible. But obedience isn't the main thing with them. They have other priorities. That's a sad situation to be apathetic towards a specific command. To be indifferent toward a very direct command from our Lord himself, which brings honor to him and blessings to the one is obedient. But there are people who are just indifferent. They just can't get around it. I've been planning to do it. I've thought about it. It just doesn't fit on the priority list. And there, fourthly, could be the defiant people. Those who basically aren't baptized because they are just rebellious. They refuse to obey. And usually, those kinds of people are sinning. They're in a pattern of sin. And it would just sort of elevate their hypocrisy if they were to have to come up and give a testimony of their faith in Jesus Christ and celebrate his wonderful redemption on their behalf. So people who are defiant and rebellious and just won't be baptized generally are in a pattern of sinning. And then fifthly, it's possible that you're unregenerate. You're just not a true Christian. You have no desire to make a public confession of faith in Jesus Christ because you don't wanna be identified with him in a public way. You may come, and you may like to come and hang on the edges and on the fringes here. But you're not about to take your public stand with Christ. Those are the only reasons I can think of. Either you're ignorant, you're too proud to humble yourself and be baptized, you're apathetic and indifferent towards that matter of obedience, you're defiant, or you're not a believer.
And that puts the issue squarely where it belongs, and its backs you if you've never been baptized in a corner to sort that out. Could be a combination of several of those things, in some cases. But you're in there somewhere.
Now, I wanna explain baptism to you, and I wanna see if I can motivate you to be obedient for the glory of the Lord, and for your own blessing. And I guess the best way to do this, and somebody said this morning that I wasn't in much of a preaching mode, and that's probably true. This is more of a teaching time. This is more of sorting out the issues with regards to baptism in a way that is teaching you the principles and the truths. But I'll try to yell occasionally so you don't feel cheated.
Question number one, what is baptism? What are we talking about here when we talk about baptism? Simply, here's the definition: it is a ceremony by which a person is immersed into water. That's what it is. It's a ceremony by which a person is immersed into water, or dunked, they used to say. In fact, there were people who baptized this way were called dunkers. So, this is simply a ceremony by which people are immersed in water. That's it. And right behind me here, and under the floor, there's a pool of water where that is done every Sunday evening.
Now, we do this because it's instructed in the New Testament. We've already commented on the fact that the great commissions all tell us to baptize, and Peter in his sermon at the Pentecost told those who heard and believed to be baptized. But let me go to the word so to give you an understanding of this. The two Greek verbs that are used in the New Testament with regard to baptism, they're translated baptism, Bapto and Baptiso. Bapto is the less common, used only four times in the New Testament. It means to dip into. To dip into. In fact, it was used for dying, when you immerse something in a dye. It is the word immerse, bapto. Baptiso is an intensified form of bapto. The Greeks had ways of sticking in a few extra letters and intensifying a word. Baptiso is used many times in the New Testament. And it means to dip completely. And it's a Greek word for drowning. That shows you how complete dipping is, potentially. It's the word to submerse or immerse. In fact, the Latin equivalent is immersio or submersio. The noun baptism, baptismas, is used always in the Book of Acts to refer to a Christian being immersed in water. It's always used to refer to a Christian being immersed in water. So that is what baptism is. It's a ceremony about which a person believes the gospel and is then immersed into water.
In fact, the terms bapto and baptiso, the verb, and baptismas, the noun, could have been translated immerse, and probably solved a lot of problems. But the translators chose to transliterate the Greek baptiso into baptize. They transliterated it rather than translate it, because it had become such a technical term for immersion. And so, they just transliterated it across. But that doesn't change the meaning. It means to immerse.
In fact, the Greeks had a different word for sprinkling, and that word Raintosanti is used of sprinkling or splattering with water. It's a different word all together. We're not talking about sprinkling. There's no such thing as a ceremony of sprinkling in the bible, or pouring, or any application of water to the individual. Whenever you find baptism in the bible, it is the word immerse or submerse, and it means putting the person under the water. Every New Testament use of these terms requires or permits the idea of immersion.
This is so obvious, that even John Calvin, who basically came down on the side of infant sprinkling, or infant baptism, says this. He writes, "The word baptize means to immerse. No linguist can come up with anything else." Calvin says, "The word baptize means to immerse. It is certain that immersion was the practice of the early church." There really is no argument. There's no debate at that point.
The verbs bapto, baptiso, are never used in the passive. That is to say water is never said to be baptized on someone, such as sprinkling or pouring or touching with water, which is done is a great portion of the church today. They sprinkle, they pour, or they dip and just touch the water to the forehead, or to some other part of the head. Never are those verbs used in the passive sense of water being placed on someone. They're always used in the sense of someone being placed in water.
And whenever you read in the New Testament about a baptism, an actual occasion of baptism, immersion is the only possible meaning. Matthew 3, look at it, or just listen to it. Matthew 3:6, John the Baptist, "They were being baptized by him in the Jordan River." They were being baptized in the Jordan River. They came down into the river, and they were baptized there. The river was not taken to them. They were taken to the river. Matthew 3:16, "After being baptized, Jesus, having been baptized, went up immediately literally out of the water. Jesus went down into the water, came up out of the water." Again, that clearly indicates that he went down into the water in order that he might be placed into that water, and that's the use of the word baptism. It means immersed in that water.
In John 3, when John the Baptist was doing his baptism, he picked a place at the Jordan River that was deep. It says in verse 23 of John 3, "John was baptizing in Aenon near Salem." Of all the spots you can stop along the Jordan River, he picked that one because there was much water there. This is simply another way of saying that the water was deep. There was enough water there to get people under it. That was the whole point. In Mark chapter 1, verse 5, same thing. "All the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem, they were being baptize by him in the Jordan River."
And you remember in Acts, chapter 8, when Philip came across the Ethiopian eunuch, you remember the statement in verse 36, "Look, water. What prevents me from being baptized?" verse 38, "He ordered the chariot to stop. They both went down into the water, and he immersed him." Now that is what baptism is. That's what baptiso means. Baptism is a ceremony by which a person is immersed into water.
That is the only kind of baptism the New Testament knows anything about. Doesn't know anything about sprinkling, pouring, touching with water, and particularly doesn't know anything about baptizing infants. And I'm gonna address that issue, because it is an important issue, and some of you will remember, I made a presentation of that at a past Ligonier conference. There is one here this week, by the way. And that was completely coincidental in my preaching schedule that this issue came up at this time. Many of the people who will be at the conference of course will affirm the things that I'm teaching. But next Sunday morning, I think. It may be next Sunday. I may postpone it a week. I'm not sure yet. I wanna address the issue of infant baptism from the biblical perspective. You'll find it a very fascinating discussion.
But as far as the New Testament is concerned, there is no such thing as pouring, sprinkling, touching with water, or baptizing infants. It was an act by which an adult person was placed into water. It had great spiritual significance. And the significance of baptism can only be depicted in immersion. The significance of baptism, the spiritual significance, can only be depicted in immersion. And I'll say more about that later.
Now, when you look at baptism in the New Testament, you'll come across some other baptisms that are not water baptisms. There are times when the word baptiso is dry. There are times when the word baptiso isn't talking about water at all. We use it that way. We talk about people going through a baptism of fire, right? And we mean by that that he was immersed in a very difficult situation. John the Baptist talked about a baptism of fire in John chapter 3. And what he was talking about was the immersing of unbelievers in the full fury of God's fiery wrath.
There is a baptism by Christ with the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ, 1 Corinthians 12, "We've all been baptized with the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ." When you became a Christian, you were immersed into the communion of the redeemed. You were placed in the union with every other believer so that he that is joining the Lord is one spirit with every other believer. So there's the immersing of the believer into the body of Christ. There is the immersing of the unbeliever into the full fury and wrath of God under which he was completely submerged.
In the 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 2, it says that "The children of Israel were immersed into Moses." They're talking about solidarity. They were joined unto Moses and his leadership. What he did, they did. What he said, they followed. They literally - he was their leader, and they were immersed into Moses. Where he went, they went. Solidarity. Union. Communion. The Lord then can have that sort of metaphoric meaning where it means being immersed into something. You can say I was immersed in my work. I was immersed in thought. Those kinds of expressions don't necessarily refer to water, but they refer to using the idea of water as a metaphor for being engulfed in something.
So there are times in the New Testament when you read about a baptism that isn't a baptism by water. There are other times when of course it is, as we've seen, a baptism by water. We're gonna focus on the issue of the baptisms that have to do with water.
This water immersion commanded of every believer is basically non-negotiable. We don't have an option with this. This is a command. It is a reiterated and repeated and obeyed command in the New Testament. It is in itself a simple act, and were it no more than just to put somebody in water and take them out, we could say it was nothing but a dunk. It was nothing but a cleansing. It was nothing but a refreshing - nothing more. But there is much more, because it is an object lesson. It is a depiction. It is a picture. It is a symbol. It is a physical analogy of a great spiritual truth. It is profound. And it is crucial if you understand what baptism signifies to stick with the New Testament mode. If you change the mode of immersion, you then confound its symbol. God has designed that this simple ordinance teach us most wonderful truth. The most wonderful truth of all. The truth of personal salvation. It's all wrapped up in this act of baptism.
And of course, any student of the bible knows that God teaches with symbols. In the Old Testament, all kinds of symbols and analogies and types and pictures and ceremonies depicting a spiritual truth in some physical way. And certainly, in the New Testament, Jesus did that with his parables and his analogies. The apostle Paul does it with his illustrations. So we have long seen God dispense truth to us in abstract terms, but connected with very concrete pragmatic tangible things, which can graphically illustrate the truth.
And baptism is one of those. It is an external, physical, symbolic act which depicts a profound and deep and essential spiritual truth.
Now, let's go to the second question. Now we know what baptism is, what has been the history of baptism? How do we understand its history? Well, let's go back before the New Testament, and we'll get at least a portion of the history of baptism. There were a number of washings in Israel. A number of cleansings and ceremonies, the washing of the hands that the priests went through, and the people went through. The washing of pots and things like that that were certain kinds of immersings were necessary to depict cleansing. But Christian baptism has at least one very important precursor, and that is Judaistic Proselyte baptism. Before the New Testament, let's say a gentile had come to the knowledge of the true God. Some gentile had heard the prophets or he had heard the testimony of the faithful Israelite, or he'd come to Israel and he moved into the land, and he took us residence there, or he lived on the border, or whatever, and he was exposed to the living and true God. God moved upon his heart. He came to believe in the true and living God. He repented of his sin, and he became a follower of the true God. He was a saved individual, a saved gentile who wanted to identify with God's people. He would be called a Proselyte. He had been proselytized, if you will. He was not a Proselyte to Judaism. He was a gentile wanting to become identified with the Jews and