Baptism is translated from the Greek word baptizō (βαπτίζω), which most often means to immerse or submerge, but can also mean to cleanse. The formal act of baptism does not occur in the OT, but there are many instances of water being associated with purification. Baptism is first seen in the Bible with John the Baptist. “John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins” (Mk 1:4-5; see also Mt 3:1-6; Lk 3:3-7; Jn 1:19-28).
Today, baptism is variously considered an initiation rite into the church, a washing away of original sin, and/or the mechanism by which a person is regenerated. There is much theological disagreement on this, and it is beneficial to examine the following key bible verses that address the nature of baptism:
- Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself” (Acts 2:39-39);
- And [Jesus] said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. The one who has believed and has been baptized will be saved; but the one who has not believed will be condemned. (Mk 16:15-16);
- Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life (Rom 6:3-4);
- For just as the body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit (1 Cor 12:12-13); and
- [B]aptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Pt 3:21).
Acts states that baptism results in the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Mark says that those who have believed and been baptized will be saved. Romans states that baptism results in the death of the old man (presumably when being submerged) and birth of the new man (presumably when rising out of the water). First Corinthians states that baptism makes us part of the body of Christ. And First Peter says that through baptism we are able to partake in the atoning work of Christ. These verses are strong evidence that baptism can be a powerful experience. But it is also true that the unbaptized penitent criminal on the cross was assured that he would be in paradise with Christ in paradise that day. It is therefore prudent to partake in baptism as we are instructed, but to be humble about its salvific effects. Major doctrines of baptisms are now briefly summarized.
Roman Catholic. Roman Catholics believe that baptism results in the washing away of original sin. Therefore, infants who die before baptism might not be saved, but also may not experience the same eternal punishment of an unbaptized adult.[i] The Roman Catholic Catechism states, “Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: ‘Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water and in the word.’”[ii] Since Vatican II, Roman Catholicism has recognized the effectiveness of non-Catholic baptisms if they are duly administered and thereby recognize the validity of baptisms for most mainstream Protestant denominations.
Lutheran. The original position of Lutheranism stated in the Augsburg Confessions reads as follows:
“Of Baptism they teach that it is necessary to salvation, and that through Baptism is offered the grace of God, and that children are to be baptized who, being offered to God through Baptism are received into God’s grace. They condemn the Anabaptists, who reject the baptism of children, and say that children are saved without Baptism.”[iii]
The Lutheran position has somewhat softened on the necessity of Baptism to be saved but maintains that this is the ordinary way. For example, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS), a conservative and orthodox branch of Lutheranism, believes that a person is saved by God’s grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ alone, where Baptism is one of the miraculous means of grace through which God creates and/or strengthens the gift of faith in a person’s heart. When an infant is baptized, God creates faith in the heart of that infant which must be nurtured by God’s Word or it will eventually vanish. The LCMS does not believe that Baptism is absolutely necessary for salvation, as it is not the absence of Baptism that condemns a person but the absence of faith. Baptism is the normal way to come to faith, but there are others.
Reformed. Reformed theology holds that through baptism a person is admitted into the visible church through which the Holy Spirit effects regeneration and the remission of sins. Although baptism is extremely important, it is not absolutely necessary for salvation and those that are baptized are not necessarily one of God’s elect. The Westminster Confession states the following:
“Baptism is a sacrament of the new testament, ordained by Jesus Christ; not only for the solemn admission of the party baptized into the visible Church; but also, to be unto him a sign and seal of the covenant of grace; of his ingrafting into Christ; of regeneration; of remission of sins; and of his giving up unto God, through Jesus Christ, to walk in newness of life … Not only those that do actually profess faith in and obedience unto Christ; but also the infants of one, or both, believing parents, are to be baptized … Although it be a great sin to contemn or neglect this ordinance; yet grace and salvation are not so inseparably annexed unto it, as that no person can be regenerated, or saved, without it; or, that all that are baptized are undoubtedly regenerated … the grace promised is not only offered, but really exhibited, and conferred, by the Holy Ghost.”[iv]
And so, the Reformed view is that baptism is a sign and a seal of the elements of conversion, but that real grace is also conferred that can best be summarized as spiritual cleansing or purification. Charles Hodge characterizes the Reformed position on baptism as containing these elements: it works ex opere operato in conjunction with the Holy Spirit; it is the ordinary means of conveying the merits of Christ’s atoning work and the saving influences of the Holy Spirit; it is a means of grace to believers who receive it; it is a sign and a seal of the covenant of grace; and that “God, on his part, promises to grant the benefits signified in baptism to all adults who receive that sacrament in the exercise of faith, and to all infants who, when they arrive at maturity, remain faithful to the vows made in their name when they were baptized.”[v]
Arminian/Wesleyan. Recall that the Arminian and Wesleyan views of the sacraments are that they are simply outward rituals that do not confer any divine grace. This is true for baptism as well as for the Lord’s Supper. The Methodist Book of Discipline states the following, “Baptism is not only a sign of profession and mark of difference whereby Christians are distinguished from others that are not baptized; but it is also a sign of regeneration or the new birth. The Baptism of young children is to be retained in the Church.”[vi] In a typical Methodist baptism today, therefore, an infant baptism is essentially a celebration welcoming an infant into the church family along with an affirmation of the parent’s faith and their commitment to raise the child as a Christian.
The section will end with discussions on two areas of debate with regards to baptism: infant baptism and total immersion.
Infant Baptism. Most major denominations practice infant baptism. The biggest exceptions are Baptist churches, although many independent evangelical churches also avoid the practice and instead perform infant dedications. Those that believe that baptism is necessary or ordinarily necessary for salvation will naturally perform infant baptisms.
Those that don’t believe that baptism is salvific typically view it as both conferring grace and serving as an initiation into the Christian community. For the early church, baptism symbolized becoming a member in a manner similar to circumcision before it was deemed not necessary for Gentiles at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-31). Those who argue against infant baptism understand that the Bible does not prohibit infant baptism. Those who argue for infant baptism point out that the NT describes multiple cases where entire households are baptized, which likely involved infants (Acts 16:15; Acts 16:53; 1 Cor 1:16).
Total Immersion. The Baptist position (and many evangelicals as well) believe that the Bible teaches baptism by total immersion and that baptism in any other way is being disobedient to God. This position is based on assumption that the word baptizō in the NT is always referring to total immersion when used in a sacramental context. Other Christians believe that the mode of baptism does not matter as long as it properly symbolized spiritual cleansing and purification. Total immersion is fine, but so are pouring and sprinkling. They also point to the use of baptizō in verses like the following:
“For the Pharisees and all the other Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thereby holding firmly to the tradition of the elders; and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they completely cleanse themselves (baptisōntai); and there are many other things which they have received as traditions to firmly hold, such as the washing of cups, pitchers, and copper pots.” (Mk 7:3-4)
In this verse, as well as in many others, a form of baptizō is used that could not possibly refer to total immersion. Therefore, there is no reason to assume that it refers to total immersion in other places, especially since none of the accounts of baptism in the Bible stress the mode.
[i] Unofficial Roman Catholic tradition sometimes taught that unbaptized infants sin, go to Limbo, where the beatific vision of God is absent but also absent is the eternal torture of Hell. The official position of the Catholic Church, as stated in the 1992 Catechism of the Catholic Church is that there is reason to hope for infants that die without baptism to experience the beatific vision of God, but there is not sure knowledge on this issue.
[ii] Apostolic Constitution Fidei Depositum; on the Publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church; Prepared Following the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, 1982: 312.
[iii] Book of Concord, Article 9, Of Baptism. The Augsburg Confession is the fourth document in the Lutheran Book of Concord.
[iv] Westminster Confession of Faith, 1646: Ch. 28, “Of Baptism.”
[v] Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, vol. 3, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, 1873/2013: 582.
[vi] The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, Nashville, TN: The United Methodist Publishing House, 2016: 69.
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