In the letter to the Hebrews, six “elementary principles of Christ” are listed. Third on the list is the doctrine of baptisms. The word “baptisms” is plural, which shows that there are different kinds of baptism.
“Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of [1] repentance from dead works and [2] of faith toward God, [3] of the doctrine of baptisms, [4] of laying on of hands, [5] of resurrection of the dead, and [6]of eternal judgment.” – Heb 6:1-2
- Repentance from dead works – turning away from our old way of life
- Faith toward God – laying the foundation of our faith
- The doctrine of baptisms – the different kinds of baptism and their meaning
- Laying on of hands – the meaning of this practice
- Resurrection of the dead – what the Bible says about eternal life and Heaven
- Eternal judgment – the kinds of judgment and what the Bible says about them
All six of these “doctrines” can be called the foundations of the Christian faith held by the early church, which the apostle Paul taught in the congregations he himself established. In this article, we will focus on baptism and its various kinds.
WHAT IS BAPTISM?
The word BAPTIZE [Baptizo] means to immerse something in liquid and then draw it out, to fully cover with liquid, to submerge, to cause something to be immersed. Water baptism is:
- An act of obedience to the Word of God and to the Lord Jesus’ command to be baptized
- For a Christian, baptism is a command, not merely an option
- A symbol of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ – Rom 6:3-5
- An outward sign of an inward, spiritual transformation that has taken place in the heart through faith
FOUR KINDS OF BAPTISM
In our passage the plural is used, which shows that there is more than one baptism! Let’s now go through each one.
“Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms and of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.” – Heb 6:1-2
- JOHN’S WATER BAPTISM – This was proclaimed and practiced by John. It was a water baptism by immersion, directly linked with the experience of REPENTANCE, preparing people to meet the Jesus who was to come.
“John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.” – Mark 1:4
- CHRISTIAN WATER BAPTISM – This is administered in the name of, and by the authority of, the triune God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
“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…” – Matt 28:19
- THE BAPTISM OF SUFFERING – The complete surrender of our whole being — spirit, soul, and body — into God’s hands, even unto death through suffering. It is mentioned when Jesus spoke about the sufferings He would go through on His way to death. It is also mentioned in reference to the disciples and their lives of sacrifice and devotion, even to the point of death. They had the opportunity to glorify God in a special way by giving up their lives.
“But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!” – Luke 12:50
“But Jesus said to them, You do not know what you ask. Can you drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They said to Him, We can. Then Jesus said to them, You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized.” – Mark 10:38
- THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT – A supernatural endowment of power from on high, so that we may be witnesses of Christ. This literally refers to being immersed “in” the Holy Spirit. In the Greek text, the word “BAPTIZE” occurred only with the prepositions “in” and “into,” and no others.
“For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” – Acts 1:5
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” – Acts 1:8
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JOHN’S BAPTISM AND CHRISTIAN BAPTISM
The main difference from John’s baptism is that Christian baptism is administered in the name of Jesus Christ and by the authority of the triune God — the Father, the Son — Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
“And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples 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. And he said to them, Into what then were you baptized? So they said, Into John’s baptism. 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. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” – Acts 19:1-5
John the Baptist’s baptism was not sufficient and had to be replaced by proper baptism! Baptism should be administered “in the NAME (singular) of the Father and of the Son — Jesus Christ — and of the Holy Spirit.”
REQUIREMENTS FOR CHRISTIAN WATER BAPTISM
In order to be baptized, people had to meet certain requirements, such as:
- Repentance
“Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said to them: Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” – Acts 2:37-38; 1 Thess 1:9
- Faith
“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” – Mark 16:16; Acts 8:36-38
- A good conscience – when we confess our sins, God gives us a “good” conscience, one that no longer accuses us because of our past life.
“…when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. There is also an antitype which now saves us — baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ…” – 1 Pet 3:20-21
- Becoming a disciple – we must agree to be a disciple of Christ and follow Him in our lives!
“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, 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.” – Matt 28:19-20
THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF CHRISTIAN BAPTISM
- Identification with Christ in His death, burial, resurrection and New Life – Rom 6:3-5
- Through baptism we receive a good conscience. Many have never known a clean conscience, because they never turned to God, were reconciled to Him, and were baptized – 1 Pet 3:20-21; James 4:17
- It shows our desire to follow Jesus in what He did and commanded, fulfilling all righteousness – Matt 3:15
- It is a circumcision of the heart, marking us as God’s people, His children. Physical circumcision was once the seal of His covenant with Abraham (Gen 17:10-11). Baptism is the seal of the New Covenant — it does not circumcise the flesh, but our heart! – Col 2:11-12
- It signifies belonging to Christ and to His body – Matt 10:32-33; Gal 3:27
INFANT BAPTISM
As we can see, the four requirements for Christian baptism above automatically EXCLUDE infants from baptism! They cannot repent, believe, or become disciples. There is also not a single passage anywhere that mentions infants being baptized. That is why we should replace sprinkling with proper, conscious, immersive baptism. Even John the Baptist required two things of people: repentance and a public confession of sins. Only after meeting these two requirements were people baptized and encouraged to live better lives from that point on. People first had to do this before being immersed in baptism. This disqualifies infants who have only just been born. We would like to do everything on someone else’s behalf, but the truth is that each person must make this choice individually and consciously, for themselves.
If a child dies before reaching an age of accountability, that child will go to Heaven. But once a person is old enough to understand and receive the gospel, they must decide for themselves whether they want to follow Jesus and be baptized or not.
“Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife. But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace. For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?” – 1 Cor 7:10-16
“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” – Mark 16:16
CAN THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT COME BEFORE WATER BAPTISM?
“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.” – Acts 10:44-48
From the passage above, the answer is yes!
HOW IMPORTANT IS WATER BAPTISM?
- It was so important to Jesus that He Himself was baptized – Mark 1:9-11
- It was so important that it was practiced during His ministry – John 4:1
- It was so important that Jesus wanted it administered to everyone who believed in Him – Matt 28:16-20
- It was so important that the first disciples baptized new converts immediately, as soon as they had given their lives to Jesus. It didn’t matter whether they happened to be in the desert, in prison, or in the middle of the night. – Acts 8:12,38; 9:18; 10:47
- It was so important that Paul and Silas, in the midst of their own pain and suffering, baptized the jailer and his household. It could not wait! – Acts 16:33
CAN ANYONE BAPTIZE?
Any mature and responsible Christian can administer baptism. No special credential is required for this. It is God who completes the work, not the person doing the baptizing. The Bible tells us that Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples did. Likewise, the apostle Paul wrote that he himself did not baptize, but his fellow workers did.
WHEN CAN I BE BAPTIZED AFTER BELIEVING?
As we read the Bible, the vast majority of accounts tell us that people were baptized very quickly — in fact, immediately after believing. We don’t need a long, drawn-out preparation process to be baptized. We simply need to repent, believe in Jesus, and want to follow Him in our lives! However, in an age when our Christian values are being eroded, it is good to go through a short introduction to baptism under the guidance of an experienced believer.
WHAT BAPTISM IS NOT
- We are not baptized in order to join some denomination or affiliation, but to follow Jesus Christ
- Our sins are not forgiven because of the rite of baptism
- The word “Christian” does not mean someone who has been baptized — it literally means “to be like Jesus.” So if we are true “Christians,” people will recognize Christ in us.
- No one is saved because they were baptized — this happens only through being born again and through faith in Jesus
- Baptism is a spiritual experience that can lead to a deeper relationship with the Lord and to supernatural encounters
TEST YOURSELF
- What does the word “baptism” mean?
- What is baptism a symbol of?
- Why is baptism so important?
- Are those who have repented and believed in the Lord Jesus commanded to be baptized?
- Are there any mentions in the Bible of infant baptism?
- Can only ordained pastors and leaders administer baptism?
- Does everyone who believes in Jesus need a period of teaching before being baptized?
