Water baptism is one of the commands of Christ. We practice it because He commanded it (Matthew 28:19):
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit… (Matthew 28:19)
This command of Christ has found its expression in the brief statement of basic doctrines adopted by the Union of Evangelical Pentecostal Churches in Bulgaria. On the question of water baptism it is written there: “We believe that baptism in water by immersion applies to all who have repented and have believed that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. In this way they testify before the world that they have died with Christ and have risen with Him to a new life (Matthew 28:19; Acts 10:47-48; Romans 6:4).”
Today I would like us to examine this belief of ours concerning water baptism by answering four basic questions about it. They are: “What?”, “Who?”, “How?” and “When?”
WHAT IS WATER BAPTISM?
The Bulgarian word for “baptism” is a translation of the Greek word “baptizo.” The simple root of this word is “bapto.” This basic form occurs three times in the Greek text of the New Testament. In Luke 16:24 it is translated as “dip,” in John 13:26 as “dip in,” and in Revelation 19:13 as “dipped.” In every one of these cases the context clearly shows that “bapto” means “to immerse something in a liquid and then take it out.” In other words, what we understand from the New Testament use of the word “baptizo” is that “baptism” means “the immersion of something in a liquid (water) and its removal from it.” When we baptize someone, we normally immerse them in water and then lift them out.
This immersion, however, is not ordinary but symbolic. In Christian baptism the immersion in the water symbolizes death, and the lifting out of the water – resurrection. In this way it seals in us the fact that, by receiving Jesus Christ as our Lord, on the one hand we die to ourselves, to sin, to Satan, to this world, and on the other hand we rise to a new life with God.
TYPES OF WATER BAPTISM
Biblical types are imprints of certain spiritual truths in the New Testament, which are their originals. The types of water baptism help us to grasp better its essence and meaning. Broadly speaking, there are only two – the flood and the passage through the Red Sea.
THE FLOOD
A certain pastor very often preached about water baptism. So much so that the members of the church council began to wonder what they could do to make him stop speaking only about water baptism. They did not feel comfortable telling him outright: “Well, you talk a great deal about water baptism, so please, would you start speaking on some other subject…” They thought and thought about what to do, and in the end they said to him: “Pastor, we would like you to do a series of sermons on the book of Genesis.” He said: “Fine, no problem.” The following Sunday he stood at the pulpit, opened the Bible to Genesis 1:1-2, and began to read:
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2)
Beginning his sermon, the pastor said: “There, you see, already at the very beginning God created water, because He was providing for water baptism!” And he began once again to speak about water baptism…
In this pastor’s defense, we must say that one can indeed speak of water baptism from the book of Genesis. At least the apostle Peter does this in 1 Peter 3:18-22, where he mentions the story of the flood and Noah as a type of baptism.
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 19 After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— 20 to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him. (1 Peter 3:18-22)
The water of the flood is a type of baptism, which is its original. It was the water that flooded the world of that time, but it was also the water that lifted Noah’s ark from its place and, after about a year, set it down on Mount Ararat (Genesis 8:4). According to Peter, the water saves us “in the image of baptism.” How does this happen? This salvation is not connected with the hygienic or cleansing properties of water – the fact that it washes, rinses, and cleanses away dirt. No, salvation is not something external but something spiritual. It is connected not with our body but with our conscience. When the gospel is preached, the Holy Spirit “stings” our conscience, it is awakened, and it directs our will toward repentance (Acts 2:37). Baptism is the expression of our response of faith and dedication to God as a result of receiving the gospel.
THE PASSAGE THROUGH THE RED SEA
The second Old Testament type of water baptism is the passage through the Red Sea. It is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 10:1-2:
1 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea… (1 Corinthians 10:1-2)
What is remarkable is that both at the flood and at the passage through the Red Sea there were people who drowned in the water; and people who were delivered from the water through God’s supernatural intervention. In both cases – at the flood and at the passage through the Red Sea – the water became a real watery grave – a place of death and judgment for God’s adversaries.
The explanation and application of these types we can find in Romans 6:3, 4, 11:
3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (Romans 6:3-4)
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:11)
In baptism we enter a symbolic watery grave and then come out of it. We do this because we count ourselves “dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” In Colossians 2:12 it says:
12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. (Colossians 2:12)
What do the types of water baptism tell us? They remind us that the person who is baptized must truly have been made one with Christ in His death. To bury people alive is a horrible crime. To baptize people who have not yet severed their ties with Satan, the world, and sin is no less wrong!
In other words, water baptism is something very serious, and the candidate for water baptism must have met the conditions for it.
CONDITIONS FOR WATER BAPTISM
What conditions must a candidate for water baptism meet in order to be baptized? If we had to answer this question in a single sentence, we would say that “The candidate for water baptism must have believed in God and must have repented of his sins.” The conditions are two – faith and repentance.
FAITH
In the first place – faith. In Acts 18:8 we see that the order of the actions preceding baptism is hearing, believing, and then – baptism:
8 Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized. (Acts 18:8)
At the baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch we notice that Philip laid down no other requirement for baptism besides full faith in the divinity of Christ and in His mission (Acts 8:36-38):
36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. (Acts 8:36-38)
The faith that is necessary for receiving water baptism is faith in two things – faith in the kingdom of God and faith that Jesus of Nazareth is precisely God’s Anointed One. In Acts 8:12 it is said of the Samaritans:
12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. (Acts 8:12)
REPENTANCE
The other requirement for water baptism to be administered is sincere repentance. In Acts 2:37-38, 40-41 we read how the first large group of new converts was added to the church. They received the apostolic teaching and turned their backs on the corrupt generation among which they lived:
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. (Acts 2:37-38, 40-41)
Baptism is the outward expression of an inward change. We are not baptized in order to be changed; we are baptized because we have been changed – from unbelievers we have become believers, from non-Christians – into Christians. Baptism is the outward seal or confirmation of the inward change that has already taken place as a result of repentance. In Mark 1:4 water baptism is called “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” In order to be baptized, a person must have experienced a change in his way of thinking, an about-face, a change in the direction in which he is moving – from moving away from God to drawing near to Him. This repentance does not happen of itself. It must be accompanied by confession of sins, prayer to receive forgiveness for them from God, and a change in behavior, or “fruits of repentance,” that can be noticed by everyone.
In examining what the conditions are for administering water baptism, we can notice that they are the same as those for salvation from sin. Baptism is nothing more than our salvation; it is simply the certificate of it.
HOW IS WATER BAPTISM PERFORMED?
In the order of performing water baptism we can clearly distinguish three stages – confession, proclamation, and immersion.
First, confession. When water baptism is administered, the candidate for baptism is asked the following questions:
- “Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?”
- “Do you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins and rose for your justification?”
- “Do you receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?”
- “Do you promise from now on to serve Jesus Christ and to remain faithful to Him to the end of your life?”
These questions are asked in order to give the one being baptized the opportunity to make a confession of faith. After an affirmative answer follows the second stage of water baptism – that of the proclamation. The words with which the act of water baptism is proclaimed are drawn from Matthew 28:19. They are spoken by the minister administering the baptism and are: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Then follows the third stage of water baptism – the act of immersion. The one being baptized crosses his arms on his chest, is fully immersed backward into the water by the minister, and is then lifted out of it.
PLENTY OF WATER
For baptism enough water is needed so that the one being baptized can be fully immersed in it. Complete immersion symbolizes full identification with Christ. In John 3:22-23 we read that both John and Christ baptized in places where there was an abundance of water:
22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 23 Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. (John 3:22-23)
Clearly the abundance of water was needed so that the one being baptized could be immersed in it.
At the baptism of the Ethiopian official, which is a classic New Testament model, we see that both Philip and the eunuch went into the water so that they could carry out the immersion (Acts 8:38-39):
38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. (Acts 8:38-39)
WHEN IS WATER BAPTISM PERFORMED?
The answer to this question is: “As soon as possible after the candidate has met the requirements for baptism, namely faith and repentance.” Such is the model we find in Acts 16:29-34:
29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household. (Acts 16:29-34)
From God’s Word we see that the apostles performed baptism “without delay” (Acts 2:41):
41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. (Acts 2:41)
It is true that there are people who rush into their baptism. Perhaps they think it will save them, or else they are carried along by the fact that their friends are being baptized and they do not want to be left behind. This, of course, is wrong. But there is also another group of people, which in the church is by no means small. These are believing Christians who, for one reason or another, have put off their baptism for years. I believe that the words of Acts 22:16 apply to such people:
16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name. (Acts 22:16)
May God bless us and make us obedient to His words. If we will not obey this very first of His commands, then how, and whether, we will obey the rest remains a great question. Therefore, let us be obedient. The reward for this is truly great – inexpressible and glorious joy, salvation from our sins, and divine life.