Biblical Baptism
By Jay Cavaiani- Written 6/18/2008, updated 7-2022
Nearly every
scripture that mentions baptism was examined during research for this report.
This summary report and our ministry aim to understand biblical baptism and
accurately obey its instruction.
Summary Position on Baptism
Why get baptized?
Baptism is a
frequently demonstrated event modeled by the early church and followers of
Jesus. It is God’s prescribed way
of expressing one’s faith and
commitment to Jesus. It is a great act of obedience to Jesus and a physical way
to reveal trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord. It is
also a special way of identifying with Christ’s death and
resurrection for the believer. It symbolizes accepting Christ’s sacrifice and
victory over sin and death. It also could be described as a special ceremony,
where one comes before God to make their commitment of faith to him. In baptism,
you are celebrating what Christ did for you on the cross, thereby forgiving you
of your sin, committing to death to your former way of life, and making a
pledge to live a new life for Christ’s Kingdom
purposes.
Personal Baptism Testimony of Reverend Jay.
I was raised in a traditional church and baptized as an infant. I never really understood the Gospel and stopped attending church in my late teens. I became a believer in Christ in my mid 20’s (1996) and afterward learned about believer baptism. I was baptized as a believer when I was about 30. Since that time, I have felt that there was not much merit for infant baptism. Although I think the bible very clearly supports my decisions regarding baptism, there is some support for household baptism, which in theory, could include infants. Baptism can be a sensitive topic; I aim to handle it sensitively and follow His Word accurately. I hope you check out the report and the Bible for yourself.
A couple of quick questions and answers
Is baptism required for salvation? Although there is scripture that could be interpreted in this fashion, there are multitudes of scriptures that refer to salvation coming to those who believe without mentioning baptism.
Is baptism necessary for receiving the Holy Spirit? Although the Holy Spirit was manifested in the lives of baptized people, there are many other occasions where the Holy Spirit came upon believers without baptism. Additionally, baptism was done so often immediately after someone believed and was saved, in those instances, it would be hard to differentiate the time of belief from baptism.
What is the way baptism is most frequently demonstrated? In the Bible, baptism is repeatedly and often referenced as a response and action that immediately follows someone’s decision to believe in Jesus. Today we do altar calls when water is available; baptizing immediately would be more biblically accurate.
Are infants baptized in the bible? There are no occasions in the Old and New Testaments where infants are mentioned as being baptized. There is some mention in scripture of households being baptized, referenced in this report. It could be theorized that infants or children participated in this baptism, but there is no mention of this.
Why are you calling it a ceremony? While doing this research, I also read a commentary about baptism as a ceremony. When you read scripture on baptism, the ceremony describes it well. It appears in scripture several times where the believer, in obedience, follows through with an action that reflects their faith decision. Many times it has a feeling of being ceremonial, as it was even in Jesus’ baptism. Similar to marriage, we could sign a paper and be married, and yet we typically and perhaps more appropriately do it in the
context of a ceremony. The ceremony is not mentioned in the Bible. Still, after reading what the bible says, most would agree that baptism could be accurately described as a ceremony celebrating, demonstrating, symbolizing, and acting upon one’s faith decision.
Is it a public declaration of faith? It can be, but the most important declaration is an act of obedience to Jesus. I have heard public declarations given as the reason people get baptized. I think it is just as special if you met with the person baptizing you in the presence of the almighty Father and, out of obedience, reverence, and love for Him, got baptized to identify with Him and his death and resurrection for you. It was demonstrated this way in the bible (Philip and the Eunuch, Paul and Ananias). When I read scripture, baptism is more about your relationship with Jesus and a personal commitment to Him. Now if you keep that focus of doing it for Jesus in mind, and it is done in the presence of family, friends, and others, that is awesome and biblical. It may be an excellent evangelism tool, and I am all for that, but remember your dedicated life to Jesus.
Some References to Baptism in Scripture
Baptism as a
symbol and pledge:
1 Peter 3:13-22= In verse 21, “…and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you
also”— In this passage, Peter uses symbolism from Noah’s family who was saved from the rising waters and that
water baptism symbolizes being saved by God. He also says that it is a pledge
of a good conscious
towards God. Lastly, in this passage, Peter says we are saved because of the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. When read in relation to other baptism passages,
we can learn from this that baptism symbolizes our acceptance of Jesus’ death
and resurrection for us, and in it, we pledge to God.
Jesus was
baptized as an adult:
Matthew 3:15 Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist at the start of his ministry at around 30. The fact that Jesus got baptized is a good example to his followers.
The Immediacy of
Baptism in the early church:
Acts 2:38-41 After Peter finished preaching a message very soon after Jesus’ ascension, Peter said the following. “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. The promise is for
you and for your children and all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” In many other words, he warned them; and pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
We can learn
here that those who accepted the Gospel message were baptized and
even baptized on the same day. We also see a note regarding baptized children,
which I will comment on later. Nowhere does the bible mention an infant being baptized, but it
could be argued that it did occur here or within some households that got baptized
together. Clearly, in the early church (as recorded in the Book of Acts),
baptism is
predominantly
mentioned for people who believe, and there is no reference to a common practice of
baptizing infants. (More on this later.)
An example of
the Holy Spirit being evident before baptism:
Acts 10 To get the full flavor, it would be good to read the whole chapter. In summary, God comes to a family of Gentiles, who, as a people group, were generally looked down upon because they were not from God’s original chosen people. But when this man, Cornelius, and others hear Christ's message, they receive the Holy Spirit. Then, in verses 47 and 48, Peter says, “Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
We can see from this that one can have the Holy Spirit, a mark of being saved, without baptism. Yet, even though they already had the Holy Spirit, Peter felt it was important that they get baptized.
Support for
getting rebaptized and as an act of obedience to your decision to believe in
Christ:
Acts 18:24-19:7 This is a vibrant passage with much that could be inferred from it regarding
getting baptized as a believer even if you were baptized earlier. Please read
the story for yourself.
“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They
answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy
Spirit.” So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s
Baptism,” they replied. (Referring to John the Baptists
baptism) Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of
repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is
in Jesus.” Hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
After they were
baptized, Paul then laid his hands on them they received the Holy Spirit.
There is much to
discern from this passage. First, these people trying to follow Jesus still
needed the Holy Spirit. The verse just prior called these men disciples.
Additionally, these men were baptized before this baptism but still had yet to
receive the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist’s baptism, was one of repentance, and
his baptism referred to a time before Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension
into heaven. Similarly, some have been baptized in the past, but when they
were baptized, they did not understand the Gospel or even know of the Holy
Spirit. In those instances, just like these men, a strong argument can be made
to be baptized again with a proper understanding of the meaning of the Gospel,
the Holy Spirit, and baptism.
Household
Baptisms (infants?):
Acts 18:7, 8, and 16:13-34 three households are
baptized together in these two passages. Although there is no mention of children or infants,
someone could make the case that children or even infants were baptized. All of
the stories are very similar. Someone believed in the message of Jesus, and
immediately those in their household were baptized. When combining all of these
passages, it could be argued that if the leader of a family, either male or
female (you will understand if you read the quotes), accepts the gospel message of Jesus
by faith, they then could have their whole family baptized, even potentially
infants, and that that baptism could be a once and for all baptism, sufficient
baptism. Scripturally-based on these household baptism passages, a pretty good
affirming argument towards this position could be made. However, there are some
prerequisites. First, this should only be considered when the family leader trusts
Christ and gets baptized with the family, as in all these circumstances.
Putting that point aside, the more significant questions are, was the leader of
the family a believer in Jesus Christ at the time of the baptism, and was the
baptizer a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ? In all of these instances, this
would be true. As an example, if I was a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ who
was saved and had children whom I wanted to get baptized and the person who
baptized them I also in good conscious believed was a committed believer in the
Lord Jesus Christ, then I think an argument could be made that that baptism
could be a once and for all, sufficient baptism. If, however, I was not even a
saved believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and had my children or an infant
baptized without myself having saving faith, I would question more the validity
of that baptism because, in all of these biblical cases, the household leader
had placed their trust in Christ and out of the response of that took the lead
in having their whole household baptized. In addition, what if that child when
got to the age (and no one knows the exact age we are responsible for our own
faith) of 13 and does not show any evidence of saving faith or walk of faith
with Jesus, but now at the age of 15 accepts Jesus as their Savior.
Should they get
baptized? Arguments could be made both ways; however, at that point, the young
man or young woman could decide how they felt led regarding baptism. After all,
in the early church, baptism following acceptance of Jesus was common practice.
If those men in Acts 19 were baptized twice in the bible, why not others who
may have been baptized before their complete understanding of the Gospel be
baptized again if they feel prompted to do so? If this is done in honor of
Jesus, his name would be glorified in the process. For young people and even
older adults
who never got to experience a ceremony of their baptism, it is good and right and healthy for them to get
water baptized as both a commitment to Christ and a special memory for them of
their duty.
The Apostle Paul
was immediately baptized after he believed.
Acts 9 Paul was a Jew who followed the scriptures intently. Once he heard about Jesus, he was baptized by a believer named Ananias. Paul then went on to write over half the New Testament.
Baptism as your
identification of Christ’s death for you:
These two passages
show that when you get baptized, it symbolizes your dying two your old life and
rising to new life in Jesus. We can’t
live underwater, so baptism identifies with Jesus’ death
and death to our old way of living and a rising to new life in Jesus’ name. In
this way, it is also a symbol of rising to eternal life one day.
Romans 6:3, 4 “Or don’t you know that
all of us baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were
therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as
Christ was raised for the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live
new life.
Colossians 2:12 … having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
Jesus commanded
us to go make disciples, baptize, and teach others:
The Great
Commission: Matthew 28: 16-21
This is one of
the core verses of our ministry. It is one of Jesus' last occasions with his
disciples before ascending to heaven. This is where he told them what He wanted
them to go and do. It is clear here that you should get baptized to be a
disciple of Jesus.
Then Jesus came and said to them. “Therefore, go and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy
Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I
am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
How does the
bible demonstrate baptism:
Acts 8: 26-40 Philip and the Ethiopian. Philip hears someone reading scripture and goes to
explain the scripture and the Gospel to the person. Philip
must have also likely shared with the man about baptism because when Philip
finishes, the man says, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” And he gave orders to stop the
chariot. Then Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip
baptized him. 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.
Matthew
3:16 Jesus Baptism
As soon as Jesus
was baptized he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and
he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a
voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well
pleased.
In both
scriptures, it appears that the baptized person came in and out of the water.
That is why many churches, including our ministry, believe that the
demonstrated method of baptism is submersion, simply meaning that the person
being baptized in one motion goes down and up again in and out of the water. Is
this a critical issue? Likely not, but why not perform baptism as closely as
demonstrated?
For your
reference, here are some other scriptures that mention baptism:
1 Cor. 1:10-16,
Acts 18:8, John 4:2 (the disciples baptizing early on), Mark 10:38
Additional Reading
This topic is
more controversial and can be a bit confusing, but in doing a report and
thorough
research on baptism, it should be addressed.
What is the
baptism of the Holy Spirit?
Baptism of the
Holy Spirit happens when a person genuinely believes in Jesus as Lord and
Savior and then receives the Holy Spirit. It is shown that Holy Spirit Baptism
(spiritual baptism) comes upon people that believe regardless of water baptism.
Sometimes Holy Spirit
Baptism and water baptism come at the same time because, for that person, their
first true faith decision came when they were getting water baptized. Sometimes
the bible indicates that Holy Spirit baptism happens before water baptism. The Holy Spirit enters a man or woman during their
genuine faith decision/conversion. However, as this report will indicate, the
bible is still clear that water baptism is prescribed and important, even if
someone already has believed and received the Holy Spirit.
Some people and
churches believe that the evidence of Holy Spirit Baptism is shown by the gift
of speaking in tongues. This needs to be shown to be consistent in the
scriptures or our experience today. Many people in the Bible and today are
given the Holy Spirit when they believe without the gift of
speaking in tongues. Some scriptures could be interpreted that there is a Holy
Spirit Baptism where someone places their hands on you and prays for you to
receive the gifts of the Spirit. Two of the scriptures used to support this is
Acts 18:24-19:7 and Acts 8:9-25. As the
first mentioned earlier, some men were called disciples but still needed the
Spirit. Then when Paul baptized and placed his hands on them, they received the
Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues and prophecy. Some churches and
people believe that speaking in
tongues is an outward sign that you have had the special baptism of the Holy
Spirit that they claim is different from the normal water baptism that occurred
when people believed. Although the Bible can be shown to support this, when
looking at the whole counsel of God’s
Word, there is ample evidence to refute this.
In the case of
men from Acts 19, before their second water baptism, they had never even heard
of the Holy Spirit. It is difficult to see how they could have previously
understood the Gospel properly without hearing of the Holy Spirit. With that
being said, it could be argued strongly that these men were not yet saved until
they understood the Gospel more adequately, and that is why the Spirit was not
given to them earlier but was now given to Paul.
In another
example, in Acts 8, there was a man named Simon and others who were said to
have believed and were water baptized. Yet, when other disciples showed up,
they found these men without the Holy Spirit. They then laid hands on these
believers, and they received the Holy Spirit. This
passage does not mention speaking of tongues, but they did receive the Holy
Spirit by laying on hands. When reading scripture, it does need to be looked at
as a whole. If everyone were to speak in tongues through the Baptism of the
Spirit and laying on of hands, then these people would have received this gift.
Those reading this report, especially those fond of speaking in tongues, might
find it interesting that I was prayed over and had hands laid upon me by
several people who claim to speak in tongues. Many years later, I do not have
the gift of speaking in tongues. If you read 1 Cor. 12, you will see that Paul
indicates that we all have different gifts from God, and what gift you receive
is up to his will.
1Co 12:11 NASB95 - But one and the same Spirit works all these things,
distributing to each one individually just as He wills.
It is also
apparent in 1 Cor. that only some baptized people in the Spirit will speak in
tongues. The answer to each of these questions is clearly, no.
1Co 12:28-31 NASB95 - And God has appointed in the church, first
apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of
healings, helps, administrations, [various] kinds of tongues. All are not
apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are
they? All are not [workers of] miracles, are they? All do not have gifts
of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not
interpret, do they?
With that said,
we should be open to whatever God chooses to give us.
1Co 14:1a NASB95 - Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual
[gifts,]…
In the end, I
will summarize this by saying that I think it is appropriate for someone to
place their hands on you and pray for you that God may grant any special gift
that God may have for you. When I baptize with water, I also lay a hand on
those being water baptized and pray for them to receive the Holy Spirit and
whatever gift God may give. This is the best Biblical example.
I believe
spiritual gifts are real, as evidenced in the Bible, and that spiritual gifts
exist today. At our church, we believe that God can still do whatever he
desires. Unfortunately, some can emphasize spiritual gifts in a way where they
are pressured or manipulated instead of received as a gift from God. That is
inappropriate and something we do not do.
There is a
website called Got Questions that does a great job on many topics. The issue
being discussed here is called Continuationism or Cessationism. Continuationism
states that any gift mentioned in the Bible can still exist today. Cessationism
is the belief that specific sign gifts have ceased. At our church, we lean
toward Continuationism, but we do this cautiously and with reverence. We don’t believe we should state that God cannot do something
today.
Summary Position on Baptism
Why get baptized?
Baptism is a
frequently demonstrated event modeled by the early church and followers of
Jesus. It is God’s prescribed way
of expressing one’s faith and
commitment to Jesus. It is a great act of obedience to Jesus and a physical way
to reveal that one
trusts in Jesus as Savior and Lord. It is also a
special way of identifying with Christ’s death and
resurrection for the believer. It symbolizes your acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice and victory over sin and death for you. It
also could be described as a special ceremony, where one comes before God to
make their commitment of faith to him. In baptism, you are celebrating what
Christ did for you on the cross, thereby forgiving you of your sin, committing
to death to your former way of life, and making a pledge to live a new life for
Christ’s Kingdom
purposes.