Born of the Water Powerful Scriptural Answers to the Top 20 Questions About Christian Water Baptism
J.L. Antonic
Powerful Scriptural Answers to the Top 20 Ques ons About Chris an Water Bap sm 1. What is water baptism? Water baptism is a command given by Jesus Christ and his Apostles (Matt 28:19) to the followers of Jesus Christ who desire salvation and forgiveness of sins. To be water baptized is to identify with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. (Romans 6:3) and to enter into a covenant or promise relationship with Him. Jesus spoke about being born again of water and of spirit. (John 3:3-5) Water baptism is the water element of the New Birth experience.
2. Who should be baptized? All believers (Acts 2:39) who have professed faith in Jesus Christ and have gone through a a conscious conversion experience (Acts 2:37-41, Acts 8:36, Acts 19:3-5) should be baptized, regardless of age or background (Acts 10:47-48).
3. Is infant baptism biblical? No. Infant Baptism is neither found nor prescribed in the Bible. Baptism is reserved for those who can make a personal, conscious decision to follow Christ. Infants and small children are innocent - unable to understand sin and be held to account for it. There are biblical records of whole households being baptized (Acts 16:15, Acts 16:30) but none mention the unborn, infants, or small children.
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Powerful Scriptural Answers to the Top 20 Ques ons About Chris an Water Bap sm 4. What is the mode of baptism: immersion, pouring, or sprinkling? The very word "Baptism” comes from the Greek “baptizo” which literally means “to immerse” . Baptism by immersion symbolizes a complete burial and resurrection with Christ. Pouring and sprinkling are acts of washing and anointing, respectively - not immersion. All Christian Water Baptism recorded in the Bible and practiced by the earliest Apostolic church was done by full immersion (Mark 1:10 “coming up out of the water”; Acts 8:38-39 “down into” and “up out of” the water).
5. Is baptism necessary for salvation? Yes. Water Baptism is a vital part of the process of salvation, as it imputes the forgiveness, or remission, of sins and establishes the believer's union with Christ by faith. It is where the church unites with the believer before God as the candidate seeks from God the remission of his/her sins (Acts 22:16, Acts 2:38) through faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches us that Baptism not an optional public act of faith, but that it is for the application of the remission of sins, the transactional moment when the penalty from sin is actually lifted from the conscience and accountability of the believer toward God. The Bible repeatedly cites this doctrine in several distinct places Acts 2:38 (Day of Pentecost) Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Acts 10:43-48 (*) To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins....47 Can any man forbid water, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days. Acts 22:16 (Paul's Conversion) "And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord."
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The Bible explicitly states that Baptism is essential for Salvation (Acts 2:37-40, 1 Peter 3:20-21, Mark 16:16), and those who are not baptized will neither see, nor enter heaven (John 3:3-5, Mark 16:6). 1 Peter 3:18-21 (instructing the church at large) 18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the esh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.The like gure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the lth of the esh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: Acts 16 (the conversion of the Philipian Jailer) 30 And (he) brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. 32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, (household) straightway. Acts 19 (The Birth of the Ephesian Church) 3 And he (Paul) said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. 4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Mark 16 (Jesus speaking just prior to His ascension) 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. Acts 2 (Peter speaking at the Birth of the Church) 36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have cruci ed, both Lord and Christ. 37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost...40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
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Powerful Scriptural Answers to the Top 20 Ques ons About Chris an Water Bap sm . . Can baptism be repeated? Baptism can and should be repeated for the purpose of alignment to the Bible if any one of the following criteria apply: 1. IF The believer’s initial baptism was performed in a manner after a church tradition that contradicts explicit biblical prescription given by Jesus’ Apostles, found in the Bible, and practiced by the earliest Christian churches (see item 21)
2. IF The candidate did not fully understand or was misinformed about the need for baptism, its purpose, its symbolism, and the association with remission of sin, the new covenant of grace, and being born again of the water. 3. IF The candidate was unborn, an infant, or of such an early age that they could not be held fully accountable, as a rational free moral agent, to make an informed confession of faith. These we believe God holds unaccountable as they are both unaware and innocent of sin and thereby for their need for repentance/salvation. If the candidate was baptized as an infant, this would be considered inoperative, even if the candidate undergoes sectarian con rmation as there is no biblical precedent for either proxy baptism, or retroactive baptism. Once the candidate is able to make an informed confession of faith, they should be baptized
4. IF their baptism was not performed by a quali ed baptizer who is a biblically born-again believer, themselves being baptized in both water and spirit and who walks in the new covenant believing and preaching the same Gospel taught by Jesus and His Apostles without deviation.
5. IF their baptism was compelled, forced, made under duress, threat of violence, or conducted deceitfully.
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Powerful Scriptural Answers to the Top 20 Ques ons About Chris an Water Bap sm 4. IF their baptism was performed by proxy, or without their knowledge and/or consent,
5. IF their baptism was made using unbiblical methods of pouring, sprinkling, splashing, anointing or any other mode than full bodily immersion in water.
. IF their baptism was made using the Catholic tripartite formula which repeats the words of Matthew 28:19 reading some variant of “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit/Ghost”. The Apostle Peter, given the keys to the kingdom of heaven by Jesus with SPECIFIC authority to lead the church (Matthew 16:19), gave us explicit instructions when he commanded that new converts to Christ be baptized in Jesus’ name (Acts 2:38) in perpetuity (Acts 2:40). Peter later rea rmed to the us that that "...there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12). Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:17 that "...whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." Any other formula for baptism which does not invoke the name of Jesus Christ ignores and denies the covenant transaction between believer and savior. To illustrate this, if I asked you to go to the store to buy a stick of butter, and the grocer asked why you were there and you just said " to buy a stick of butter", instead of getting the butter and paying for it you would leave without having made a real transaction, only a conversation about a transaction. The tripartite formula repeats but does not ful ll the Baptismal command. Baptism must be done in alignment with the directives given by Peter and Paul by "calling on the Name of the Lord" Jesus.
9. IF they were baptized into an incorrect, incomplete, or sectarian tradition of faith that deviates from the prescribed biblical practice (Acts 19:3-4)
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Powerful Scriptural Answers to the Top 20 Ques ons About Chris an Water Bap sm 7. Does baptism confer the Holy Spirit? No. Receiving of the Holy Spirit (also called the Baptism of the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost), is a distinct transaction between God and the believer. It is the “Spirit” part of John 3:3-5 which teaches us that being born again is to be born again of water (water baptism) and spirit (spirit baptism). The bible calls this the “doctrine of baptisms” (Hebrews 6:2). Acts 2, 8, 10, 19 all record both water and spirit baptisms at conversion which are distinct from, but aligned with, water baptism. Acts 19:1-7 shows not only the distinction in baptisms, but also gives us the best example of how the Apostles brought new believers into harmony with Peter’s message in Acts 2:38. 1 John 5:7 (NIV) explains that there are three that bear record of the believer’s conversion testimony: the blood, the water and the spirit. These things are considered by God to be a uni ed testimony.
. Can someone be baptized on behalf of someone else? No. Baptism should be a personal expression of faith and cannot be administered on behalf of another individual. In rare cases where someone is incapacitated, disabled, or before an age of accountability, it is reasonable to believe that God is merciful to either heal or mature that person to a position where they can act for themselves, or if not that His grace is su cient to confer their trial as innocence. We have the example of Jesus forgiving the sins of the paralytic and also healing him and of the man at the pool of bethsaida who could not walk. Despite great obstacles these people were still able to articulate for themselves and therefore no proxy was required. God either dealt with them as they were or healed them - on a case by case basis. Proxy baptism for the dead is a doctrine explicitly taught against by the Apostle Paul (1 Cor 15:29)
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Powerful Scriptural Answers to the Top 20 Ques ons About Chris an Water Bap sm 9. Is baptism a sacrament or an ordinance? Yes. Baptism is considered a sacrament, in that it represents a means of receiving God's grace and participating in Christ's redemptive work. The role of baptism is biblically inextricable from a New Testament conversion experience to Jesus Christ.
10. Is rebaptism necessary when changing denominations? Possibly. Only if that change in church a liation serves to cure doctrinal errors concerning baptism and instates the correct biblical practice. Going from one sectarian group to another who have similar beliefs and practices, normally they will not require it. The real issue is not whether one values alignment to a denomination, sect, or ministry’s doctrines & teachings over the Bible itself. We must always prefer being biblically accurate to being sectarian or pulpit-harmonized. Are we aligned to Christ and His Apostles? Are we aligned to the Bible? Where churches and ministries deviate from scripture we must avoid them. (Gal 1:8-9)
11. What is the role of baptism in the forgiveness of sins? Water Baptism is a covenant transaction between Christ and the believer symbolizing the “washing away” of sins (1 Peter 3:21) and establishing the believer's identi cation with Christ's sacri cial death (Rom 6:4, Col 2:12) Forgiveness of sins is obtained solely through faith in Jesus Christ, and like circumcision was for the Jewish followers of God, water baptism is a transactional act where the believer who by “dying” to sin through repentance receives the “forgiveness of all trespasses, nullifying the penalty for breaking the laws of God - in effect it is where the believer receives his or her “pardon” from God on account of the expression of their faith (Col 2:11-15) No one can merit worthiness for salvation. Paradoxically, it is only when we understand and declare to God our unworthiness for heaven that we can be saved by His Grace.
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Powerful Scriptural Answers to the Top 20 Ques ons About Chris an Water Bap sm 12. Can baptism be administered outside of the Christian faith? No. Water Baptism has a speci c purpose of being associated with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. As one passes through the water, it simulates a typological “burial” and “arising” of the candidate demonstrating the alignment of their Faith with Jesus and their desire to be a liated with His testimony and Grace. This is why the Bible uses the phrase "buried with him in baptism" (Romans 6:4 and Colossians 2:12)
13. Can baptism be received after death? No. Baptism is a personal act of faith and cannot be received after death, as it requires conscious decision and consent. The dead neither have the opportunity to repent (Hebrews 9:27) nor to appeal to the living to help change their station after death (Luke 16:20-31). This is why baptism is so critical.
14. Does baptism guarantee eternal salvation? Not Necessarily. Water Baptism is simply an ordinance for our entry into a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ. If we abide in Him, we have the assurance of our salvation through maintaining our faith in Christ. It is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit that seals us. Again the water, spirit, and the blood all work together as a testimony of our faith toward God. We are saved by Faith in Christ, receiving remission from sin through water baptism, and regeneration/power through the baptism of the holy spirit. “He that believes and is baptized will be saved. He that believes not will be damned.” (Mark 16:16) Water baptism is therefore most certainly a prerequisite for salvation. Notwithstanding, while living believers have a responsibility to "abide in Jesus" (John 15:4) - we ought not be baptized and then just go right back into a sinful lifestyle and still expect to receive salvation unworthily by crucifying christ afresh by our willful misdeeds (Hebrews 6:4-8, Romans 1:16-32, ch. 6). Luke 3:8 warns us not to lean on the security of grace without bringing forth the fruits of repentance best exempli ed in Romans 12:1 which states "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacri ce, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." Powerful Scriptural Answers to the Top 21 Ques ons About Chris an Water Bap sm
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15. Can baptism be performed by non-ordained individuals? It Depends. The Bible records the great commission was given by Jesus to His disciples (Matthew 28:19), not the masses of his followers, and it stands to reason that Water baptism is typically administered by ordained clergy or authorized individuals within a quali ed Apostolic faith community. Ministers of the Gospel are uniquely positioned, and likely more strongly prepared in the scripture, to assess a candidate’s readiness for Water Baptism than the average Christian. However, there is also a case for all Christians, who may not have explicit ministerial vocational authority, to baptize based on the idea of the “priesthood of all believers” (1 Peter 2:9). In much the same way that spiritual gifts such as prophecy operated in the early church, other examples of ministerial delegation and operation to and within members of a local church abound. (1 Cor 1:1114). The broadness found in the language of the great commission as well as in Peter’s First Sermon (Acts 2:39), suggests all saved believers should have the authority to baptize a convert to Jesus. Philip’s baptism of the Ethiopian Eunuch is an example of opportune baptism where Philip was not an Apostle, nor was he in church, he was out and about living His life and God gave him an opportunity.
The best and most ideal case is probably for recognized ministers to baptize a candidate in the midst of the assembly of all believers as an opportunity to welcome that person into a community of faith and to establish new fellowship.
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Powerful Scriptural Answers to the Top 20 Ques ons About Chris an Water Bap sm 1 . Is baptism necessary for church membership? As far as being part of the “Ekklesia” (gk. the “called out ones”), the eternal Church of Jesus, also called the “bride of Christ” or the “Kingdom of God”...Yes. To be considered by Jesus as a part of His eternal church one must be in a covenant relationship with him, and that begins partially with water baptism. Within the Bible, the Apostolic church counted as converts those Christians who aligned with their preaching and were baptized with water and in the Spirit. (Acts 2:47, Acts 4:4, Acts 6:1, Acts 11:21)
17. What is the relationship between faith and baptism? Faith is the mechanism by which an individual receives God's grace, and mercy through baptism.
1 . Should baptism be performed in public or private settings? Public baptism provides an opportunity for a public confession of faith and serves as a witness to others, but Private baptism may be preferred in certain circumstances, such as when the individual is unable to participate in a public gathering. Hospitalization might be an example where public gathering might be either cumbersome or even inappropriate.
19. Can/Should someone be baptized multiple times? While some individuals may desire to be baptized multiple times as a personal expression of recommitment or spiritual renewal, baptism is a one-time event that should not be repeated, as it symbolizes the believer's identi cation with Christ's death and resurrection. Rebaptism, unless for reasons outlined above in item 6, has no value to either God or the Believer.
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Powerful Scriptural Answers to the Top 20 Ques ons About Chris an Water Bap sm 20. What is the signi cance of baptism in the overall Christian faith? Water Baptism in Jesus Name holds signi cance, as it is central to the essence of the Apostolic Christian faith, which rests primarily on faith in Jesus Christ and His redemptive work as revealed in the Holy Scriptures. It is a fundamental sacrament or ordinance that marks the initiation into the Christian faith, representing the believer's new life in Christ. It is the "water" component of the New Birth described in John 3:3-5 which states that we must be born again of water and of spirit to both see and enter the Kingdom of God. The blood of Jesus, the water of baptism and the spirit baptism all agree as one uni ed witness before God as a testimony of our covenant with Christ (1 John 5:7) (NIV)
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Powerful Scriptural Answers to the Top 20 Ques ons About Chris an Water Bap sm 21. What is the correct Biblical way to be baptized in water? BY fully believing and making an earnest confession of faith, acknowledging that Jesus Christ is the One God manifest in the esh who was cruci ed for sin, died, was buried, resurrected, and ascended to heaven. (Romans 10:9-10) BY Being repentant of one’s personal sin(s) and to be saved from the penalty for sins which is spiritual death (Romans 6:23), BY appealing to Christ for the remission of one’s sins (Acts 2:38, 1 Peter 3:21, Col 2:11-15), BY A sincere desire to enter into a Covenant relationship with Jesus Christ, associating one’s faith with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (Romans 6:4) And BY Having a desire to walk in newness of life (Col 2:12); freed from sin (John 8:36); being Born Again (John 3:3-5) into the Kingdom of God (John 18:36). A candidate should be baptized: BY making a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, of their repentance from sin, and desire to walk in newness of life. Thereupon, the baptizer rst con rms the candidate’s confession of faith and then, calling upon and invoking the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, (s)he guides the believer down into into the water fully immersing the candidate and then promptly guides the candidate back up and out of the water. Optionally, As the candidate arises from under the water, the baptizer then may declare that (s)he con rms the covenant that the believer has made with Christ (Romans 11:27, Heb 13:20) con rming that the candidates sins are forgiven (John 20:23) and the penalty of sin thereby remitted (Acts 2:38) by operation of their faith (Col 2:11-13).
If you have your own questions or about Water Baptism or challenges to this Biblical Doctrine that you would like the author to answer and/or address, simply email theriverforum@gmail.com and put "Water Baptism Question" in the subject line of your email. Future versions of this publication may therefore include updates which derive from your inquiry.
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expounding the way of God more perfectly...
This reference booklet takes on the most challenging questions about Christian Water Baptism shared by both believers and non-believers. The answers found herein will hopefully provide you with a challenging way to understand this topic through new eyes by seeing for yourself what the Bible actually has to say about topics like this as opposed to the teachings provided by sectarian churches, ministries, church movements, or denominations. Bible speaks for itself. The answers to the Top 20 Questions about Christian Water Baptism are straight forward, direct, and supported by scripture eliminating any con rmation bias to any particular dogma, creed, orthodoxy, or church movement. Even if you do not initially agree with the answers provided, do your best to suspend any preconceived bias or teaching you may have received on the topic to allow room for God to open your understanding to deeper truth as written in His Word. Above any church tradition, dogma, doctrine, or practice, ministry, or even of ministers themselves - above all other considerations, Christian disciples must be foremost students of the Bible and followers of the Truth it contains about our Lord, Jesus Christ. "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." - 2 Timothy 2:15 (NKJV)