"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:16).
"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every" one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…" (Acts 2:38).
Christian water baptism is a ceremony in which one who has repented of his sins is immersed in water in the name of Jesus for the remission of those sins. It is an act of faith in Jesus Christ.
In this chapter we will study baptisms in the Bible, establish that God commands all followers of Christ to be baptized, and analyze each part of the definition given above.
John the Baptist, whom God sent to prepare the way of the Lord, preached and administered the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins (Mark 1:2-4; Luke 3:3-4). He came baptizing in order to manifest Christ to Israel (John 1:31). His baptism was a transitory one designed to prepare the Jewish people for Christ's message and Christian baptism. John made no attempt to abolish the Jewish law, but he supplemented it, expecting his converts to live a repented, moral life as defined by the law and to wait for the One who would baptize them with the Holy Ghost. John's baptism was pre-Christian, for the New Testament church was not yet founded. (See Chapter 8 - The Baptism of the Holy Spirit.) In fact, John's disciples were rebaptized in Jesus' name after the Day of Pentecost (Acts 19:1-5).
John's baptism was for, of, or unto repentance. Apparently he used no baptismal formula, but he told the people, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance" (Matthew 3:11). His baptism both motivated and displayed repentance; his converts repented and confessed their sins at baptism (Matthew 3:6; Mark 1:5).
Since John's baptism was "for the remission of sins," did it confer remission? It could not confer absolute remission of sins, nor could it deal with future sins, for before Christ's atoning death all remission was conditioned upon that future event. Some people contend that John's baptism did confer conditional remission, but conditional remission was already available through the sacrificial system, which John made no attempt to replace. It seems that his baptism simply pointed to future remission that would come through Christ and Christian baptism. It was "unto" remission, a valid translation of the Greek word eis, which is usually rendered "for." Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible concurs in this view. [41]
Jesus Himself was baptized by John. Since Christ was without sin (Hebrews 4:15), we know He was not baptized to show repentance or in anticipation of remission of sins. Instead, He was baptized to manifest Himself to Israel as Messiah, the Baptizer with the Spirit, and the Son of God (John 1:31-34); and He submitted to baptism in order "to fulfill all righteousness"(Matthew 3:15). We can sub-divide these purposes into several points:
(1) Christ was baptized to introduce Himself publicly and to inaugurate His ministry. Significantly, both water (baptism) and Spirit (in the form of a dove) were present on this occasion, foreshadowing the gospel message He was to teach in John 3:5.
(2) By this act, Christ sanctioned John's baptism and his message of repentance, water baptism, and Spirit baptism.
(3) Christ provided an example for us to follow. He did not need baptism for Himself, but He submitted to it for our benefit. If the sinless Christ was baptized, how much more should we? If we are to conform ourselves to Christ (Romans 8:29), we must follow His footsteps in baptism.
(4) Since Christ was baptized to fulfill all righteousness, He did not regard it as a mere ceremony or ritual. Throughout His ministry Christ emphasized moral purity rather than ceremonial purity and described the many traditional washings of the Pharisees as unnecessary (Matthew 15:1-20; Mark 7:1-23). By contrast, He recognized baptism as having moral significance and as being necessary for us.
During Christ's early ministry, His disciples baptized many converts upon His authority (John 3:22; 4:1-3). The Bible says very little about this and does not explain its purpose. Some writers state that this was baptism in Jesus' name while others believe that it was basically a continuation of John's baptism. [42] Proponents of the first theory often say it was a latent form of Christian baptism that became effective to remit sin after Christ's atonement. However, the latter view is probably correct, as Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible holds. [43] The following four reasons support this view: (1) This baptism is mentioned in conjunction with John's; (2) The disciples did not yet have a full understanding of the gospel message; (3) Christ was preaching John's message of repentance, the coming kingdom, and the coming Spirit baptism; (4) It is doubtful whether Christian baptism could have existed even in latent form before Christ died since it is an identification with His burial. However a person interprets these pre-Christian baptisms, it should be recognized that both John's baptism and the disciples' baptism were preparatory to Christian baptism and did not confer absolute remission of sins.
Just before Jesus ascended into heaven He commanded His disciples to go into all the world, to preach the gospel, to make disciples, and to baptize them (Matthew 28:19). He expected all believers to be baptized, and He promised salvation to those who believed and were baptized (Mark 16:16). The Pharisees "rejected the counsel of God" by refusing John's baptism (Luke 7:30), and we will be guilty of the same if we refuse the Lord's baptism.
The church in the Book of Acts carried out the Lord's expectation and command regarding baptism. In the first sermon of the church, Peter commanded everyone to be baptized in the name of Jesus (Acts 2:38): "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized" (Acts 2:41). when the Samaritans believed the preaching of Philip they too were baptized in the name of Jesus (Acts 8:12, 16). The Ethiopian eunuch, Saul of Tarsus, Cornelius, Lydia of Thyatira, the Philippian jailer, the Corinthians, and John's disciples at Ephesus were all baptized when they heard and believed the preaching of the gospel (Acts 8:35-38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:15; 16:33; 18:8; 19:5). Even though Cornelius and his household had received the Holy Ghost, Peter "commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord" (Acts 10:47-48). Ananias commanded Paul to be baptized in the name of the Lord (Acts 22:16).
Baptism requires the literal use of water (John 3:23; Acts 8:36; 10:47-48). The word baptism comes from the Greek word bapto, which means "to dip." [44] W. E. Vine defines baptism as "the processes of immersion, submersion and emergence." [45] Other words existed to indicate sprinkling, but God chose a word to indicate immersion.
Immersion is the only mode of baptism the Bible records. John baptized in the Jordan River (Mark 1:5, 9) and "in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there" (John 3:23). He needed springs and rivers large enough for immersion, not just the few drops of water sprinkling would have required. John immersed Jesus: "And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water" (Matthew 3:16). "And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened" (Mark 1:10). Philip immersed the Ethiopian eunuch: "They went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip" (Acts 8:38-39).
Paul described baptism as a burial with Christ (Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12). These passages presume that baptism is by immersion and only make sense if the reader understands this. No one is buried by sprinkling or pouring a little dirt over the body, but only by complete submergence. Relative to Romans 6:4, The Pulpit Commentary states: "The reference… is to the form of baptism, viz. by immersion, which was understood to signify burial, and therefore death." [46]
Since Bible days, other modes of water baptism have arisen, notably sprinkling (aspersion) and pouring (affusion). However, the Bible itself never describes these methods. Some Old Testament purification ceremonies involved the sprinkling of water, but while they may foreshadow Christian baptism we cannot expect them to teach a precise mode of baptism. Several verses mention the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus, but these verses simply describe Christ's sacrifice in a metaphoric way to connect it with Old Testament blood sacrifices (Hebrews 9:13; 10:22; 11:28; 12:24). These verses do not literally refer to the mode of baptism, but they do show that the Bible could have used another word for baptism that definitely meant "to sprinkle" rather than "to immerse."
Historically, sprinkling and pouring arose as a matter of convenience. Immersion became especially inconvenient after the emergence of three nonbiblical baptismal practices: (1) infant baptism, (2) triple baptism by some trinitarians, and (3) postponement of baptism until the deathbed (in an attempt to live one's whole life in sin and still be saved).
A person should follow the biblical mode for many reasons.
(1) Baptism is a biblical command, so we should follow the biblical mode. In view of the importance the Bible places on water baptism, we should perform it exactly as the Bible describes it.
(2) Jesus was immersed as an example for us to follow. If He, who did not need baptism, submitted to immersion, how much more should we? If baptism is worth doing, it is worth doing the way Jesus and His apostles did it.
(3) Other modes of baptism come from nonbiblical tradition, and tradition is a poor substitute for biblical teaching. Jesus condemned tradition quite strongly when it caused a deviation from God's Word. He told the Pharisees, "Laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men" (Mark 7:8), and "Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition" (Matthew 15:6).
(4) The only advantage sprinkling has is convenience, which is also a poor excuse for not following the Bible. What right have we to insist on a more convenient method than Jesus and the Early Church used? Certainly it would have been more convenient for John to have sprinkled the multitudes, for the apostles to have sprinkled 3000 at Pentecost, for Philip to have sprinkled the eunuch in the wilderness, and for Paul to have sprinkled the jailer at midnight; yet they chose to immerse. Why should we deviate from this pattern on grounds of convenience, especially since the baptismal practices which made sprinkling so popular are themselves nonbiblical?
(5) Immersion demonstrates obedience to God and respect for His Word. Why invent an arbitrary mode and try to justify it? Why debate whether various man-made alternatives would be acceptable? True respect for God and His Word will cause us to be content with the biblical mode; instead of ignoring or refusing it we will obey it.
(6) Only by immersion do we retain the significance of baptism as a burial with Christ.
John preached "the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins" (Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3), pointing to the time when God would remit sins at Christian water baptism. Just prior to the first Christian baptismal service, Peter said, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38). Remission denotes a release, wiping out, cancellation, or dismissal. At baptism, God releases, wipes out, cancels, and dismisses our sins.
Some disagree with this understanding, holding that baptism is performed because one has already obtained remission of sins. To them the word for in Acts 2:38 means "because of" or "with a view towards." It seems clear, however, that for actually means "to receive or "in order to obtain."
(1) This is the literal meaning one gathers from reading both the Greek and English texts. The NIV translates Acts 2:38 as, "Peter replied, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven…
(2) The context leads to this interpretation. Guilty sinners asked, "What shall we do?" (Acts 2:37). Peter answered them by explaining what they needed to do to receive remission of sins, not by describing optional conduct. He did not mean, "Repent and be baptized because you already have received remission of sins."
(3) Matthew 26:28 records exactly the same Greek wording when Jesus said, "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." Christ shed His blood so that we might obtain remission of sins, not because we already have it. The phrase can point to future remission of sins (as John and Jesus used it), but it never points back to remission already obtained.
(4) Many other verses of Scripture describe the role of baptism in remitting sins.
At this point, we must emphasize that the Bible does not teach "baptismal regeneration," for the water and the ceremony do not have saving power in themselves. Water baptism is not a magical act; it is without spiritual value unless accompanied by conscious faith and repentance. Baptism is important only because God has ordained it to be so. God could have chosen to remit sin without baptism, but in the New Testament church He has chosen to do so at the moment of baptism. Our actions at baptism do not provide salvation or earn it from God; God alone remits sins based on Christ's atoning death. When we submit to water baptism according to God's plan, God honors our obedient faith and remits our sin.
Jesus said we must be born of water and the Spirit in order to enter the kingdom of God (John 3:5). We are saved by "the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost" (Titus 3:5). (Chapter 4 - Birth of Water and Spirit explained that both verses refer to water baptism.) These verses place water baptism within the process of the new birth, but they do not teach baptismal regeneration. Jesus mentioned one new birth that includes both water and the Spirit.
Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:16). Jesus linked both belief and baptism together in the promise of salvation, showing that both are necessary. If we say baptism is not necessary, we amend the Lord's statement to say, "He that believeth and is [not] baptized shall be saved."
Jesus did not discuss the situation of one who "believed" but refused baptism, for that is a contradiction in terms. He knew that if someone did not believe he would not be baptized or that if he were baptized, his baptism without belief would be worthless. He knew a true believer would be baptized. By saying "He that believeth not shall be damned," Jesus implicitly covered the case of one who would refuse baptism.
Acts 22:16 says, "And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." God washes away sins at baptism when we call on His name. "But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God" (I Corinthians 6:11). Many commentators see this verse as another reference to the washing of sins that occurs when one is baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Peter recalled that in Noah's day "eight souls were saved by water" (I Peter 3:20). He continued, "The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (I Peter 3:21). Another translation may help to explain the meaning of this verse: "Eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also - not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (NIV). The Greek word translated as answer (KJV) or pledge (NIV) also means "inquiry" (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance) or "appeal" (W. E. Vine, An Expository Dictionary). Other versions of the Bible reflect the various meanings of answer: "an appeal to God for a clear conscience" (RSV); "the prayer for a clean conscience before God" (Moffat); and "the request unto God for a good conscience" (Rotherham).
The same flood waters that killed the people of Noah's day actually served as the instrument of salvation for the eight in the ark, for the ark floated on the water. They were saved through the water, which symbolizes the role of baptism today. Baptism has become a means of salvation for us, not because it washes dirt from our physical bodies but because it provides us with a good conscience before God. Since God washes away sins at baptism, it is a request or an appeal to Him to give us a conscience free from condemnation.
We should not suppose, however, that the waters of baptism possess saving virtue in themselves; water alone does not save a person just as the flood water alone did not save the eight. Salvation was found in the ark, and only those who obeyed God's plan to enter the ark were saved. In the same manner, obedience to God in water baptism places a person in a place of safety. In other words, baptism is the water through which we receive salvation, but Jesus Himself is the ark of salvation.
The Pulpit Commentary supports this explanation of I Peter 3:21: "The literal translation will be, 'Which (as) antitype is saving you also, (namely) baptism'; that is, the water which is saving you is the antitype of the water of the Flood." [47] It concedes, "Baptism doth save us, but not the mere outward ceremony… The outward and visible sign doth not save if separated from the inward arid spiritual grace. The first is necessary, for it is an outward sign appointed by Christ; but it will not save without the second." [48]
Paul taught that baptism was a burial with Christ (Romans 6:3-4; Colossians 2:12). The old man is buried at baptism. The old man is the unregenerate lifestyle, the record of past sins, and the dominion of sin. After baptism, we never have to face the record of our past sins again. With respect to Romans 6:3, F. F. Bruce stated in The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, "From this and other references to baptism in Paul's writings, it is certain that he did not regard baptism as an 'optional extra' in the Christian life, and that he would not have contemplated the phenomenon of an 'unbaptized believer.'" [49]
Paul also taught that we are baptized into Christ: "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27). We understand this to mean the one baptism of water and Spirit that places us into the body of Christ. Water baptism is necessary to identify us with Christ and to place us in His spiritual family.
Paul compared baptism to circumcision in the Old Testament: "In whom [Christ] also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses" (Colossians 2:11-13).
This verse refers to water and Spirit baptism, which includes both burial of the old man and the resurrection of the new man in Christ. Water baptism is a spiritual circumcision that separates from sins, cuts away the control of the sinful nature, and results in forgiveness of sins. The Spirit baptism completes the circumcision process by imparting new spiritual life.
Old Testament circumcision was the means by which a male Jew became part of the Jewish religion and heir to God's promises to Abraham. God told Abraham, "This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you arid thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised… And the uncircumcised man child… shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant" (Genesis 17:10,14). Circumcision alone was valueless without a corresponding faith in God and obedience to His Word (Romans 2:25; 4:12). But God demanded that the Jews practice literal circumcision (Exodus 4:24-26; Joshua 5:2-9). An uncircumcised man could not participate in the Passover supper (Exodus 12:43-44). Likewise, at Christian baptism God cuts away a person 5 old sins and joins him to God's people. Without circumcision an Israelite male was not part of God's people; he was subject to the penalty of death and could not participate in God's salvation plan.
In Chapter 3 - The Gospel of Jesus Christ and this chapter we have discussed the following typological references to water baptism: (1) the Red Sea crossing; (2) washing and sprinkling of Israel a; the giving of the Law; (3) the laver in the Tabernacle courtyard; (4) washing of priests at their consecration; (5) washing of animal sacrifices; (6) washing and sprinkling of lepers who were healed; (7) washing of the ceremonially unclean; (8) washing of spoils of war and warriors' clothing; (9) Noah's flood; and (10) circumcision Some additional examples are: (11) the Levites, who ministered before God, were consecrated by the sprinkling of the water of purification (Numbers 8:7); (12) on the Day of Atonement the high priest had to wash twice (Leviticus 16:4, 24); (13) Naaman the leper received healing after he dipped seven times in the Jordan River in obedience to Elisha's command (II Kings 5:10-14).
Naaman thought it beneath his dignity to dip in the muddy Jordan, yet he did not receive his healing until he obeyed. His servants asked him, "If the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, arid be clean?" This principle applies to any of God's commands, including baptism. We should not question His plan or despise it, but obediently submit to water baptism and receive the spiritual cleansing God provides there.
A close look at some of these types indicates the role of baptism as a cleansing from sin. Before the priest could enter the Tabernacle he had to wash at the laver; otherwise God would strike him dead. God commanded, "They shall wash with water, that they die not" (Exodus 30:20). A ceremonially unclean person had to wash with water before he could become clean (Leviticus 15; 17:15-16; Numbers 19; compare Ezekiel 36:25). This was "the water of separation… a purification for sin" (Numbers 19:9) or the "water of cleansing… for purification from sin" (NIV). If the unclean person refused to wash in this manner, he continued to bear his iniquity (Leviticus 17:16). "That soul shall be cut off from Israel: because the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him" (Numbers 19:13). "But the man that shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from among the congregation, because he hath defiled the sanctuary of the LORD: the water of separation hath not been sprinkled upon him; he is unclean" (Numbers 19:20).
A close look at some of the types shows that blood was applied by means of water. This indicates that in water baptism, the blood of Christ is applied for remission of sins. After the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai, Moses mixed blood and water and sprinkled it on the people (Hebrews 9:19). When cleansing an ex-leper, the priest mixed a bird's blood with water and sprinkled it on the person (Leviticus 14:1-7). In order to prepare the water of purification for an unclean person, the priest killed a red heifer and burned it as a sacrifice, with much of its blood still in it (Numbers 19:1-5). The ashes became equivalent to blood as a purifying agent (Hebrews 9:13) and were mixed with water to make the water of purification (Numbers 19:9). In all these cases, water was the means by which the atoning blood was applied.
Those who do not believe sins are remitted at baptism hold that it is merely a public confession of faith, an announcement that sins have already been remitted, or a declaration of joining the visible church. However, many Bible accounts indicate that it is not primarily a public confession or a sign of a previous spiritual event.
The Ethiopian eunuch was baptized in the middle of the desert with no one to observe his baptism (Acts 8:26-39). The Philippian jailer was baptized around midnight by Paul and Silas who had just received a brutal scourging (Acts 16:25-33). If baptism was merely a public ceremony of no immediate necessity, surely they would have waited until Paul and Silas had recovered somewhat from their wounds, or at least until daylight. John's disciples had already been baptized once and had made a public confession, but Christian baptism was so important that Paul rebaptized them in the name of Jesus (Acts 19:1-5). Cornelius and his household had already received the Holy Ghost and had spoken in tongues as public evidence to all, yet Peter still commanded water baptism (Acts 10:47-48).
In an attempt to denigrate the importance of baptism, some quote Paul's statement, "Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel" (I Corinthians 1:17). Just prior to this verse Paul reproved the Corinthians because they had formed factions, some claiming to follow Paul, some Apollos, some Cephas, and some Christ (I Corinthians 1:11-13). Paul expressed relief that he had personally baptized only a few of them. No one could accuse him of trying to start his own following or to baptize in his own name (I Corinthians 1:14-16). As far as Paul was concerned, others could have the honor of baptizing, but he had a special calling to preach. It did not matter who performed the ceremony, but only that the gospel be preached.
In this way, Paul emphasized to the Corinthians that salvation comes solely through Christ, not through great leaders. Instead of looking to the personalities who had preached and administered baptism to them, they needed to look to Jesus and His gospel. As Bruce noted in The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, Paul's "references to baptism in I Cor. i. 14-17 do not mean that he regarded the sacrament itself as unimportant, but that the identity of the baptizer was unimportant. He takes it for granted that all the members of the Corinthian church were baptized." [50] Paul's correction of the Corinthians in no way detracted from the importance of baptism as part of the gospel, which he taught in many other passages.
Some contend that baptism cannot be necessary because this would mean salvation by human works. We must understand that baptism is an act of faith; it is the occasion at which God has chosen to remit the sin of the repentant believer. With Martin Luther, we affirm both justification by faith and the essentiality of water baptism.
God frequently requires an observable faith response on man's part before He performs a spiritual work. The Old Testament requirements of circumcision blood sacrifice, and purification ceremonies were consistent with justification by faith. Before Jesus turned water into wine He required the servants to fill the water pots (John 2:7). Before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead He required the onlookers to roll the stone away (John 11:39). He could have performed these miracles without assistance, but He required a manifestation of faith and obedience.
Just because one man baptizes another does not mean man saves man. Man does not remit sin; God just uses him as an instrument to transmit the gospel. By the same principle God uses man's preaching to bring salvation (I Corinthians 1:18, 21), and no one will hear the salvation message without a preacher (Romans 10:13-17). When God arrested Paul on the road to Damascus, He did not reveal the plan of salvation to him, but He directed him to a preacher named Ananias (Acts 9). The angel of God did not preach to Cornelius but directed him to Peter for the salvation message (Acts 10). God uses humans to bring the message of salvation to others, and water baptism is simply another example of this fact.
If we can ignore the command to be baptized because it is a "work," then we can ignore the command to repent also. This would lead to the absurd view that one can be saved without repentance.
Some people teach that forgiveness and remission are two distinct events, the former occurring at repentance and the latter at water baptism. According to this teaching, at repentance God accepts man's apology and restores him to a personal relationship, and at baptism God removes the record and penalty of past sins. This distinction has some basis in the definitions and KJV usage of the English words. For example, Webster's Dictionary defines forgive as "to cease to feel resentment against (an offender): Pardon" and it defines remit as "to release from the guilt or penalty of… to refrain from exacting… to cancel or refrain from inflicting." [51] Forgiveness conveys the idea of personal reconciliation, while remission connotes a legal settlement.
However, even in English, forgive and remit are often used interchangeably. Webster's Dictionary defines pardon as "to free from penalty… to remit the penalty or forgive." [52] More importantly, there is no distinction between forgiveness and remission in the Greek. There is only one Greek word, aphesis, which the KJV sometimes translates as "forgiveness" (Acts 5:31) and sometimes as "remission" (Acts 2:38). Most later translations, such as the RSV and NIV, use only forgiveness and not remission. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance defines aphesis as "freedom; (fig.) pardon." Vine's Expository Dictionary says it "denotes a dismissal, release" and defines the verb form, aphiemi, as "primarily, to send forth, send away… denotes besides its other meanings, to remit or forgive." [53]
The Old Testament associated forgiveness with an atoning sacrifice. Not only did the Israelite have to confess his sin to God and ask for pardon, but he also had to offer a blood sacrifice in order to receive forgiveness. The following passages explicitly define the condition that forgiveness depends upon a blood sacrifice: Leviticus 4:13-35; 5:7-18; 6:1-7; 19:22, Numbers 15:22-28, and Deuteronomy 21:1-8. At the dedication of the Temple, Solomon prayed that God would hear prayers offered there and forgive (I Kings 8:30-50; II Chronicles 6:21-39). He did not mean prayer instead of sacrifice, but prayer associated with the Temple sacrifices.
In other Old Testament passages God promised forgiveness if His people would repent (II Chronicles 7:14; Jeremiah 36:3), and His people often asked for forgiveness (Psalm 25:18; Daniel 9:19; Amos 7:2), but no verse repudiates the necessity of blood sacrifices offered sincerely and without hypocrisy. We can assume that the penitent cry was associated with the Temple sacrifices whenever possible. Hebrews 9:22 states, "Without shedding of blood is no remission." Although animal sacrifices did not provide forgiveness in themselves, they pointed to Christ; the Old Testament saints demonstrated faith by obedience to God's plan of blood sacrifices.
Many New Testament passages speak in general terms of the forgiveness one can obtain from God (Matthew 12:31-32; Mark 4:12; Luke 23:34; Romans 4:7), while others speak of forgiveness that man gives to man (Matthew 18:21; II Corinthians 2:10; 12:13). Many speak of forgiveness that believers can receive for sins committed after conversion (Matthew 6:12-15; Acts 8:22; James 5:15; I John 1:9; 2:1), in which case prior water baptism is assumed.
In the New Testament two individuals expressly received forgiveness apart from water baptism - the man with palsy and the woman who washed Christ's feet (Matthew 9:2-6; Luke 7:47-49). Both cases occurred during the transition from the old covenant to the new, before the founding of the New Testament church and before Christian baptism. Jesus expected those whom He forgave to follow the Law and wait for further revelation, but in no case did God grant forgiveness apart from obedience to His plan for that day. Even the repentant thief on the cross was saved under the old covenant, with Christ being both his high priest and his sacrifice.
The following table summarizes every occurrence of the Greek word aphesis in the New Testament:
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| Scripture | KJV wording | NIV wording | Context | |
| 1 | Matthew 26:28 | remission | forgiveness | through blood of Jesus |
| 2 | Mark 1:4 | remission | forgiveness | baptism of repentance for aphesis |
| 3 | Mark 3:29 | forgiveness | forgiveness | for blasphemy |
| 4 | Luke 1:77 | remission | forgiveness | through Jesus |
| 5 | Luke 3:3 | remission | forgiveness | baptism of repentance for aphesis |
| 6 | Luke 4:18a | deliverance | freedom | through Jesus |
| 7 | Luke 4:18b | liberty | release | through Jesus |
| 8 | Luke 24:47 | remission | forgiveness | disciples to preach repentance and aphesis |
| 9 | Acts 2:38 | remission | forgiveness | repentance and baptism for aphesis |
| 10 | Acts 5:31 | forgiveness | forgiveness | Jesus gives repentance and aphesis |
| 11 | Acts 10:43 | remission | forgiveness | believers receive aphesis through name of Jesus |
| 12 | Acts 13:38 | forgiveness | forgiveness | through Jesus |
| 13 | Acts 26:18 | forgiveness | forgiveness | after turning to God |
| 14 | Ephesians 1:7 | forgiveness | forgiveness | through blood of Jesus |
| 15 | Colossians 1:14 | forgiveness | forgiveness | through blood of Jesus |
| 16 | Hebrews 9:22 | remission | forgiveness | blood necessary |
| 17 | Hebrews 10:18 | remission | forgiveness | no other sacrifice needed |
The table demonstrates that the following elements are part of New Testament forgiveness: the blood of Jesus, faith, repentance, the name of Jesus, and water baptism. In the New Testament church we receive forgiveness by repentance and water baptism in the name of Jesus, both of which are made possible and effective by the Mood of Jesus.
This explains an otherwise very difficult passage of Scripture. Jesus told His disciples, "Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained" (John 20:23). If forgiveness comes by confession alone, how could the apostles forgive sin? They could not take God's place as the forgiver, nor could they assume Christ's place as mediator, but those whom they baptized received remission of sins. The apostles could not arbitrarily refuse to baptize believers (Acts 10:47); all who accepted the apostles' baptism received remission of sins while those who rejected it did not.
True faith in God and His Word will lead to water baptism. Without faith in God, baptism is meaningless. Without faith it is impossible to please God, and baptism is no exception (Hebrews 11:6). Baptism in Jesus' name is ineffective unless the candidate actually has faith in Jesus and the power represented by His name (Acts 10:43). Philip told the Ethiopian he had to believe in Jesus before he could be baptized (Acts 8:37). For God to remit sins at baptism, one must have faith in Jesus as Savior, looking to Him for forgiveness and not to the ceremony, the water, the works of the candidate, or the goodness of the administrator.
According to Acts 2:38 and other verses of Scripture, it takes both repentance and water baptism to receive the gift of forgiveness or remission: "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins… "(Acts 2:38). We can say that God deals with the present consequences of sin at repentance and with the eternal consequences at baptism. (See Chapter 5 - Repentance.) Repentance does play a crucial role in receiving forgiveness, but rather than saying we receive complete forgiveness at repentance alone it is more biblical to speak of forgiveness after repentance and water baptism together.
Repentance should precede baptism. John preached repentance first, and his converts confessed their sins to God at baptism (Matthew 3:6; Mark 1:5). When people came to be baptized, he demanded that they first repent and show evidence of repentance (Matthew 3:8; Luke 3:8). Baptism is a burial of past sins, but for this burial to have meaning there must be a death to sin by repentance. For sins to be remitted at baptism there must be repentance from those sins.
Since the Bible teaches repentance should precede baptism, a minister should carefully explain repentance to the baptismal candidate. If the candidate manifests a failure to repent, the minister could refuse baptism even as John did. Of course, he cannot demand a high level of spiritual maturity; that will take time and teaching to develop. Ultimately, each person must answer to God for himself, so the minister should usually respect a knowledgeable person's sincere statement that he has repented.
It is scriptural, however, for the minister to question the candidate as to his faith in Jesus Christ. Philip elicited a statement of faith from the Ethiopian eunuch before agreeing to baptize him (Acts 8:37), and the minister has the responsibility to receive such a confession prior to the baptismal act.
The Bible does not specifically state what to do when a person confesses that he did not repent until after his baptism. One option would be to rebaptize him, but the Bible does not teach this or record any rebaptisms for this reason. Since baptism is essentially an act of faith, it would appear that rebaptism is not necessary if the original baptism was motivated by faith in God and a sincere desire to live for Him. Faith and a desire for God indicate a measure of repentance. The validity of baptism depends upon faith, which involves an acknowledgement of sins an acceptance of the Cross, not upon a complete list of sins a person has committed.
Here are some examples to demonstrate this position: (1) Infant baptism is not valid since the infant cannot exercise faith. The person should be rebaptized when he is older and after demonstrating understanding, faith, and repentance. (2) If an adult is baptized for social rather than spiritual reasons, he should be rebaptized after he possesses personal faith and after he experiences repentance. (3) When an adult sees his need of God and feels a desire to live for God, and is baptized, but he realizes later that he had not completely repented of his sinful lifestyle, there is no need for him to be rebaptized. Later he must repent of these sins and receive the Holy Ghost. He does not need to be rebaptized because his baptism was an act of faith in Christ. Although his baptism did not remit unrepented sins at the time, it became effective later as he repented. (4) A man repents, is baptized, and receives the Holy Ghost, but later he returns to a life of sin. When he repents of his backsliding, he does not need to be rebaptized because his baptism covers his subsequent sins when he repents.
In conclusion, one baptism is sufficient if done in the name of Jesus with faith in Him, but no sins (either before or after baptism) are remitted without repentance from those sins. Baptism's validity does not depend upon the faith, morality, or lack of either on the part of family, friends, or administrator, but rather on the candidates repentance and faith in Christ.
As this discussion suggests, infant baptism is not valid and can never become valid later in life since infants do not have conscious faith. Some people suggest that God gives faith to infants to validate baptism. However, while God is the ultimate source of faith, man is responsible for using that faith and has the choice to do so or not. Saving faith is a conscious, voluntary response to God. The Bible teaches baptism for believers only (Mark 16:16; Acts 8:37) and for the repentant only (Luke 3:8; Acts 2:38). Infants can neither believe nor repent, and the Bible records no examples of infant baptism.
Some people point to household conversions as evidence for infant baptism. For example, Lydia's household and the Philippian jailer's household were baptized (Acts 16:15; 31-33). However, Cornelius' household received the Holy Ghost and spoke in tongues (Acts 10:24, 44-46; 11:14-17), yet it is evident that infants did not speak in tongues. The household literally included domestic animals, but no one contends that animals were baptized. The Bible explicitly records that the jailer's whole house believed and that Crispus' whole house believed (Acts 16:34; 18:8), but any infants present did not have conscious faith. We must understand household baptism to include only those scripturally qualified for baptism - those old enough to repent, have faith, and be saved.
Some persons teach infant baptism on the grounds that infants were circumcised in the Old Testament. However, baptism is a spiritual and not physical circumcision and it involves a spiritual and not physical cleansing. Past sins and the old lifestyle are cut away, which necessitates conscious faith and repentance. Colossians 2:11-12, the passage that describes baptism as a spiritual circumcision, teaches that this spiritual work takes place through our faith in the working of God. Furthermore, circumcision typifies both water and Spirit baptism; the candidate for water baptism should be ready to receive the Spirit.
In the Old Testament God dealt in a special way with a nation that was physically identified and separated from the world. Today God deals on an individual basis rather than on a national basis; His chosen people are those who have been born again and spiritually separated from the world.
Baptism on behalf of dead people is not biblical. The dead cannot have saving faith, nor can they repent; it is too late for them: "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). The Bible does not teach that souls can be saved after death, especially by actions taken by others on their behalf.
The practice of baptizing on behalf of dead people is based on a erroneous interpretation of I Corinthians 15:29. In I Corinthians 15, Paul taught the resurrection of Jesus and the future resurrection of the dead. As part of his argument, he asked, in essence, "If there is no resurrection why are some baptized for the dead?" There are several theories as to what Paul meant, but this verse does not teach or approve of baptism on behalf of the dead, especially since this would contradict the rest of Scripture.
Here are three possible explanations of the verse: (1) Paul referred to those who became converts as a result of the death of Christian loved ones. (2) He referred to baptism by proxy, not to condone it, but to use it as an example of belief in the resurrection. Perhaps some Corinthians taught against the resurrection, yet they baptized on behalf of the dead, and he pointed out their inconsistency. (3) He meant baptism into Christ's death. "The dead" probably does not mean Christ since the Greek word is plural, but it may mean the old sinful selves that died in repentance. Baptism buries the dead ones with Christ so they can rise in newness of life as Christ did (Romans 6:3-5). Viewed this way, baptism is a confession of Faith in Christ's resurrection, which is what Paul affirmed in this entire passage.
As Christians, we can obtain forgiveness for sins committed after baptism (I John 2:1). God simply requires us to repent and confess our sins: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9). He does not require a second baptism; the original water baptism becomes effective with respect to subsequent sins when we confess those sins in repentance to God.
God is sovereign in His plans, and we have no right to question His choice of plans. Neither does our lack of understanding lessen our duty to obey. Nevertheless, we can understand some reasons why God designed water baptism and made it so important.
Water symbolizes death. Water causes great destruction and death through storms and floods, and a human being will drown after a few minutes of immersion in water. In Noah's day God used water to bring death to the entire unbelieving world.
Second, water is universally associated with washing and cleansing. For many reasons it is the most commonly used cleansing agent. It dissolves dirt, it is readily available, it can be used on almost anything without causing damage; as a liquid it is easy to use, and it can be applied with great force.
Finally, water symbolizes life itself. No plant, animal, or human life can exist without water. A man can survive for several weeks without food but for only several days without water. Water dissolves many substances, making it possible for the necessary chemical reactions to take place in the body. Approximately sixty percent of the human body is water, and about eighty percent of the blood is water. [54] Blood, which distributes oxygen and nutrients to every part of the body, could not flow without water in it; it would cease to be "the life of all flesh" (Leviticus 17:14). Even in the physical realm, water transports and applies life-giving blood to the body
These three important truths about water make it uniquely suited to symbolize what happens at baptism. When we are submerged in the waters of baptism, God destroys, drowns, and buries the old man. During baptism, God applies Christ's life-giving blood to cleanse us from sin. When we emerge from the waters of baptism, we are ready for the new life in the Spirit.
Although water baptism and Spirit baptism combine to form one baptism, we must not equate the two events as some have done. Ideally, one will receive the Holy Spirit as he comes out of the water of baptism, but this does not always happen. There may be a lack of knowledge, faith, or repentance. The Samaritans are a good example Acts 8:12-17). In other cases, people repent and receive the Holy Ghost before they are baptized in water. Cornelius is a good example of this (Acts 10:44-48). The Bible describes water and Spirit baptism as two distinct events even though they agree in one purpose.
Our answer to the necessity of baptism is in the affirmative. God could have chosen to remit sins apart from baptism, but His Word teaches that He has chosen to remit sins at baptism. The question is not what God could do but what He does. We do not question God's sovereignty, and we have no authority to teach remission of sins in this age apart from Christian baptism. The Bible does not discuss the possibility. We must avoid human speculation with respect to possible exceptions. Our task is to preach and practice baptism for the remission of sins. We know the Bible teaches us that God remits sins at baptism in the name of Jesus, and that is sufficient for our task.
Let us summarize what happens at water baptism.
(1) God remits sins at water baptism (Acts 2:38; 22:16). Sins are forgiven in the total sense of the word. God's record of us as sinners is wiped out, and the penalty for sin - eternal spiritual death - is removed. Our sins are washed away - gone forever. Remission applies to all sins from which we repent, no matter when they are committed. Remission occurs only when the person baptized believes and repents, but the validity of baptism does not depend on the spiritual condition of anyone else (such as the administrator of baptism).
(2) Water baptism is part of the new birth. The baptized person is born of water, which simply refers to the spiritual work God performs in him (John 3:5; Titus 3:5).
(3) Baptism identifies us with the death and burial of Jesus (Romans 6:1-4; Colossians 2:12). It indicates that we died to sin by repentance and are burying not only our past sins, but also the "old man" - the dominion of sins and the sinful lifestyle.
(4) Water baptism is part of the one baptism of water and Spirit that places us into the body of Christ (Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:27). It is a personal identification with Jesus and part of our entrance into His family.
(5) Water baptism is part of our spiritual circumcision (Colossians 2:11-13). God performs spiritual surgery, cutting away the "old man" with its sins. Baptism denotes our new covenant relationship with Him.
This chapter has discussed the importance and necessity of water baptism. In the next chapter we will discuss the scriptural formula for water baptism, its significance, and its importance for us today.