I had a reader email in and ask a few questions about baptism; what is it, what is the difference between sprinkle/pour and immersion baptisms, infant baptisms, and is any of it biblical?
Let me start at the beginning and cover what baptism is and what it is not. A Christian baptism is an act we perform to show our faith in Christ as our savior. The act itself is symbolizing us going into the grave, just as Jesus did, and then coming out of the water represents us coming to life is a Christian just as Jesus was resurrected on the third day. In the bible we read:
Or don’t you know that all of us who were 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 from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life
Romans 6:3-4
There are two things you need to make sure of before you consider being baptized: 1) you must understand and accept that Jesus Christ is the savior of mankind and 2) That it symbolizes the death and resurrection of yourself through the act of Jesus Christ in His crucifixion and resurrection. If you can understand and agree with both of those then you are ready to be baptized.
So that pretty much covers the spiritual side of baptisms, so let’s look at the actual act of baptism. There are basically two ways to perform a baptism. Immersion baptisms have the priest and the believer in a tank of water that is approximately waist deep; in the old days this was done in a river and can still be done that way today. The priest will say a prayer and help the person in bending backwards down into the water so that they are lying on their back underneath the water. They will remain this way for only a few seconds before the priest brings them back up. The Baptist denomination is known for immersion baptisms that give them their name.
The second way is by either sprinkling water on the head of the person or pouring water from a pitcher onto the head of a person instead of putting the person under water. This way of baptizing came into effect when infant baptisms started since it was dangerous to put an infant underwater. It is also the preferred way for handicapped or elderly that may not be able to perform an immersion baptism. Many churches have also gone to sprinkling for the ease of not having to maintain the facilities of a baptismal pool and that it is easier to do within in service.
There is a division among the denominations on what is biblical and what is not. It is true that the only way a baptism was performed in the bible is by immersion. Also it represents the going into the grave/water and the resurrection of coming out of the water and holds the symbolism to that while a sprinkling baptism does not. Since this is an outward act to symbolize an inward belief, it is my personal belief that it is up to the individual to decide what they feel is appropriate. My church is a sprinkle church; we do not maintain a baptismal pool. However, my pastors are very open to the individual’s beliefs and desires; we have an agreement with a nearby Baptist church that we can use their pool if needed, and they are open to going to nearby lakes or rivers if you want to “dunk it old school”. =0)
Infant baptisms are another issue that causes some disagreements within the denominations. Nowhere in the bible does it talk about baptizing an infant; and if you actually consider the above two spiritual requirements of acknowledging Jesus as your savior and knowing what the baptism symbolizes, an infant could not meet those requirements and should not be baptized by the letter of the law. Again, my church acknowledges, in the infant baptism service, that an infant cannot know Christ but that we all belong to Christ and the ceremony is more of a dedication of the parents and the congregation to bring the infant up with the word of God and help them understand the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In this case, it is not tied to the spiritual rebirth as a normal baptism would be, but more of a dedication to the child and bringing them up within the church.
And I will end today with what a baptism is not. It is not a free ticket to sin and run amuck simply because you have been baptized and ‘saved.’ This goes against the beliefs that you are baptized under to accept and follow Jesus Christ. Also, you cannot be saved at all by baptism. Remember that we, as mankind, cannot forgive our sins and cannot save ourselves. We can only be saved by faith. The belief that baptism is required to be saved is a belief in self-salvation, which is not correct in the Christian faith.
God bless,
Hunter
