Baptism
In the ancient Middle East, immersion in water was a regular custom associated with many religious groups mostly to identify with a process of cleansing or of identification with a group. In the Bible, however, when it was used by John the Baptist, it is primarily to express one’s desire to show that he has heard God’s call and he is accordingly repentant to the extent that he would like to express it outside by a means prescribed by John with his authority received from heaven.
When Christianity began, in the Great Commission given by Lord Jesus Christ itself, the instructions for Baptism were present. Throughout the New Testament, we see that a person is considered as part of the Body of Christ or Church only after the person has been baptized. Therefore, it was the first thing a person was lead to do when he believed. It was not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a new conscience towards God (1 Pet. 3:21). A person is saved when he believes in his heart that Jesus Christ is the Lord and proclaims it with his mouth (Rom.10:9,10). Of course, it is necessary that the person should first accept Jesus as Immanuel (God) and Yeshua (Saviour) if he wants to accept Him as the Lord. It is easier to accept these things in heart secretly. In a hostile society, expressing it out openly can often mean death. Yet, that kind of an open acknowledgment of who Jesus is expected of the person in order for him to be considered a follower of Christ. Somebody who has acknowledged publicly who Jesus is correctly need not be spiritually right before God. See the example of Simon the Sorcerer and what Apostle Peter had to say to the baptized Simon (Acts 8:20-23). From the Word of God we can see that a person being given baptism is expected to have a public proclamation, pledge of a new conscience, identification with the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and the assurance that his sins are forgiven and he is regenerated by his identification and hence inclusion in Christ Jesus the Lord. Even those who accepted John’s Baptism were given the Christian Baptism (Acts.19:1-5).
Over the years many misconceptions have crept into the belief system of people who are born into Christian families. People began to take it as a magical event which can ensure admission into heaven. As a result, people began to give it to infants also. This defeated the whole purpose. With the introduction of infant baptism, all children born to Christian parents became ‘Christians’ even though the definition of a Christian is somebody who has chosen to become a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, it became possible for such people who do not have the experience of Repentance and Regeneration to become Pastors and Bishops making churches mere organizations. Many reformations were needed to bring back the Baptism of the convinced.
However, in modern times, the need for more number of tithe givers in churches, especially for pastors who live by it, brought in the compulsion to give Baptism to almost all the people who come to the church regularly and who are willing to say yes to a few questions asked to them. As a result, now there are many people in modern reformed churches who are not sure of their salvation but are sure of their baptism. If we ask them about their assurance of salvation they will reply saying that they are baptized believers. They are clueless about their Salvation.
Also the consideration of baptism as a magical event which will ensure heaven for the person, irrespective of his belief system and hence his relationship with the Lord has given rise to many ridiculous situations. For example, in Kerala, an adult from a denominational background took baptism from a supposedly new testament pattern church and he was told after the baptism that now even if he murders somebody, he will still go to heaven! The stress was not on the security of salvation but on the magical powers of Baptism and what it can fetch for the person who was willing to accept it even though the person did not know the gospel. In another incident which a brother in the US told me about, a person in an arid region heard the gospel and accepted it when a traveling evangelistic team taught him the gospel. Some of the team members want to baptize him then and there, lest he may not be saved. However, they had only a can of petrol with them as the liquid. Then they decided to baptize him in petrol as water was not readily available there. Only a boy exclaimed, did our Lord asked us to baptize people in petrol?
There is another interesting aspect to Baptism in the denominational churches. The Nicene Creed talks of belief in One Baptism for the remission of sins. There is every possibility its authors might have meant “the Baptism in the name of Lord Jesus Christ can save a person but not in the name of any other god”. However, it was interpreted to mean that baptism can be taken only once in life! Hence a person who took adult Baptism got a ground to get him excommunicated from that church organization if he was already baptized as an infant.
Therefore it is all the more important to go back to what is told clearly in the Word of God about Baptism. First of all it is given to people like the Ethiopian eunuch, Cornelius the Centurion with those assembled in his house, the repentant Jailor and his household (Acts 16:33) etc. who were absolutely convinced that they need to repent and seek forgiveness of their sins to the Lord Jesus Christ and that Salvation can come to them only through Him and also that they will cross over from death to life once they accept Jesus Christ as the Lord of their life (John 5:24). Of course, it was given to people who were Jews, Priests of Jerusalem Temple, Samaritans, the so-called gentiles, men and women, slaves and free people, rich and poor, wise and barbarians etc. It is an outward proclamation of a regeneration that has happened in the person. Once the person undergoes regeneration by accepting the Gospel, he will proclaim his new faith in many ways: by giving testimony, by answering questions from his relatives and friends, by his changed character and conduct and his explanation for the same, by his writings in some cases, by his association with a different church or fellowship etc. Baptism is one such means. But often for many, it is the only means. But why Baptism? Why not some other process which will not bring the wrath of those who oppose it? This is what is prescribed in the Word of God. If anyone tries to disobey the least of these commandments, he will be known as least in the Kingdom of Heaven (Mathew 5:19). Who wants to take such a risk? Obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Sam.15:22). Therefore church accepts a person as its lawful full member, a person who accepted the Gospel and proclaimed his/ her faith publicly through a testimony and seeks Baptism from the church. Baptizing such people is the responsibility of the church.
Who should give Baptism? During the days of Lord’s public ministry, He gave baptism. But it is clearly mentioned that it is His disciples who conducted the Baptism (John 4:1, 2). Likewise, Apostle Paul who was a herald and an Apostle to carry forward the great commission, says that he did not personally do many baptisms but for a few incidences (1 Cor. 1:14-16). Therefore it is clear that giving baptism is not the role of leaders. The person through whom the new believer got the conviction can be a good candidate. Or it can be any elders of the church with clear convictions.
How Baptism is to be given: Since the content of faith behind baptism is more important than the act of baptism, one should not be bothered by it too much. However, the setting of a Baptismal scene in Bible is clear. John the Baptist was standing in the river Jordan and those who wanted to publicly identify themselves with his teachings were coming to him and getting immersed by him in the waters of river Jordan and brought back (John 3:23, Mt.3:16). Similar settings we can see when the Ethiopian eunuch seeks baptism from Philip the evangelist (Acts 8:36-39). When there is a clear pattern in the Word of God, is it not wise to follow the same pattern?