Radio Transcript

Baptism – Sprinkling, Pouring, or Immersion?

So far in our series of lessons dealing with baptism, that is, water baptism as commanded in the New Testament, we have seen that baptism is essential to salvation. Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:16). When those who were present on the day of Pentecost asked Peter and the other apostles what they must do to be saved, Peter told them to "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 2:38). Consider Ananias’ words to Paul, "And now why tarriest thou" arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord" (Acts 22:16).

But even after establishing the necessity of baptism as a condition of salvation, questions sometimes remain. Is baptism to be in the form of immersion, pouring, or sprinkling? Should infants be baptized? Is there ever a reason for a person to be baptized a second time?

This lesson will deal with the first of these questions, "Is baptism to be in the form of immersion, sprinkling, or pouring?"

First, consider the Greek words for baptize and baptism. These Greek words are "baptizo" and "baptisma." The words "baptism" and "baptize" are not actually translations of these words; they are transliterations. That is, the letters in the Greek words are simply replaced with their English equivalents. In order to confirm the actual meaning, we can go to several sources that are helpful in understanding the Greek language. First, Thayer’s Greek-English lexicon defines "baptize" as "to immerse, plunge, or dip." So does The Greek-English Lexicon by Liddell and Scott. So does the Greek-English Lexicon of the Roman and Byzantine Periods by Sophocles. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words indicates baptism consists of the processes of immersion, submersion, and emergence.

There is not any standard Greek lexicon that defines the Greek word "baptizo" as sprinkle or pour. It is important to keep in mind that the words baptize and baptism are simply transliterations of the Greek words, not translations. They were transliterated, rather than translated, in order to avoid offending those persons who practice pouring or sprinkling. But when these words are translated into English, they can only mean "to immerse," or "immersion."

But someone might ask, "What about our modern English dictionaries? Don’t they define baptism as sprinkling, pouring, or immersion?" Yes, in some instances they may. But these dictionaries reflect the common usage of these words by people in our day and time. They do not indicate the meaning of the word "baptism" as it is used in the Bible. In order to know exactly what was meant by Jesus and his apostles when they spoke of baptism, we must consult those authorities who define how this word was used at the time of Jesus and his apostles.

In order to further determine whether baptism consists of sprinkling, pouring, or immersion, we can consider the figures of speech that are used to describe baptism. Paul wrote, "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:30-4). In verse five of the same chapter, Paul wrote that baptism is a "likeness of his (that is, Christ’s) death." Consider Paul’s words from Colossians 2:12, "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." Which one of the following actions, sprinkling, pouring, or immersion, is a burial? Which one of the following actions, sprinkling, pouring, or immersion is a likeness of his death? Which one of the following actions, sprinkling, pouring, or immersion, is a likeness of his resurrection? It is obvious that only immersion, followed by coming up out of the water, fits Paul’s description of baptism.

In his commentary on Colossians 2:12 Adam Clarke, a Methodist, wrote, "Alluding to the immersion practiced in the case of adults, wherein the person appeared to be buried under the water, as Christ was buried in the heart of the earth. His rising again the third any, and their emerging from the water, was an emblem of the resurrection of the body; and, in them, of a total change of life." John Wesley, also a Methodist, taught that the phrase "we are buried with him," found in Romans 6:4, is an "allusion to the ancient manner of baptizing by immersion."

Cunningham, an Episcopalian, wrote the following in "The Growth of the Church: "Baptism means immersion; and it was immersion. Unless it had been so, Paul’s analogical argument about our being buried with Christ in baptism would have had no meaning. Nothing could have been simpler than baptism in its first form. When a convert declared his faith in Christ, he was taken at once to the nearest pool or stream of water and plunged into it, and henceforth he was recognized as one of the Christian community." Lightfoot, also an Episcopalian, wrote, "Baptism is the grave of the old man and the birth of the new. As he sinks beneath the baptismal waters, the believer buries there all his corrupt affections and past sins; as he emerges thence he rises regenerate, quickened to new hopes and a new life. This baptism is an image of his participation both in the death and resurrection of Christ."

Mosheim, a Lutheran, wrote the following in "Mosheim’s Church History, "The sacrament of baptism was administered in this century (the first) without the public assemblies, in places appointed and prepared for that purpose, and was performed by an immersion of the whole body in the baptismal font." Tholuck, also a Lutheran, wrote the following in his commentary on Romans, "For the explanation of this figurative description of the baptismal rite, it is necessary to call attention to the well-known circumstance that in the early days of the church, persons, when baptized, were first plunged below and then raised above the water."

Brenner, a Catholic, wrote, "For thirteen hundred years baptism was an immersion of the person under water." Every one of these men, being members of their various denominations, held to numerous points of error in their theology. Yet they all understood that the baptism of the early church consisted of immersion, even though their various denominations practice sprinkling or pouring today.

Since these writers all affirm that immersion is the only form of baptism taught in the Bible, should members of those denominations which practice sprinkling or pouring today be charged with dishonesty or insincerity? Not necessarily. But many of these people make the mistake of assuming that apostolic commands and examples are not binding. Human wisdom may sometimes alter specific Bible teaching in what they call "rites" or "customs."

Jesus condemned the religious leaders of his day for making the same mistake. Note the following from Matthew 15:1-9, "Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."

Also notice the following from Mark 7:1-13, "Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables. Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye."

These people made the mistake of laying aside the commandments of God, keeping instead the traditions of men. By keeping certain traditions, they neglected to keep the commandments of God. When a person practices pouring or sprinkling today in place of immersion, he is keeping the traditions of men, rather than the commandments of God. He is rendering the commandment to be baptized of none effect.

These people may be sincere, yet still wrong. One cannot be right unless he is doing God’s will. Jesus said, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matthew 7:21-23.) Love for Jesus is manifested by keeping his commandments (John 14:15). Love for God is manifested in the same way, by keeping his commandments (I John 4:5).

As a final consideration, notice the baptism of the Ethiopian as recorded in Acts 8:35-39, "Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and 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, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing." Did you notice? Both Phillip and the Ethiopian went down into the water. After the Ethiopian was baptized, they, Phillip and the Ethiopian, both came up out of the water. The Ethiopian’s baptism obviously consisted of immersion.

What about your baptism? Was your baptism like the one described in Acts 8:35-39? If you had water sprinkled or poured on you, you kept the tradition of man, not the commandment of God. If you have not been baptized, that is, immersed, as commanded by Jesus and his apostles, you are still in your sins (Acts 2:38). You have not yet put on Christ and become his disciple (Galatians 3:26-27).