“Get Me To The Water”

Monday, August 17, 2015

I was baptized at age twelve (Baptist Church), but my husband was sprinkled in his Methodist Church when he was a baby.  He is wondering, should he be baptized as an adult?

Sincerely, Sprinkled, Poured or Plunged

Dear Sprinkled, Poured or Plunged,

There are two important elements to baptism:

1. Why you are baptized
2. How you are baptized

God requires that we be baptized for the right reasons. Baptism should be for salvation (Mk 16:16, 1 Pet 3:21). When we are baptized, we must be baptized under Jesus’ authority and for His reasons. Being baptized for membership into a church, as “an outward sign of an inward grace”, for public recognition, as an infant, etc. are not Biblical baptisms. An easy way to find out why you were baptized is to ask your preacher why your congregation baptizes people. Even Paul re-baptized people who hadn’t been baptized under Christ’s authority (Acts 19:3-5). The great preacher Apollos was also re-baptized when he found out he hadn’t been baptized for salvation (Acts 18:24-26). We must be baptized for the right reasons, or we are just getting wet.

We must also be baptized in the right way. This wasn’t much of a problem for the first century christians because they understood what the word ‘baptize’ meant. The only reason we have trouble today is because many religious groups have twisted and altered the Scriptures. ‘Baptize’ comes from a Greek word that means ‘to immerse’; it is the same word that the Greeks used for a ship when it had sunk. Baptism has nothing to do with sprinkling or pouring water on someone. Baptism is a full immersion under water; that is why John baptized where there was “much water” (Jhn 3:23). The whole symbolism of baptism as a burial would make no sense if baptism were sprinkling (Rom 6:4). Biblical baptism is full immersion in water for the remission of sins.

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