What is baptism? Who should be baptised? What is the purpose of baptism? Only God can give us the answers to these questions. God’s answers are found in the Bible. Let us learn what the Bible teaches about baptism.
The Bible gives us certain requirements which we must obey before we can be baptised. One must believe in Jesus Christ before one can be baptised. Jesus said the following.
It is by hearing the Word of God.
One must repent of his sins before he can be baptised. The Bible says the following.
Repentance must come before baptism. Before one can be baptised, he must confess his faith in Christ.
One must hear the Word of God, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, repent of his sins, and confess his faith before he can be baptised into Christ. A newborn baby or small child cannot be baptised. A baby cannot understand Jesus.
A baby cannot repent of sins when he has not done anything, either good or bad. A baby cannot confess his faith in Jesus. Since a baby cannot hear, believe, repent, or confess, he cannot be baptised. In the Bible, we learn that only people old enough to hear, believe, repent, and confess were ever baptised.
There are two ways in which churches baptise people today. One is by pouring or sprinkling water on the person’s head. The other is by burying or immersing a person in water. Which one is correct baptism? The Bible gives the answer.
If we want to bury a dead body, we will not sprinkle a little dirt on the head. We will cover the body completely. Baptism is a burial. Sprinkling water on the head of a person does not baptise him. He must be completely buried under the water.
John chose a place to baptise where there was much water. Sprinkling requires only a little water. But a burial in water requires much water. Therefore, John did not baptise by sprinkling. He was baptised by being buried in water.
When Philip baptised the eunuch, both of them went down into the water. After the baptism, both of them came up out of the water. To sprinkle a person, it is not necessary to go down into the water. To baptise a person by burying him in water, it is necessary to go down into it. Therefore, Philip baptised the eunuch by burial, not sprinkling.
The Bible teaches that it is by a burial in water. Therefore, sprinkling is not true baptism.
There are four reasons why we must be baptised: First, we must be baptised if we want to be saved. Jesus Himself said the following.
The apostle Peter said the following.
Second, we must be baptised if we want to have our sins forgiven. The Bible says the following.
Third, we must be baptised if we want to be in Christ. To be ‘in Christ’ means ‘to be a Christian.’ The Bible says the following.
Fourth, we must be baptised if we want to become a member of the body of Christ. The body of Christ is the church of Christ, Ephesians 1:22-23. The Bible says the following.