Baptism (or "what's water got to do with it now?")

A. Scriptures on God's former requirement of water baptism

Matthew 3:11

I [John the Baptist] indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.

John 4:1-2

When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)

Luke 20:4-5

[Jesus said unto the leaders who questioned his authority] The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, if we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not?

Mark 16:16

[Jesus said] He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Matthew 28:19

[Jesus said] Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Acts 2:38

Then Peter said unto them, 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 22:16

[Ananias to Paul after the Damacus experience in Acts 9] And now why tarriest thou? arise, be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

B. Scriptures for the passing away of God's requirement of water baptism

Acts 10:43-45

[Peter preached to those in Cornelius' house] To him [Jesus] give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 11:16 (such a key verse, it's originally stated in Acts 1:5)

Then remembered I [Peter] the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall baptized with the Holy Ghost.

1 Corinthians 12:13

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, bond or free; and have been made to drink into one Spirit.

Ephesians 4:4-6

There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

C. Additional Comments

• Jesus' grace in allowing the Thief on the Cross to enter Heaven without water baptism did not invalidate God's general requirement of water baptism. No more than the exceptions of Elijah, Enoch, and Christians alive at the Rapture not dying physically even once, or of Lazarus and others to physically dying twice, are evidence that it is not generally appointed unto man once to die. Cases like this are implications of God's grace in acknowleging or creating exceptional circumstances (just I as infer God doesn't automatically condemn children dying before the age of accountability to hell. See Mark 10:13-16, e.g "Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom as a little child, shall not enter therein.")
• Some mid-Acts or late-Acts dispensationalists take the "hard" stance that water baptism is a relic of the Law of Moses dispensation, a purification ritual, for example,

  Leviticus 8:6

  And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water.

  Leviticus 14:8

  And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days.

  and thus is as wrong today as animal sacrifice.
• I believe that, in accordance with Romans 14 priniciples, water baptism is a matter of individual conscience, but not required in the Age of Grace. My conscience and recommendation is "Don't waste time getting wet, immediately begin doing those good works to which we were foreordained (Ephesians 2:10). In other words, it's the life you lead after becoming a Christian that's important."
• I hold Paul's practice of occasionally water baptizing Gentiles to be either a (temporary) symbol to the Jews of the Gentile's purification without circumcision, and/or something Jesus in time revealed to Paul was unnecessary.
• The assertion that "(water) baptism is always by immersion" is difficult to support scripturally. As noted in Leviticus (above), the ritual merely involves washing. Furthermore, I find it unlikely that most cities and villages had wells or rivers available, for bodily entry and immersion, for immediate and mass baptisms. For example,

  John 3:23

  And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came and were baptized.

  John 4:6, 11

  Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

  Acts 2:41

  Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

  Acts 22:16

  And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, calling on the name of the Lord.

  "Much water" made mass and immediate baptisms convenient, but it couldn't have been necessary.

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Updated May 09, 1997