Laws Publishing

DENOMINATIONAL BAPTISM

Jim Laws

Perhaps there is no more controversial subject in the Bible than the teaching of the New Testament regarding baptism.  It has been the subject of countless sermons, articles, debates, and books for generations.  It continues to be a source of controversy even today.   Such controversy is not due to any ambiguity coming from the Bible concerning what it reveals on the subject, as the New Testament teaches man God's will on this subject matter in clear and unmistakable terms. This failure, then, to understand accurately lies, either with some individuals and their unwillingness to believe what the Bible says about the matter, or in a failure to study the Bible precisely so as to learn what it, in reality, does say.  This article does not wish to add to the confusion, but rather, it brings to light what the Bible teaches on one aspect of the total discussion, that being, the nature of denominational baptism.  Elders, gospel preachers, and teachers have all faced this issue at one time or another in their work for the Lord.  By study the reader will be able to understand more clearly what God's will for his life is and what he should do to be pleasing in God's sight, enabling him to receive the spiritual blessings that God would have him to receive.

The fact that this is a needed course of study is seen from the fact that there are a number of denominational organizations who believe in and practice some form of baptism.  For instance, there are denominational groups that believe in and practice infant baptism, which amounts to sprinkling or pouring water over the head of the child to be baptized.   There are others who believe in and practice immersion as a form of baptism with the understanding that one has been saved from sin at the point of faith and is being baptized to obey a command of God or to join a religious denomination.  There are still other denominational bodies, such as the Mormon church, who actually practice immersion for the remission of sins.1   How does God view such and what should our view be?  All of us from time to time have studied the Bible with someone to teach them what the New Testament reveals regarding the matter of baptism, and then hear them say, "I have been baptized." Then they begin to relate the story of how they had been baptized by a denominational preacher, and that they have been worshipping with a denominational church over the years.  Once again, what should our response be?   Before any real progress can be made toward answering such questions, one must understand clearly the truth about baptism.  To do that, we must turn to the New Testament.

What Does The Bible Say About Obedience?

Before we actually deal with what the Bible teaches about baptism, we must first understand what the Bible teaches about obedience.  Once obedience is properly understood, then we are well down the road toward understanding God's will in this matter of denominational baptism.   When the Bible speaks of one obeying God's will, it is teaching that one is to do what God has said; in the way God has said it; for the reason God has given.  Matthew 7:21 states, "Not everyone 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."   This passage serves us well in understanding what obedience to God entails.   Genuine obedience to God means that one submits his will to God's.  Genesis six and the story of Noah serves as an example of this principle of obedience.  God gives Noah the general command to build the ark.  He then restricts the general command to build by giving specific commands pertaining to the material to be used (gopher wood), rooms to be built, specific dimensions that the ark was to have, as well as, to "pitch it within and without with pitch" (Gen. 6:14-16).  Noah did just as God had commanded (Gen. 6:22).  This illustrates that if one is to obey God, he must do what God has said; in the way God has said it; for the expressed reason God has given.      

What Does The Bible Say About The Purpose Of Baptism?

Some will say that baptism is "the outward sign of an inward grace," while others will say, "We are baptized because we are saved."  Still others insist that "we are baptized to make us a member of this or that denomination."  The question, then, "Why be baptized," becomes a crucial one.  Why be baptized?2  It is commanded of us by God.  When Christ told the apostles to preach the gospel to the whole world, he went on to add this statement:  "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:16).  The apostles never presented baptism in the New Testament as an optional matter.  When the sinner came to understand his sinful condition before God by listening to the preaching and teaching of the apostles, naturally he would then ask what he should do about the matter, and he was told, "Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins" (Acts 2:38).  The fact that baptism is commanded is clearly expressed by Luke when he recounted what Peter told the household of Cornelius:   "He commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ" (Acts 10:48).  Saul was told to be baptized (Acts 22:16).  Biblical baptism is commanded.  If one truly loves the Lord as he ought, then he will willingly do what the Lord has commanded.  For one to say that he is being baptized to obey God is certainly a scriptural reason for being baptized, if the individual understands what it means to obey God: to do what God has said; in the way God has said; for the reason God has given.

Closely connected with this matter of obedience to the command to be baptized is the stated purpose (reason) for being baptized along with the promised blessing, which will be received by being baptized into Christ.  In fact, the command and the purpose or reason for being baptized are so closely related to each other that one cannot properly emphasize one without emphasizing the other.  For instance, Acts 2:38 states, "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."  By looking carefully at the phrase "repent and be baptized," one sees that both repent and be baptized are aorist imperatives, that is, both of these two items are being commanded of the sinner.  Add to this the fact that both words are joined by the conjunction "and", conveying the idea that both repentance and baptism are of equal importance in this matter of the sinner's forgiveness from sin.  The phrase in the name of Jesus Christ describes by whose authority such acts, namely repentance and baptism, are being done, that is to say, such is being done based on (Arndt-Gingrich, p. 287) the authority of Christ.  Peter then goes on to include the phrase for the remission of sins.   Therefore, when one repents and is baptized, one is obeying the command of the Lord in doing so.  This is done based on the authority of Christ for the expressed purpose of receiving the forgiveness of sins. The command, then, is to repent and be baptized; the purpose is to receive forgiveness.  The preposition "for" (eis - unto, for, for the purpose of, Arndt-Gingrich, p. 228) is important here, as it looks forward toward the results, which would be obtained upon repenting and being baptized.  Therefore, when one repents and is baptized, one is obeying the command of the Lord by doing what God has said.  When the individual sincerely changes his life (repents) and is immersed in water, he is doing what God has said; in the way God has said to do it.  When the individual repents and is baptized for the remission of his sins, he in turn is doing what God has said; in the way God has said to do it; for the reason God has given.  One can see how closely related the command and the purpose are in this matter.  In fact, one cannot properly teach the command to be baptized without teaching the purpose of being baptized.  To fail to teach both with equal emphasis will necessarily cause one to have a faulty and insufficient view of New Testament baptism.

Consider Luke's discussion of Paul finding "certain disciples" in Ephesus (Acts 19:1-7), whose baptism was defective.  Such teaches clearly that one must not only do what God has said regarding baptism, but such must be done for the reason God has given.  In this instance, Paul taught them more accurately regarding the matter of baptism, and they responded by being baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus (vs. 5).  This occasion of the twelve in Ephesus is an incident, which proves that one baptism is not as good as another.   It proves that if one does not obey the command of the Lord for the expressed reason given to man by the Lord, then one forfeits the blessings God has in store for him.

Does this mean that an individual who learns of his need to be baptized from the scriptures must understand at the same time that he or she is being baptized in water for the remission of sin?   Yes, it does!   Why would one want to be baptized, if it were not for the fact that he has learned of his lost condition, being convicted by the life of Christ and the teaching of the Scriptures?  We have already seen how closely connected the command of being baptized is with the purpose of being baptized.  To talk about one is of necessity to talk of the other.  The question of those on the day of Pentecost was an obvious one based upon their realization of their guilt of sin; what shall we do about this matter of sin?  The answer was, repent and be baptized to get rid of it (remission of sins - Acts 2:38).

Paul in Romans chapter six makes an appeal to the church at Rome to understand that they, as Christians, are now dead to sin, but alive because of Christ by virtue of the fact that they had been baptized into Christ. Romans 6:3 states, "Know you not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death."  The phrase is translated, "know ye not" (KJV), "do you not know" (NRSV), or "Or don't you know" (NIV) (agnoew - not to know, to be ignorant,   Arndt-Gingrich, p. 11).  Paul is saying that an individual should know why he is being baptized, or, in other words, one should understand what is taking place when one is baptized.  In this text he is saying that when one is baptized, he is being baptized into Christ, that is, into a new relationship with Christ.  One who  was once out of Christ is now in Christ due to his obedience.   To be baptized means that one now participates in the blessings to be received from our Lord's death, burial, and resurrection.  When we were baptized, we went through a type of death and burial, and when we came up from the water, we came up to live a new life in Christ Jesus (vs. 4, 5).  When this was done, the person we used to be died; now, we are no longer the slaves of sin (vs. 6, 7).  Should the convert to Christ understand that he is leaving an old way of life behind and beginning a new way of life?   Yes, indeed he should.  Should he understand that he is receiving the forgiveness of sin as a present possession subsequent to his burial in water?  Yes, indeed he should.  To do otherwise makes baptism a meaningless ritual, whereas when one understands what he or she is doing and why, then it becomes a glorious new beginning.    

What Of Denominational Baptism?

Confusion sometimes arises when an individual comes forward claiming to have been baptized scripturally, but became a member of a modern day denomination, or perhaps one makes the claim that he was scripturally baptized by a denominational preacher.  What should our response be?   First, the overriding question should always be, "What, in matters of religion, does the Bible authorize us to do today?"  A religious belief or practice is right, if and only if, it is authorized by God; it is wrong, if it is not.   Just because a denominationalist believes and practices a given matter, does not make a given position wrong, nor does it make it right.  One must know what the Bible teaches about the matter of baptism, and learn if the individual has truly obeyed God in the matter, so as to properly instruct the individual about God's expectation of them.   It is precisely at this point that denominational baptism fails to be acceptable, because in submitting to such a baptism, one is submitting to the teaching of man and not God.  Such a situation has always been unacceptable to him.

Second, we need to keep in mind that the command for the sinner to repent and to be baptized has to do with the sinner's responsibility to respond to God properly.  It does not address the matter of the faithfulness of the individuals, who heard the converts public confession of faith (Matt. 10:22, 23; Rom. 10:9, 10), or the faithfulness of the individual actually baptizing the convert, or the time of being baptized, or the place where one is immersed in water, whether it be inside a building or out.  Since God has not given His law concerning the individual administering one's baptism or other like matters, one cannot with scriptural authority disallow or call into question the scriptural nature of one's baptism, simply on the grounds that one was baptized by a denominationalist.  The command and purpose of the action to be done is to repent and to be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38).  When this is faithfully done, the convert is now in a new relationship with Christ (Gal. 3:26-29), having received the benefits of the blood of Christ, and is added by the Lord to his church (Acts 2:41, 47; Rom. 6:4-6); no matter who does the actual baptizing, or where it was done.

Third, I realize that there are many denominational churches, which practice some form of  baptism.   But, simply because they believe in, and/or, practice such, does not make such a practice scriptural, that is, pleasing in the sight of God.  What does make a given belief pleasing in the sight of God is, if that given belief or practice has been authorized by God in the scriptures (Col. 3:17).  There is no premium on error; it is the truth and only the truth that will make one free from the guilt of sin (John 8:32; 17:17).  That being the case, I do not know of any denominational group, which teaches with scriptural accuracy the biblical doctrine of the New Birth.  With every denominational body existing today there is, either the denial of New Testament baptism as a command to be obeyed, as an immersion in water, as being done for the purpose of receiving the forgiveness of sins, or perhaps a combination of these or other false notions about the matter.  Can we accept one's baptism, when we know that that individual has been taught error regarding the matter?  Can we in all good conscience accept an individual knowing that they have been members of a denominational group, which does not teach the truth regarding the nature of man, sin, and salvation--a denominational group, which has set itself up in competition with the church of the Lord?  No, indeed, we cannot and remain pleasing in the sight of God, because God does not (II John 9, 10).   Remember the twelve men from Ephesus, who had been taught error regarding baptism; with Paul teaching them accurately God's will for their lives and their responding appropriately to his instruction by being baptized (Acts 19:1-7).  Obviously, in Paul's day, as well as ours, just any belief about baptism will not do.  Our will must coincide with God's divine will by our obeying him completely.  Therefore, denominational baptism will not bring about the desired result--forgiveness of sin.

Fourth, hypothetically, someone may say, "I do know of a denominational group that teaches the whole truth about baptism, and I know that  I  was   scripturally  baptized.  What am I to do?"     I can envision the possibility of an individual studying the truth about the matter from the New Testament and being baptized for the remission of sins, and then in ignorance joining a denominational body.  Even though that individual has been faithful to the Lord's command regarding redemption, he is still unfaithful to him in joining himself to an unauthorized religious denominational group.  If that were to transpire, he would certainly need to repent of the error by coming out of such a denominational body, denounce his denominational affiliations, and begin working and worshipping the Lord as he has prescribed in the New Testament.

Such a hypothetical case as this may be possible in principle, however, I have always asked the individual to think back to when he was baptized, consider the matter of the Bible and its teaching regarding baptism, and what he understood at the time.  Why not remove all doubt and be baptized scripturally for the remission of sins.  If there is any question as to one's obedience to the Lord in this matter, or any other, then remove any doubt by obeying the Lord in the true since of biblical obedience.  If it is the case that one has indeed been truly obedient to the Lord's command to be baptized, and has subsequently joined a denominational organization, then I urge him to remove himself from such a group and repent.  The child of God is to have no fellowship with error (Eph. 5:11).  Is the Christian to be unequally yoked with unbelievers; are light and darkness the same; can people who follow the Lord have anything in common with those who do, not?  No!  (II Cor. 6:14-18; 2 John 9, 10).  This was what restoration preachers proclaimed.  They urged everyone to obey the gospel by repenting and being baptized.  They urged all to come out of religious denominationalism and begin to serve the Lord in the same way as the first century Christians.  However, today, the attempt is being made to somehow rewrite restoration history, so as to make great preachers of a day gone by, who took a strong stand against religious error, to look narrow minded and legalistic.  It was not the intention of the restorers to accept people simply because they were religious or practiced some form of baptism, because they knew that to do such was not in keeping with the scriptures.  They saw the division of the religious world and saw the errors, which religious denominations had created.   They urged people to leave such false religious ways; they did not compromise with such by just accepting everyone who claimed to be religious, nor can we, if we hope to be acceptable in the sight of God.

Fourth, does this mean then that an individual must know everything before he or she can become a member of the church?  No, obviously not.  It does mean that one must know certain basic truths, truths about what they are doing and why.  A failure to come to know such makes repentance and baptism a meaningless ritual.

Conclusion

I John 3:1 states, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:  therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not."  How thankful we should be that we can be called sons and daughters of God.  The matter of how we become sons and daughters of God is extremely important; in fact, it is one of the greatest questions of our lives.  All should come to understand that it is not the water in and of itself that saves, nor the one who administers one's baptism, nor one's ability to achieve, but our salvation is in the shed blood of Christ, which cleanses the soul based on our obedient faith and the grace of God (Eph. 1:7; James 2:24, 26; I John 1:7).  We dare not misunderstand what the Lord has said about the matter.  We dare not fail to do what the Lord has said; in the way the Lord has said it; for the reason the Lord has given.  If we fail in this regard, we will miss out on the spiritual blessings which God has in store for us all, and if we if out on such blessing, then, indeed, we have missed it all.

Endnotes

1Compare, Handbook Of Denominations In The United States by Frank S. Mead, Abingdon Press, Nashville, Tennessee, 1970, pp. 78-83, and The Spiritual Sword, "Mormonism," Vol. 7, No. 1, October, 1975.

2 It is beyond the scope of this paper to analyze the different arguments pertaining to the mode of baptism.   However, the original meaning of our English word baptism is a transliteration of the Greek term baptizw, which means to immerse (Rom. 6:4-6; Gal. 3:26-29).  It is, therefore, in a way, superfluous to speak of the "mode" or form of baptism practiced by first century Christians.  Baptism, by definition, means to dip or to immerse.  Such is the "one baptism" for man today (Eph. 4:5).  See Arndt-Gingrich, pp. 131-132.

3The reader should be aware of the book Rebaptism by Jimmy Allen, published by Howard Publishing Company, Monroe, Louisiana, 1991, 1992, which contains an endorsement by Rubel Shelly and a response to Allen’s book: Baptism, New Birth Or Empty Ritual? by Owen Olbricht, published by Gospel Light Publishing Company, Delight, Arkansas, 1994.

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