Repent and be Baptized?

My March 26, 2009 blog on repentance and baptism apparently sparked a lot of discussion, and possibly stirred up more than a little controversy. I prayed about this, and felt that I should write an article here in my Tabletalk section to clarify where I stand on the subject of repentance and baptism, and take the opportunity to challenge you, the reader, with some further questions on this important topic.

What does the word 'baptize' mean?

The word 'baptize' means to 'immerse', or wash by dipping. Just before Christ began His public ministry a man called John the Immerser began his public ministry, calling upon people to repent of their sins and be immersed. It is unfortunate that the translators chose to 'transliterate' the Greek word 'baptidzo' (i.e., they substituted English letters for the Greek ones). If the translators had translated (as opposed to transliterated) the Greek word 'baptidzo' we would be reading of John the Immerser, or John the Dipper, or John the Washer. Medieval paintings of John the Baptist in the river pouring water on people not withstanding, the Jewish encyclopedias make it clear that John was an immerser, and that immersion of the entire frame in water for repentance was the practice of that time. Even the Catholic encyclopedias make it clear that immersion was the practice of the early church. I would think that if anyone was an authority on the Biblical meaning of the New Testament Greek word 'baptidzo', it would be the Greek church, and they define 'baptidzo' as, "immersion into water". (They actually immerse the candidate three times, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.)

Who and When are People to be Immersed?

All of the examples we have in the New Testament indicate that people who call upon the name of the Lord to be saved are the ones to be immersed, and that they apparently were immersed as soon as possible.

• In Mark 16:16 Jesus says, "He that believes and is baptized shall be saved."


• In Acts 2:38 we read, "Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sin, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."


• In Acts 8:12 we read, "But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized."


• In Acts 10:48 the apostle Peter commanded the new believers to be baptized.


• When the apostle Paul became a believer he was told, "rise up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord." (Acts 22:16).

Is Immersion necessary for Salvation?

If God commands something, must we do it in order to be saved?

I guess the answer to these questions is that God expects us to be obedient, but we are told in the Bible that we are saved by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is a gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8-9). We are told in Romans 10:13 that all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. The apostle Peter, himself, makes it very clear in 1Peter 3:21 that it is not the washing of the water that saves us, but the answer of a good conscience toward God. HOWEVER, I wouldn't recommend using this an excuse not to be obedient in immersion.

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin [i.e., use God's grace as an excuse for being disobedient] that grace may abound [i.e., since He promises to save us anyway]? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were immersed into Christ Jesus were immersed into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through immersion into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Who and When are People to be Immersed?

There are very few people in the world that were immersed as infants, so there are very few people in the world that even have to worry about this question. Even though the English word baptize is used in the modern church to describe ceremonies where water is sprinkled or poured on infants, the fact remains that when our Bible talks of baptizing, it is talking of dipping or immersing. You therefore haven't been baptized in the Biblical sense of the word unless you have been immersed. A quick look under this topic in the Jewish encyclopedias will reveal that even the furniture of Christ's time was made so that it could be disassembled and put under water to fully wash it. So even passages like Mark 7:4 where 'baptidzo' is translated 'washing', it is talking about putting things totally under the water. It is good that parents dedicate their children to the Lord when they are infants, but this does not relieve us from the responsibility to repent and be immersed, calling on the name of the Lord.

When are you ready to be Immersed?

As far as I understand the Bible, you are ready to be immersed when you are ready to repent of your sins, trust in Christ for you salvation, and commit your life to Him. I have seen four year old children that have repented of their sin, put their trust in Christ, and followed Him. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and went around witnessing, some more than many professing adult beleivers I know.

But what about those that take baptism lightly, or see it as a ritual? Shouldn't there be a required class or something to teach them how serious it is, and to make sure they understand the commitment they're making?

First, where in the Bible does it indicate that any of the church leaders withheld baptism for a time, or forbid the water to those that wanted to follow Christ? Second, where in the Bible does it indicate that we are responsible for screening converts or screening those seeking the waters of baptism?

I understand people being concerned with those who seem too quick to say a prayer, to confess Christ, and to be immersed. Matthew 13 tells us that there will always be many that fall by the way side. The big question, is what is our MESSAGE and what is our MISSION?

Our mission is to make disciples of all nations, immersing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that Christ commanded. Our message is that Christ died for our sins and rose the third day so that we can have eternal life. Our message is that our response to Christ is to, "Repent and be immersed, calling on the name of Jesus."

I hope this article has been a big help to you. We will be doing another baptism service shortly, and would be glad to immerse anyone that has repented of their sins and trusted in Christ for their salvation [even those that are active in another church] . Like asking someone for forgiveness, it's never too late to make it right! Repent, and also be immersed. (You can try me at the church office during the day (267-5778), or call me day or night on my cell (638-4464).

Yours in Christ,

Pastor B.