Faith Matters: Baptism and the Bible

By PASTOR BRETT REITENBACH

Greenfield Baptist Church

Published: 03-29-2019 1:06 PM

(Each Saturday, a faith leader in Franklin County offers a personal perspective in this space. To become part of this series, email religion@recorder.com)

The subject of water-baptism is handled differently among various churches and religions. These differences can result from being either Bible-centered or tradition-oriented, and those who base their practices on the Bible can have conflicting interpretations of certain verses. Because the Bible is God’s inspired and preserved word, human traditions should always be subservient to the words of Scripture when determining faith and practice. The purpose of this column is to highlight the most important principles about baptism based on what the Bible says.

Every mention of baptism in the Bible refers to immersion. The Greek word “baptizo” means to be fully covered. There are no biblical examples of someone being sprinkled. Acts 8:38 says, “And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.”

The Bible always teaches that baptism should take place after believing in Jesus Christ for salvation. This means that sprinkling or baptizing infants and other very young children who do not yet have the capacity to understand sinning against God and the resulting need for salvation has no biblical precedent or backing.

The Bible overwhelmingly teaches that salvation and forgiveness of sin can only be obtained by believing in Jesus Christ and His shed blood on the cross as payment for sin. A few verses such as John 3:5, Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, and 1 Peter 3:21 are often used to support the belief that water-baptism washes away sins, but the context of those verses doesn’t support that position. For example, being “born of water” in John 3:5 refers to human birth, not baptism. The other verses show the close relationship between salvation and baptism, but to say that they mean baptism has a part in salvation contradicts many other clear Scriptures. Perhaps most importantly, viewing water-baptism as having the power to wash away sins undermines the blood that Jesus Christ shed to spiritually cleanse people from sin. The primary purpose of the book of Hebrews is to demonstrate that Jesus Christ offered Himself as the best and complete sacrifice and negated the need to continue the Old Testament sacrifices of animals which did not have power to take away sins. Hebrews 9:22 says, “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” Hebrews also says, “…we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Baptism is a very important practice, but it does not cause the remission of sins.

Baptism is symbolic of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When believers in Jesus Christ are baptized, they are making a public statement that they have believed in who Christ is and what He has done for them. They are testifying that they have decided to follow Jesus. Romans 6:4 says, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

Baptism is shown in Scripture to be an act of identification with a church. Acts 2:41-42 says, “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

God desires that the human experience include salvation, baptism, and continuing as a committed part of a biblical church.

About Greenfield Baptist Church

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Greenfield Baptist Church is an independent Baptist church that meets at 138 Main St. in Greenfield. The Sunday schedule includes a 9:30 a.m. Bible Study and worship services at 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. The church’s greatest priorities are to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to promote God-honoring lives and homes through the practical teaching of the Bible. For more information, please call 413-356-0150 or visit www.greenfieldbaptistchurch.net. Video sermon archives can be found on YouTube by searching for Greenfield Baptist Church MA.

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