discussed and debated it for centuries. Since the Scriptures teach that baptism is
the culminating act by which one is made the Lord’s disciple (Matt. 28.18-20),
receives the remission of their sins (Acts 2.38), and thereby enters into Christ
(Gal. 3.26-27), it behooves us to consider what precisely is involved in this
divinely commanded New Testament rite.
Of course, several sectarian churches allege that baptism may be administered
either by 1) sprinkling water; 2) pouring water; or, 3) fully immersing the
candidate under the water. To support this proposition, many appeal to the Greek
word bapti,zw (baptizo), from which our word “baptize” has been anglicized,
contending that it may be used to embrace any one of these procedures. However,
this assertion is simply not true.
Joseph H. Thayer, a notable New Testament Greek scholar, defines this word,
“to dip repeatedly, to immerge, submerge…to cleanse by dipping or submerging,
to wash, to make clean with water…metaph. to overwhelm”[1]. Based upon this
exhaustive definition, therefore, we cannot conceive of baptism as being done by
either sprinkling or pouring. Rather, it as an immersion.
Consider a fitting example to illustrate this definition. Leviticus 14.15-16, “And
the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own
left hand: And the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil hat is in his left
hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the Lord”.
I have highlighted three significant verbs in this passage. Interestingly, the Greek
Septuagint of the Old Testament employs three distinct Greek words to convey
each of these priestly actions. The Greek word for “pour” is cheo. The word
rendered “sprinkle” is rhantizo. And the verb rendered “dip” is bapto. Thus,
baptism, in the language of the New Testament, is entirely distinct from the
actions of pouring and sprinkling and cannot be regarded as anything other than
dipping, plunging, or an immersion. Had the New Testament writers wished to
connect the act of baptism with either of these two concepts, they would have had
the proper words at their disposal to covey them. Nevertheless, whenever
baptism for the remission of sins is discussed in the New Testament, the word
used is invariably the word bapto or baptizo – immersion. Wayne Jackson rightly
remarks concerning these verses in Leviticus,
“It is very interesting to note that our translators knew perfectly well the
meaning of bapto in a non-theological context (such as this one), but in passages
relating to Christian doctrine they resorted to transliteration in order to conceal
the meaning of the original term from their denominational constituents” [2].
Whenever you come across the word baptism in the New Testament, understand
that it should more properly be translated as “immersion”.
Why is this so important? Christian baptism is a symbolic act representing
three fundamental facts of the Christian faith – viz., the death, burial, and
resurrection of Christ (cf. I Cor. 15.1-4). Paul asked the Roman Christians, “Know
ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into
his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as
Christ was raised up by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in
newness of life” (Rom. 6.3-4). Sprinkling or pouring another person with water
does not resemble in any way the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
Immersion, however, most certainly does. Accordingly, from an inspired writer’s
commentary we conclude that baptism is a burial in water, showing our faith in
and ultimate entrance into the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. No other
act can suffice to substitute for baptism. Rather than concoct our own ideas of
how to baptize, let us instead yield to heaven’s definition of the word, and be
content therewith.
[1] Thayer, Joseph H., Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament,
Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2000, p. 94.
[2] Jackson, Wayne, Notes from the Margin of My Bible: Old Testament & New
Testament, Stockton, CA: Courier Publications, 1993, pp. 14-15.
