Through the Apostle Peter, Jesus Christ commands true Christians to “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38). Therefore, it is crucial that we understand the biblical teaching on baptism. Yet since the time Christ first gave that simple command, people have distorted His instruction beyond recognition. Man no longer understands how to be baptized properly, or even who should be baptized. In fact, most do not even know why they should be baptized at all. The Bible reveals the answers to all of these important questions.
Before we can understand the “how and the why” of baptism, it is important that we know exactly what baptism is. We should, of course, look to Jesus Christ’s example. After all, the only reason He was baptized was to set an example for you and me. In Matthew 3:16, it states “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.” Clearly, He was immersed in the water. The Greek word for baptize, baptizo, means to immerse. It does not mean to sprinkle or to pour. When one understands the meaning of the words inspired, it is silly to talk about which form or mode of baptizing shall we use—sprinkling, pouring or immersing. Baptism ceremony involves being immersed in the water as Jesus Christ was.
Having seen the scriptural method of baptism, we must ask why we are to be baptized. “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38). Baptism results in the forgiveness of our sins. As this verse shows, our sins must be forgiven before we can receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul explained the symbolism of the baptism ceremony in Romans 6:3-4: “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Going down into the water pictures the death of Christ, and of the old self. Burial in the water pictures the burial of Christ, and of the old self. Coming up out of the water pictures Christ’s resurrection, and a spiritually resurrected person walking henceforth ‘in newness of life. The baptized individual comes out of the water as a new person who has determined to leave behind his or her old, sinful ways. This person has shown, through baptism, readiness to obey God and live His way of life.
Some have said that children—even babies—should be baptized. Others have even said that a person can be baptized on behalf of the deceased. We can know if this is so by looking at the two qualifications for baptism. The first is “repentance” (Acts 2:38). We must truly abhor sin and be ready to obey God. The second qualification is “belief” (Mark 16:16). This is a “faith” toward Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21). We begin developing the faith of Christ in us after we receive the Holy Spirit. This takes place immediately after baptism in a separate ceremony called the laying on of hands. A child could not possibly understand what he or she was undertaking. A child’s mind is simply not ready to understand the symbolism of the baptism ceremony, or to bear the responsibility of this decision. Children don’t even know what true repentance and belief are! The idea that you would be baptized for a deceased person also ignores the required attitude of belief and repentance required for baptism. Baptism is for those who are ready to accept the responsibility of their decision.
The baptism ceremony itself also has certain requirements. We are to be baptized “in the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 2:38). This refers to His authority. Regardless of what human instrument does the baptizing—typically a minister—it is by the authority of Christ that we receive His Spirit. Scripture also reveals that we should be baptized “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19) The Greek word for “in” would be better translated “into,” for we are not baptized into any denomination or church organization, but into the divine family of the living God.
The only question remaining is, how long should one wait before seeking baptism? Just as soon as one has been convicted in his heart of his past sins and sinful life—just as soon as one realizes his own way of life has been wrong, and becomes sick and tired of it, and turns from his own ways and wants to find God’s ways and live them; truly repents of his past life of sins, and believes in and accepts Jesus Christ as personal Savior, and the One whom he must obey henceforth, and wants to turn to the changed, different, new and happy life of faith in Christ Jesus, and to become a child of God—then that person should be baptized immediately if possible—and if this is not possible, then as soon as possible.
Baptism is a serious responsibility. It is necessary to be grounded in the teachings of God’s true Church before baptism so that the individual truly understands the importance of this decision. After he or she has thoroughly studied the teachings Jesus Christ has established in His Church, he or she should counsel with a minister of God so that he can help the person deeply understand and count the costs of this most important decision.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit may be defined as that work whereby the Spirit of God places the believer into union with Christ and into union with other believers in the body of Christ at the moment of salvation. The baptism of the Holy Spirit was predicted by John the Baptist “I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1:8) and by Jesus before He ascended to heaven: “For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:5). This promise was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4); for the first time, people were permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and the church had begun.
1 Corinthians 12:12-13 is the central passage in the Bible regarding the baptism of the Holy Spirit: “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” Notice that we “all” have been baptized by the Spirit—all believers have received the baptism, synonymous with salvation, and it is not a special experience for only a few. While Romans 6:1–4 does not mention specifically the Spirit of God, it does describe the believer’s position before God in language similar to the 1 Corinthians passage: “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
The following facts are necessary to help solidify our understanding of Spirit baptism: First, 1 Corinthians 12:13 clearly states that all have been baptized, just as all been given the Spirit to drink (the indwelling of the Spirit). Second, nowhere in Scripture are believers told to be baptized with, in or by the Spirit, or in any sense to seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This indicates that all believers have had this experience. Third, Ephesians 4:5 seems to refer to Spirit baptism. If this is the case, Spirit baptism is the reality for every believer, just as “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” are.
In conclusion, the baptism of the Holy Spirit does two things, 1) it joins us to the body of Christ, and 2) it actualizes our co-crucifixion with Christ. Being in His body means we are risen with Him to newness of life (Romans 6:4). We should then exercise our spiritual gifts to keep that body functioning properly as stated in the context of 1 Corinthians 12:13. Experiencing the one Spirit baptism serves as the basis for keeping the unity of the church, as in the context of Ephesians 4:5. Being associated with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection through Spirit baptism establishes the basis for our separation from the power of indwelling sin and our walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:1-10; Colossians 2:12).
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