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For a master copy of the outline, click here: Basic Bible Doctrine
To Listen on YouTube, click here: The Principles of the Doctrine of Christ (Heb 6:1-2) (Part 2) - The Doctrine of Baptisms
3. Doctrine of baptisms (Heb 6:2)
A. There is more than one type of baptism in the Bible, hence the doctrine of baptisms.
B. There are least five different baptisms spoken of in the Bible: water baptism, baptism by the Holy Spirit, baptism with the Holy Ghost, the baptism of Christ's suffering, and the baptism with fire.
C. Water baptism
i. Water baptism is the most common baptism spoken of in the Bible.
ii. Water baptism has to meet five criteria to be scriptural which are:
iii. A proper administrator.
a. The proper administrator (baptizer) for baptism is an ordained minister.
b. Jesus commissioned His disciples to preach the gospel and baptize (Mat 28:16-20).
c. The only people in the Bible that baptized were ordained ministers (apostles, prophets, evangelists, etc.)
d. Preachers/pastors/elders are authorized to baptize.
(i) Evangelists baptize (Act 21:8 c/w Act 8:36-38).
(ii) Pastors/elders are to do the work of an evangelist (2Ti 4:5).
(iii) Therefore pastors baptize.
e. There is no commandment nor example in scripture of anyone besides ordained ministers baptizing.
(i) Therefore no one besides an ordained minister can baptize.
(ii) The argument from silence applies here (Heb 7:12-14).
iv. A proper candidate.
a. The proper candidate (person to be baptized) for baptism is a penitent believer.
b. In order to be baptized, a person must show forth the fruits of repentance (Mat 3:5-8).
(i) John's baptism was the baptism of repentance (Act 19:4).
(ii) Repentance was/is necessary for baptism in the N.T. church (Act 2:38).
(iii) This prevents babies from being baptized since they can't repent.
c. In order to be baptized, a person must also believe on Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God (Act 8:36-38; Act 19:4).
(i) When people in Samaria believed the gospel Philip preached, they were baptized, both men and women (not infants) (Act 8:12).
(ii) Simon believed and was baptized (Act 8:13).
(iii) Many Corinthians hearing believed and were baptized (Act 18:8).
(iv) Belief and baptism go hand in hand (Mar 16:16).
(v) This prevents infants or those too young to believe from being baptized.
v. A proper mode.
a. The proper mode of baptism is immersion in water.
b. The word "baptize" is a transliteration (the English word was created from the Greek word) of the Greek word "baptizo".
(i) Baptizo (G907) - From a derivative of G911; to make whelmed (that is, fully wet); used only (in the New Testament) of ceremonial ablution, especially (technically) of the ordinance of Christian baptism: - baptist, baptize, wash.
(ii) Bapto (G911) - A primary verb; to whelm, that is, cover wholly with a fluid; in the New Testament only in a qualified or specific sense, that is, (literally) to moisten (a part of one’s person), or (by implication) to stain (as with dye): - dip.
c. The English "baptize" has the same meaning as the Greek word "baptizo" because it IS the same word.
(i) Baptize - Etymology - [a. F. baptise-r, -izer (11th c.), ad. L. baptiza-re, ad. Gr. βaπτξειν ‘to immerse, bathe, wash, drench,’ in Christian use appropriated to the religious rite, f. βάπτειν to dip, plunge, bathe.] 1. trans. To immerse in water, or pour or sprinkle water upon, as a means of ceremonial purification, or in token of initiation into a religious society, especially into the Christian Church; to christen.
(ii) Immerse - 1. trans. To dip or plunge into a liquid; to put overhead in water, etc.; spec. to baptize by immersion.
(iii) Since the word "baptize" means to immerse, it stands to reason that the proper mode of immersion is immersion.
(iv) To immerse in any other mode than immersion is not immersion.
(v) To immerse someone by sprinkling or pouring water on someone's forehead is asinine doublespeak.
d. Baptism is a figure of salvation in Christ (1Pe 3:21).
(i) The gospel of our salvation is the story of how Jesus died, was buried, and rose again for our justification (1Co 15:3-4; Rom 4:25).
(ii) In baptism we are symbolically buried with Christ (Rom 6:4; Col 2:12).
1. Immersion in water symbolized Christ's burial quite well as he was "in the heart of the earth" (Mat 12:40).
2. Christ's burial was not by sprinkling or pouring dirt on His forehead.
3. "Baptism" by sprinkling or pouring hardly symbolizes a burial.
(iii) By baptism we are symbolically planted in the likeness of His death (Rom 6:5).
1. Planted - ppl. 1. Set in the ground, as a plant; fixed in the ground, set up, established, etc.; placed surreptitiously or misleadingly; hidden esp. so as to deceive the discoverer:
2. Plant - v. 1. a. trans. To set or place in the ground so that it may take root and grow
3. Jesus described planting as a corn of wheat falling into the ground (Joh 12:24).
4. To plant is to place something IN the ground, not to sprinkle a minute bit of dust on a seed (the equivalent to sprinkling water on someone's forehead to immerse them).
5. "Baptism" by sprinkling or pouring hardly symbolizes planting.
e. The Bible clearly shows that baptism was done by immersion which required much water, and for people to be in the water.
(i) John baptized in Aenon because there was MUCH water there (Joh 3:23).
1. Why would John need to be in a place where there was MUCH water to sprinkle a few drops on people's heads?
2. Clearly, much water was needed to immerse people.
(ii) John baptized people IN Jordan, not BY Jordan (Mar 1:5).
1. Jesus, when He was baptized of John, went up straightway OUT OF the water (Mar 1:10).
2. Why would people be IN Jordan if John was sprinkling water on their heads?
(iii) The Ethiopian eunuch asked what hindered him to be baptized when he and Phillip came to a certain water (Act 8:36).
1. Why would seeing a certain water (in other words a body of water of some type) prompt the eunuch to ask about being baptized if all that was needed was a couple of drops out of a canteen?
2. To be baptized, both he and Phillip went down INTO the water and came up OUT OF the water (Act 8:38-39).
3. Why get into the water to only sprinkle a couple of drops on his head?
vi. A proper belief.
a. A confession of one's belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God is a necessary requirement to be baptized (Act 8:36-38).
b. A confession that one is a sinner is also necessary to be baptized (Mar 1:5).
c. These two requirements prohibit infants and children who are too young to make these sincere confessions from being baptized.
vii. A proper result.
a. The proper result of baptism is the addition of the baptized person to the membership of a local church.
b. The pattern of baptism resulting in being added to a church is found in Act 2:41.
(i) Being added unto them was the result of being baptized.
(ii) The them which they were added to is the church at Jerusalem which had about 120 members named on a role (Act 1:15) who were assembled together, all with one accord in one place (Act 2:1).
(iii) It is obvious that they were added to the church because they continued from that time forward having church, which consisted of the apostles' doctrine (preaching) and fellowship, breaking of bread (communion), and prayers (Act 2:42).
(iv) To be sure that they were added to church upon their baptism, we are told that the Lord added to the church daily (Act 2:47).
viii. This is the one baptism in kind that all believers have in common (Eph 4:5).
D. Baptism by the Holy Spirit.
i. When the preacher is baptizing a person in water which outwardly adds him to the church, the Holy Spirit is spiritually baptizing him into the body of Christ (1Co 12:13).
a. The body of Christ in context is the local church (1Co 12:14-27).
b. This is the gift of the Holy Ghost (the gift the Holy Ghost gives) (Act 2:38).
c. Being made to drink into one Spirit (1Co 12:13) is receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, which is what Jesus referred to when He said If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink (Joh 7:37-39).
E. Baptism with the Holy Ghost
i. John the Baptist said that Jesus would baptize people with the Holy Ghost (Mat 3:11).
ii. Being baptized with the Holy Ghost is not the same as being baptized by the Holy Ghost.
iii. When one is baptized by one Spirit, it is the Spirit that is performing the baptism.
iv. When one is baptized with the Holy Ghost, the Spirit is the element that is used to baptize a person, just as water was the element that John was baptizing with (Mar 1:8).
v. This is what happened on the day of Pentecost when the church was filled with the Holy Ghost (Act 1:4-5 c/w Act 2:1-4).
vi. The baptism with the Holy Ghost likewise happened to the first Gentile converts, showing that God had given the same gift to them as He had to the Jews (Act 11:15-17 c/w Act 10:44-46).
F. Baptism of Christ's suffering
i. Jesus said that He had a cup to drink of and a baptism to be baptized with (Mat 20:22-23).
ii. The cup that He had to drink of was the cup of God's wrath for the sins for which He would die (Mat 26:42 c/w Rev 14:10).
iii. The baptism He would be baptized with was a baptism of suffering (Mat 20:22-23 c/w Luk 12:50).
iv. This baptism was an immersion in sufferings (Psa 69:1-4).
G. Baptism with fire
i. John said to the Pharisees, many of whom were children of the devil on their way to hell (Mat 3:7 c/w Mat 23:33 c/w Joh 8:44), that Jesus would baptize them with fire (Mat 3:11).
ii. The children of the devil are the chaff and tares that will be gathered and burned in the fire at the end of the world (Mat 3:12; Mat 13:30,37-42).
iii. They will be baptized in the lake of fire (Rev 20:15).
For a master copy of the outline, click here: Basic Bible Doctrine
