Our word “baptize” is translated from the original Greek word “baptizo”,
which means to immerse. “Baptizo”
does not mean sprinkle or pour. If
our Lord had wanted people to be sprinkled or poured, he would have inspired
the New Testament writers to use the Greek word “rhantizo”, which means
to sprinkle or "katacheo" which means to pour.
But he didn’t, so “baptizo” was used, which can only mean to
immerse.
Let’s look in the Bible to see how people
were baptized. In John 3:23 we
read, “Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was
must water there.” Why was
John baptizing near Salim? “Because
there was much water there.” Scriptural
baptism, which is immersion, according to the Bible requires much water.
In Mark 1:5 we read, “Then all the
land
of
Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to Him, and were all baptized by him in the
Jordan River.” Why was John baptizing in
the Jordan River? Could it be “because there
was much water there"?
In Mark 1:9-10, we continue to read, “And
it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and
was baptized by John in the
Jordan. And immediately, coming up
out of the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon
Him like a dove.” When Jesus
was baptized, he was baptized in the Jordan River. Why?
Again, because there is much water in a river which is required for
scriptural baptism, which is immersion.
Also notice that after Jesus was baptized, he came “up out of the
water.” So scriptural baptism
not only requires much water, but it also
requires “coming up out of the water.”
This cannot be said of sprinkling or pouring.
Next we turn to Acts 8:36-39.
The evangelist, Philip, had been teaching the gospel or good news of
Christ to an Ethiopian eunuch while they were riding along in a chariot.
Then in verses 36-39 we read: “Now as they went down the road, they
came to some water. And the
eunuch said, See here is water, what hinders me from being baptized?
And Philip said, If you believe with all your heart, you may.
And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of
God. So he commanded the
chariot to stand still. And
both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.
And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught
Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way
rejoicing.” Here we see that
the baptism that God authorized in the Bible requires the “coming to some
water”, “going down into
the water,” and after a person is immersed it requires “coming up out of
the water.” How much clearer
could the Bible be on the mode of baptism?
Also notice that after the eunuch was baptized, "he went on his
way rejoicing." Why?
Because he was now saved and all of his sins had been taken away.
This is certainly something to rejoice about.
Romans 6:4 says, “Therefore we were buried
with him by baptism into death.” Here
we see that baptism is a burial, which is what is done when one is immersed.
Sprinkling or pouring is not a burial; it is only sprinkling or
pouring. Colossians 2:12 says
that we are “buried with him in baptism, in which you also were raised
with Him.” Here again God
requires the one being baptized, to be buried and raised when he is
baptized. When we bury a dead
person in the cemetery, we do not lay him out on the grass and sprinkle or
pour a little dirt on him. No,
that would be absurd, and it is just as absurd in trying to substitute
sprinkling or pouring for baptism. Sprinkling
or pouring for baptism is foreign to the scriptures.
God did not authorize it. There
is not one instance anywhere in the Bible where anyone was sprinkled or
poured for baptism.
But we then ask the question, where then did
sprinkling or pouring come from? The
first recorded case in all of early church history was that of Novatian in
251 AD, who lay sick on his bed and water was poured on him.
Who made this first exception, man or God?
Man did without the authorization of God.
God has not approved of it. Sprinkling
and pouring is just as vain as if it had never been done.
This man-made exception over the centuries became more of a man-made
accepted practice until at the Council of Ravenna in 1311 AD, man legalized
sprinkling for baptism, but without God’s authority.
Since sprinkling or pouring is without God’s authority, if you were
sprinkled or poured, then you have not been scripturally baptized, and you
still have every sin that you have ever committed and are still lost.
The person, who insists on following this man-made teaching of sprinkling, has refused to obey God. Sprinkling is without
God’s authority. There is no baptism in the absence of immersion.
If you
were sprinkled or poured, then you have not been scripturally baptized.
You
still have every sin that you have ever committed and are still lost. If you
refuse to admit that your sprinkling is wrong, you will go to your grave
refusing to do God's will. On the Day of Judgment you will be eternally
condemned to the fires of Hell. Such a tragedy.
Home