This is an outline of a study on baptism, its quite indepth and would suit an older/more study orientated group, and may even form a series of studies over a number of weeks
When?
Acts 2:41 perhaps indicates an order. The people received the Word and were baptised. This order is repeated throughout Acts, for example the Samaritans (Acts 8:12), the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:37,38), Cornelius (Acts 10:48), Paul (Acts 9:18), Lydia (Acts 16:14,15), the Philippian Jailer (Acts 16:33), Crispus and the Corinthians - or is that the name of a band - (Acts 18-8). In Acts 19:1-6, Paul comes across some disciples in Ephesus who had been baptised by John the Baptist. They were then baptised again into the name of the Lord Jesus. To my mind, this suggests that the pattern for baptism is something that happens beyond salvation and not before.
Who is baptised?
It is clear that believers were baptised. You'd need to make certain assumptions to argue that those other than believers were baptised. For example Lydia's household were baptised. Now you can argue that there perhaps were children in that household. I tend to feel that is an argument from silence. In the example of the Philippian jailer, his household were baptised because they all believed (Acts 16:34).
Who baptises?
We read however that in Corinth, Paul was not the only person to baptise (1 Cor 1:14) so it would appear that the commission for baptism was passed on others in the early church and it wasn't just something only an apostle did. Note also that Paul was baptised, probably by Ananias (Acts 9:18).
How?
To argue from the ambiguous phrase 'up out of the water' (e.g. Acts 8:39) as indicative of immersion is, to my mind, not conclusive. As to the mode, we perhaps have explicit reference to this from 1 Cor 10:1,2 "Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea". Paul is obviously at pains to point out that the combination of the cloud and sea were instrumental in the baptism of the Israelites. To my mind, this is indicative of water being 'all around' and therefore immersion is the required mode. (I'd point out that I was sprinkled as a baby, sprinkled as an adult and finally immersed as an adult so you could argue that I've covered all the options!!). My very limited understanding of the Greek is that baptism means to 'dip', according to my concordance and lexicon. To my mind, this is quite different from 'to sprinkle'.
It is perhaps important to understand the reasonings behind baptism that leads to an understanding of why immersion is important. Jesus once says to James and John, "Can you be baptised with the baptism I am baptised with?". What was Jesus baptism? Romans 6:23 and Col 2:12 link baptism very closely with the death of Christ. So what happened when Christ died? Jesus, himself, paralleled His death and resurrection with the 'sign of Jonah' - three days in the belly of the great fish. We read in Jonah of his experience in the great fish. "For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the floods surrounded me; all Your billows and Your waves passed over me. Then I said, 'I have been cast out of Your sight; yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.' The waters surrounded me, even to my soul; the deep closed around me; Weeds were wrapped around my head." He describes his situation with water all around him. This is one of many pictures from the Old Testament speaking of the sufferings of Christ (e.g. 2 Sam 22, Job 26:5,6), but I chose Jonah because the Lord explicitly likened His experience to Jonah's.
Peter uses the picture of the flood as exemplifying baptism. What was baptised in the flood?. Well the earth was immersed totally in water, all unrighteousness removed and then re-emerged. (1 Peter 3:21)
Sprinklings did take place as part of the levitical service. But this all took place after the 'baptism of the Israelites' (1 Cor 10:1,2, again). The sprinklings here are much more to do with typifying the High Priestly service of Christ as son over the House of God and His atoning work allowing the people of God to approach a Holy God - bit of a big topic - that one!
Why?
The apostles were commissioned to go into the world baptising disciples (Matt 28:19). The commission is to the end of the age and therefore still applies today as the 'church' age is not yet over. To my mind water baptism echoes that which has happened spiritually. When we first believed we were baptised by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:13). However, water baptism is a public proclamation of the confession of Christ as Lord and Saviour primarily as a witness to the local church. We read in Acts 2:41 that the people were baptised and added to the existing 120 believers. In passing through the waters of baptism, a believer associates himself/herself with other believers who themselves have been added together (or to the Lord - Acts 5:14, 11:24) in a local church e.g. the church in Jerusalem, the church of God in Corinth. These churches are all linked together by common doctrine namely, the Apostles teachings, "the Faith delivered once for all" (Jude 3). the public witness assures existing believers in those churches of the newly-baptised believers commitment to following all the commands of the Lord (Matt 28:19). These churches linked together are built up the spiritual House of God (1 Peter 2:5), the dwelling place of God under the New Covenant, replacing the physical House of God of the Old Covenant, the Tabernacle.
Written by Simon Woods
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