Is There a Proper Way to Baptize

“As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, ‘Look! Water!’ What prevents 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.’

“And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him.

“When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing.” (Act 8:36-39)

Journal,

I occasionally receive questions on the proper way to administer water baptism. Here are examples of questions I receive:

(1) From our Ask the Pastor page:

“Why did the church stop baptizing in the name of Jesus, as it was in the book of the Acts of the Apostles?”

(2) From a member of a forum:

“Could you discuss the role of baptism in terms of the early church. As you know; in ‘apostolic’ circles, baptism is tied to salvation using Peter’s response to the question: what must we do, and the statement that baptism doth also now save us.”

These are great questions. Let’s begin with …

The Early Christians

Actually the earliest Christians had no ‘pat’ words that had to be spoken over a baptismal candidate, or a certain formula to be used in water baptism. It was only over time that water baptism began picking up rituals. But for the early believers, it was all a matter of authority. Here is what one of the earliest Christian writers said:

“Then they are brought by us where there is water, and are regenerated in the same manner in which we were ourselves regenerated. For, in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing with water.[/note]

When you see the term ‘in the name of’ in Scripture, it actually relates to authority.

When Jesus told the disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, He was giving them the express authority to do so. All baptisms were to be done in and by the authority of Jesus.

Actually water baptism could just have easily have been stated as, ‘By the authority of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.’ It would not have really mattered. The issue comes back to whose authority does water baptism come from.

However, there is another related issue that needs to be considered. It has to do with …

Calling on the Name of the Lord

Calling upon the name of the Lord is something that the candidate does. What the minister says is not some magical formula in water baptism. Salvation is always in the mouth of the one coming to Jesus. The issue is not with what the minister says, but what the candidate says.

Salvation is wholly a matter of the believing one, that is, the person being baptized. This is not a trite matter. It reaches into the very heart of Biblical redemption. Think about it. Is a person’s salvation to be placed in the mouth of someone else or in the mouth of the confessing believer? 

All the apostles were quite clear on this issue. Consider these Scriptures:

[Peter – Day of Pentecost] “‘AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’” (Act 2:21)

“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.'” (Act 8:36-37)

There are many more Scriptures to draw from. So, to say that a person’s salvation is contingent upon what words a minister may speak over the baptismal candidate, is a mistake. In doing this, they have placed themselves in the same category as the Roman Catholic Church, in their doctrine of transubstantiation.

In the doctrine of transubstantiation, it is the priest alone who has the ‘supposed’ power to change the wine and bread into the real blood and body of Christ. He supposedly does this by saying in Latin, ‘hoc est corpus meum,’ which means, ‘This is my body’. [This is where the cynical term ‘hocus pocus’ comes from.]

It is taught that the moment the priest says these words, suddenly the elements are magically changed. And according to Catholic Canon law, to deny this is blasphemy.

Of course this is pure heresy. It is a man made doctrine and has to do with control. If the priest alone has this kind of power, where does that leave the congregants? They are forced to live their lives under the mastery of the Catholic priestcraft.

So, are we to think that any minister has the power to cause a person to be saved by speaking certain words over them? Many seem to think so.

So this begs the question …

When then, is a person actually saved?

Is a person saved before baptism, during baptism, or after baptism? Actually water baptism is for a person who believes in, and is has accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. All believers are commanded to be baptized in water. Water baptism takes place as a living witness to one’s faith in Jesus Christ. 

But one questioner wanted to know what Peter meant, in saying, “baptism now saves us.” Here is the Scripture in question:

“Corresponding to that [flood of Noah], baptism now saves you — not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience – – through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” (1 Pet 3:21)

Peter is pointing to the affirmation of our faith in the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. Water baptism serves as an appeal to God for a good conscience in that we truly believe in Jesus Christ, and that we identify with His death, burial, and resurrection.

Lets take a closer look at how Peter clearly defines salvation.

A Church council was called to determine what to do about all the Gentiles who were being saved. Take note of what Peter has to say.

“The apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter. After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them,

“‘Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe.

“And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.

“‘Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?

“But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.'” (Act 15:5-11)[/note]

Peter is pointing to the fact that Cornelius and his household were saved before they were baptized in water. It was after Cornelius had received the seal of the Holy Spirit, that Peter commanded baptism. 

There was a reason why water baptism is given such importance to the early Jewish believers. 

Water Baptism Relates to Covenant

If this seems difficult to grasp, let me add something that many believers are unacquainted with. For the Jewish people, water baptism was a covenant rite. It expressed that the believer had entered into a covenant relationship with the God of Israel. In this sense no believer should feel that water baptism is not a necessary part of our walk with the Lord.

Water baptism is actually the first commandment of faith that follows our having received the blood atonement.

This is why Paul speaks of the mystical side of water baptism in that the old man (or, the old master) is cut off in water baptism, and we now come fully under our new Master, the Lord Jesus Christ.

All the Jewish apostles placed a high premium on water baptism, but not in the sense that the blood is applied in water baptism. The blood is to be applied before baptism. Water baptism had to do with covenant authority, with the obedience of faith, with fellowship and communion. It had to do with community. No person was to be accepted into the community of faith without water baptism.

One of the best examples we have with regard to types and shadows of the former testament involves Israel coming out of Egypt. The blood had been applied to their homes. This disallowed any judgment from God. They were saved in the sight of God. They actually belonged to Him.

But there was a problem. They needed to identify more fully with Moses and not with Pharaoh. It could be said that they were still in Pharaoh’s territory.

Something had to happen before Pharaoh would completely release his hold on the people of God. What happened to produce this effect? Israel passed through the Red Sea. In the passing through the sea, the old life, the old master, and the old way of living was cut off. It was through the waters that they came fully under the authority of Moses.

That is pretty much how the earliest Christians looked at water baptism.

Here is what Paul said:

“For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” (1 Cor 10:1,2)

Here is where a point needs to be reemphasized. Once again they were God’s people before they came  through the sea. The blood had already been applied to their homes. God’s judgment passed over them. But passing through the Red sea signified whose authority they were now under.

Water baptism is an act of faith and any acting on our faith will have spiritual ramifications. (Every step of obedience does.) Peter is making a similar statement with regard to, ‘baptism now saves you.’

So, which is right, to baptise in the name of Jesus Christ, or to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are both right. In both instances the baptizing is be enacted under the authority of Jesus. Some Jewish believers in Israel are baptizing this say –

‘I baptize you in the name of Jesus Christ, who brings us to the heavenly Father, who graciously gives us the Holy Spirit.’ 

[note color=”#b2f05b”]On a personal note, I have always baptized people in the name of Jesus. I do this out of tradition. Sometimes I will say something like this, “I baptize you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, who represents all that God is as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” However, I never discount another believer’s baptism. The issue for me is if the person has truly accepted Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior.[/note]

Does it really matter? Think this through for yourself. The Lord will help you with a better understanding.

Here is a song that will bless you. It is titled, ‘Baptized in Water.’

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