Grovely Gospel Chapel

Baptism

The act of baptism, commanded by the Lord Jesus Christ almost 2000 years ago, has been practiced in various forms by the Christian church ever since. However, there are many different interpretations of how, why and when a person should be baptised.

At Grovely Gospel Chapel we believe in God's word, the Bible, as our sole authority for doctrine and practice. The following points briefly outline what we believe the Bible teaches about baptism and how we put this into practice at Grovely.

What is Baptism?

The word 'baptism' comes from the Greek word 'bapto' which means 'to immerse' or 'to cover'. In the New Testament, Christian baptism is established as a symbolic act in which a person is immersed in water.

Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. (Acts 8:35-39)

In Biblical times, people were usually baptised in rivers (Mark 1:9) or other natural water bodies. However, the location is not important. Many churches now have a 'baptismal tank' (a bit like an oversized bathtub) in the church building - but people are sometimes baptised in swimming pools or even in the ocean. The most important aspect of baptism is not where, or even how, it is done, but what it says about a person's relationship with God.

Why get baptised?

The Lord Jesus Christ gave instructions to his disciples to baptise all believers.

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matt 28:18-20)

At Grovely, no one is pushed into being baptised. Whilst we would encourage all believers to be baptized we regard this matter as a personal decision - 'the answer of a good conscience toward God' (1 Peter 3:21).

Some churches believe that baptism is necessary for salvation and that, in this act, the grace of God is conferred upon the one baptised. The Bible is abundantly clear that this is not the case. The idea that some physical ceremony or process is necessary to restore our relationship with God is entirely antithetical to the gospel of Jesus Christ. This gospel presents to us a righteousness that is 'by faith from first to last' (Rom 1:17).

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Eph 2:8-9)

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)

What then do we make of verses such as Mark 16:16 which, at a superficial reading, could be interpreted as implying baptism as a precondition for salvation?

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. (Mark 16:16)

The clear message of this verse is that without belief, no one will be saved (he that believeth not shall be damned). Baptised or not - without believing faith in Christ you will be eternally separated from God. The baptism that is mentioned is clearly connected with faith (He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved). Someone who is baptised but does not believe will fare no better in judgement than the unbeliever who is not baptised.

Other verses also seem to indicate that the act of baptism is a necessary part of forgiveness of sin:

hen Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)

... arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. (Acts 22:16)

However, given the clear message of the gospel; that is, salvation by grace, through faith (Eph 2:8); it is obvious that baptism is used here as a symbol of the cleansing provided by the blood of Christ. The thing that is visible (baptism) is used in place of the thing that it represents (the cleansing of the blood of Christ). In a similar way the Lord Jesus was able to break bread and say, 'Take, eat; this is my body' (Matt 26:26). We know of course that it was not his body they were eating, but bread. He could have said, 'Take, eat; this is bread that symbolises my body', but such a statement was unnecessary. The reference to the emblem as that which it represents is not a cause of confusion, but rather a powerful statement of its significance.

What does Baptism mean?

The act of baptism has a lot of symbolic meaning, but the main picture it provides is of the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Death and burial is symbolised by going down into the water. Resurrection is symbolised by coming up out of the water.

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:4)

Baptism symbolises the change that occurs when someone turns away from living a life of rebellion against God and submits to the authority of Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus described this transformation as being 'born again'. Becoming a Christian is not about changing your habits - it's like starting a whole new life.

herefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Cor 5:17)

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3)

When a person is baptised they publicly identify themselves with Jesus Christ and submit to his authority. This is a bold step in a world that rejects him. For this reason, those who merely 'profess' faith in Christ without a real change of heart are unlikely to seek baptism. However, willingness to be baptised is not the test of genuine faith. This is nowhere more clearly illustrated than in the example of Simon the Sorcerer in Acts Chapter 8.

Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. (Acts 8:13-21)

Peter condemned Simon because his heart was not right with God - the fact that he was baptised counted for nothing.

The use of water in baptism also symbolises the cleansing provided by Christ's sacrificial death on the cross (1 John 1:7). Having lived a perfect life, without sin, his blood (symbolising his death) paid the penalty for our rebellion against God (the wages of sin is death; Rom 6:23). By this process a righteousness from God is conferred upon those who have faith in Christ (Rom 3:22). We are thus made clean and acceptable to God.

Do I have to be Baptised to take the bread and the wine?

The Lord Jesus Christ commanded his disciples to symbolically consume bread and wine as an ongoing reminder of what he accomplished for them (Luke 22:19). The bread reminds us of his body and the wine his blood (symbolising his life) which were given to pay the price for our sin.

The Bible doesn't say anything about anyone needing to be baptised to partake of the bread and wine. But it does warn against a flippant attitude that fails to recognise the importance of what these symbols represent.

Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. (1 Cor 11:27-29)

For this reason, your decision to take the bread and wine should not be considered lightly. While it is not a requirement for you to be baptised to take this step, the obvious question is 'what is stopping you from being baptised?'.

What about infant Baptism?

Some Christian churches baptise babies at the request of the child's parents. What this means and why it is done varies between denominations. But the Bible only ever refers explicitly to the baptism of believers - those who of their own free will have chosen to follow Christ. For this reason we do not practice infant baptism at Grovely.

But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. (Acts 8:12)

And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Acts 8:36-37)

Many of those churches that perform infant baptism claim a biblical basis for the practice. However, this assertion is based on unnecessary inference and supposition, as well as various fragments of Biblical 'non-evidence'. Common arguments in favour of infant baptism include:

The Bible does not explicitly state that infants are not to be baptised. This is true. But there are many things which the Bible does not explicitly prohibit. This is hardly a reason to include them in the practice of Christianity.
The Bible refers to 'whole households' being baptised (eg. Acts 16:15, 1 Cor 1:16). It is thus supposed that these households would have included children and, since there is no explicit statement that only adults were baptised, it is further supposed that the children also must have been baptised. This argument neglects the equally valid possibility that the children of the household, if any, were of an age to make a meaningful decision to follow Christ. Or indeed the possibility that the fact that the children were not baptised should have been so obvious as to not require comment. On one occasion, the book of Acts identifies those who were baptised as 'both men and women' (Acts 8:12) - if children were being baptised this was surely the opportunity to record it.

I was Baptised as a child. Do I need to be Baptised again?

If you are genuinely born again and desire to be obedient to the word of God then there is no reason why you should not be baptised as a believer, regardless of what has happened in the past. As mentioned above, the people were baptized when they believed, which would indicate that they were of the age of understanding and knew what they were doing when they were baptized. However, it is very important that you talk this through with your parents and other family members who may consider your desire to be baptised as disrespectful to them. Your family needs to understand that you are taking this step in obedience to God's word, not as an act of rebellion against them. Please talk to a church elder if you are in this situation.