We have a problem in the Church today. There are people who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ; they profess faith in Him. Yet, they are unbaptized. This problem exists in many churches. Yes, it probably exists in your church.
My hope is to impress upon you the importance of baptism in light of our Lord’s command to make disciples and baptize them. I will point out that I do not believe the individual who professes Christ and is not baptized bears all responsibility. Some of the blame is to be laid on the local church for not placing a higher priority on baptism.
Dr. John MacArthur helps us with this by pointing out five reasons why professing Christians are not baptized. I will give you Dr. MacArthur’s five reasons but summarize them rather than directly quote him.1
- Ignorance – This is not necessarily the fault of the individual. The blame in this case, I believe, lies primarily with the local church for not correctly teaching about baptism.
- Pride – In most cases, the individual has allowed a significant amount of time to pass. It becomes increasingly challenging to bring yourself to be baptized. I have personally witnessed this in thirty years of pastoral ministry. Pride in the life of an unbaptized believer has continually been a concern for me in every congregation I have served.
- Indifference – Some people understand baptism. They are not opposed to it. But it’s not a priority or important to them. Unlike those who are ignorant, the difference is that these individuals have received correct teaching concerning baptism. They have no excuse. They are simply indifferent.
- Defiance – Some who profess faith in Christ but remain unbaptized outright refuse to follow Jesus in baptism. We cannot place more weight on any one of these five categories. But defiance is disobedience. Disobedience is not consistent with a faithful Christian life. So, we should be very concerned about a disobedient follower of Christ.
- Unregenerate – It is entirely possible that some who profess to be followers of Jesus are unregenerate. They are not true followers of Jesus Christ. I suspect this is the case in many churches. We cherish the idea that someone who has made a profession of faith is truly converted. Yet, a false conversion for them is entirely possible.
If you are reading this and profess to be a follower of Jesus Christ, but you are unbaptized, I urge you to read to the end and seriously consider the importance of baptism.
In this article, I intend to present the Biblical view of baptism. I am making the case for why every follower of Jesus Christ should be baptized. I will address this with a series of serious questions.
What is Baptism?
“Baptize” is a transliteration of the Greek. A transliteration means that the translators formed the English word from the letters of the Greek word. As a result, the English word sounds very similar to the Greek word. In this case, the Greek word is “Baptizo.” Our English word is “Baptize.”
The English translators apparently chose to transliterate “baptizo” because it became a technical term for Christian baptism. Although “baptize” was previously used in Greek to speak of other things, it eventually became a technical term for Christian baptism.
The Greek word means to “dip, immerse, or submerge.” It is the idea of dipping a cloth in dye. Today, we think of tie-dye. Or if you are cooking, it is submerging the cucumber in the vinegar to pickle it. So, in Christian Baptism, we practice complete immersion or submersion in water.
What is the meaning of baptism?
Two references in the New Testament help us understand baptism. The first is 1 Corinthians 10:1-2. In the greater context, Paul is writing to the Corinthians, warning them to avoid the mistakes of Israel. As Paul introduces this subject, he refers to baptism. Paul speaks of baptism in connection to the Exodus.
The Exodus is when Israel is delivered out of captivity in Egypt and led toward the land promised by God to Abraham. God selected Moses to lead Israel in the Exodus. The cloud is the presence of God with His people. He led His people using the cloud to veil His glory.
So, the people of Israel were under the cloud. In other words, they were under God’s presence and divine leadership. But notice the main point Paul is making. All of Israel was delivered from the Egyptian army as they passed through the Red Sea. As a result, they were baptized into Moses.
God ultimately delivered Israel from Egypt. But God chose to deliver Israel through Moses. In the same way, God ultimately is the One who delivers us from our sins. But, God chose to deliver us through His only Son, Jesus Christ.
The water of the Red Sea played an essential role in that it was an explicit breaking away from Egypt. In the same way, the water of baptism does not save us. Instead, it is a testimony that we have made a clear break from our old life of sin to enter into the new life that we received in Jesus.
The second reference to help us understand baptism was written by Peter (1 Peter 3:20-21). Peter points us to Noah as an example of baptism. The world is wicked in the days of Noah. Sin is spreading throughout the known world. God chose to bring judgment upon the world. Yet, eight individuals found grace in the eyes of the Lord – Noah and his family.
Noah, his family, and the animals were aboard the ark. The ark is a picture of Jesus. He did not know what rain was, let alone a flood. But, by faith, Noah obeyed God and prepared the ark. The flood was the judgment of God upon sin on earth.
Dr. Wiersbe helps us here.
The flood pictures death, burial, and resurrection. The waters buried the earth in judgment, but they also lifted Noah and his family up to safety. The early church saw in the ark a picture of salvation. Noah and his family were saved by faith because they believed God and entered into the ark of safety. So sinners are saved by faith when they trust Christ and become one with Him.2
What is Christian Baptism?
Mark gives us a starting place (Mark 16:16). First, belief precedes baptism. The belief Mark writes about is in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as being sufficient to cover your sins. But this is not a belief that is merely an intellectual acceptance of these things being true. It is a belief that leads you to repentance – the turning away from your sins and turning to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Belief throughout scripture is synonymous with faith. Faith is the belief that trust in Jesus Christ and Him alone as Lord and Savior of your life. It is this belief that saves you from your sins.
So, why does Jesus connect this to baptism? It is not because baptism saves you. The second half of Mark 16:16 states, “But whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Being unbaptized is not the reason a person is condemned. A person is condemned because of unbelief.
If this is true, why does Jesus command His disciples to make disciples and baptize them? Colossians 2:11 gives us insight into this question. Note the reference to circumcision. Circumcision is the cutting away of the foreskin as a sign that a person is a member of the covenant community.
It is my understanding that a proselyte (non-Jewish person) coming into the covenant followed a three-step process:
- Circumcision
- Cleansing themselves in water
- Offering a sacrifice
Circumcision is the outward sign of the covenant. This three-step process of coming into the covenant contains the outward signs of the covenant. Paul makes it very clear that the circumcision that occurs in the New Covenant is the circumcision of Christ.
So, in answering the question, “What is Christian Baptism? It is the outward sign of an inward change that has already taken place. Belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus saves us. Paul asserts in Colossians 2:12-13 that followers of Jesus join Him in His death, burial, and resurrection. So, Christian Baptism is a public testimony of your faith in Jesus Christ and the new life He has given you.
The Apostle Paul adds to our understanding in his writing to the Romans (Romans 6:3-4).Paul writes about Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection to the Romans. Paul asserts that we are raised to New Life in Christ due to being buried with Him in death and burial. It is not the act of water baptism that baptizes you into Christ. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to baptize you into the Body of Christ, the Church. Paul indicates this in several places in his writings.
But, for our purpose, I will call your attention only to 1 Corinthians 12:13.So, a spiritual baptism takes place in your life before you are baptized in water. Christian baptism is more appropriately known as “Believer’s Baptism.” It is a believer’s baptism because it takes place after one has repented of their sins and trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their life. Therefore, water baptism is the sign, a public testimony of your salvation. It is a beautiful picture of your death to sin, making a clear break from your life of sin in burial and raised to new life in Jesus Christ!
Now, let’s turn our attention back to the problem I addressed at the beginning of this article. We have people professing faith in Jesus who are unbaptized, which leads me to my final question.
Why Should You Be Baptized?
Jesus set the example in His baptism.
The One who did not need to be baptized was baptized to fulfill all righteousness (Matthew 3:13-17). If you profess faith in Jesus Christ as a follower of him, why would you not want to follow the example of Jesus?
Jesus Commands baptism.
The mission of the church is to make disciples. The commission is three-fold: going, baptizing, and teaching. So, if Jesus commands baptism, then it is an act of disobedience to not be baptized. Disobedience is contradictory to following Jesus.
Baptism is a public testimony of your faith in Christ.
If you are hesitant about being baptized, what does that say about your willingness to be public about your faith? Faith in Jesus Christ is to be public. Yes, it is a personal faith. But your faith was never intended to be private. Your faith is to be public.
The Apostles commanded baptism.
In the book of Acts, when people came to Christ, the Apostles commanded them to be baptized. It was not a suggestion for consideration. Baptism was not presented as a good idea. The Apostles commanded baptism. So, if the Apostles took the authority that Jesus transferred to them in the commission and commanded others to be baptized, why does the church today take a much softer approach to baptism?
Baptism is a commitment to Christ’s people.
In Acts, the individuals saved on the Day of Pentecost were received into the church by baptism. The commitment to Christ’s people is bi-directional.
On one hand, it is your commitment to Christ’s people. But, on the other hand, it is Christ’s people affirming your faith. By affirming your faith, the local church is committing to you to help you grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
The church’s commitment to the individual is why I do not tack baptism onto the end of a service. I think it should be a vital part of our worship as we welcome new believers into the family of God. Under normal circumstances, I will not baptize a person in private because God’s people should witness baptism during a regular gathering of worship.
Faith In Action
My challenge to you today is twofold.
If you are an unbaptized Christian, you need to know this is a command from the Lord Jesus Christ. You are walking in disobedience. Disobedience is not consistent with a faithful Christian life as a follower of Jesus. So, today, you need to hear the clear command from the Scriptures and be baptized.
Secondly, I want to address the local church collectively as the body of Christ. How serious are we about bringing new converts to baptism? Have we become content with only a profession of faith? As presented in the New Testament, the early church knows nothing of an unbaptized Christian. It is easy for someone to speak words that sound like a profession of faith. Then, they walk away and never give another thought to baptism. The local church must be concerned about bringing new converts to baptism.
- Dr. John MacArthur: https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/80-57/understanding-baptism, “Understanding Baptism,” January 29, 1989 ↩︎
- Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary NT, p. 915 ↩︎
