Baptism: sprinkle, pour or immerse?

John 13:15a, 17--For I have given you an example...If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them."

     What is your foundation?  Ephesians 2:19-20 says that we are, "saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone..."  Is God's Word your foundation on which you stand?  Do you wholly depend upon it for guidance or do you lean upon your intellect.  Do the Scriptures motivate your movement or do church traditions?  Today, we will leave church tradition and man's opinion on the doorstep and enter the house through the gate of God's Word.  We will address three areas(the Greek, examples and the symbolism) to help you understand which type of baptism is grounded in God's Word and which is founded upon man's opinion.

     First, Greek.  Matthew 28:19 says, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."  The Greek word from which we get “baptizing” is baptizo, which means to dip or immerge.  It is that way throughout the New Testament.  There are Greek words that mean sprinkle(rhantizo) and pour(excheo), but neither are ever used to describe the rite of baptism that Jesus practiced.

     Second, examples.  Matthew 3:5-6 says, “Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized(immersed) by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.”  When it comes to immersion, John the Baptist started it, Jesus practiced it and Paul followed suit, as did many others in-between. The pattern was clearly made that baptism was essential and that immersion was the form it should be done.  Acts 8:26-40 offer us one wonderful example of immersion.  In verse 38-39 we see that Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, “went down into the water” and “came up out of the water.”  Obviously, if sprinkling or pouring were the practice there would be no need for going into or coming out of the water; immersion is the only viable option.

     Third, symbolism.  Romans 6:3-4 says, “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?  Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”  Immersion provides a vivid illustration of the new believer being “buried” to their old nature and being raised to walk in newness of life.  Neither sprinkling nor pouring can provide such imagery. 

     My hope is that all will search the Scriptures to see if what I have taught is accurate and then practice it.  Many may teach something different, but may you, as a whole-hearted believer rely only on God’s Word and not the word of another.  May Christ richly bless you as you obey all He instructs us to do.