Matthew 28:19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit.
For some reason, few issues are as hotly debated within
the church as the subject of baptism. Numerous churches have
split over the issue of whether immersion is the proper
technique or other methods are allowed. Others debate
whether baptism is a requirement for salvation. The point of
this article is not to answer all of these questions but
instead to state what we know from scripture.
Baptism is a command. New believers were told to be
baptized and many were baptized as soon as it was possible
after becoming Christians. While it is a command, we have
nothing to tell us that unbaptized Christians are not true
Christians because they did not obey. We are told not to
gossip and yet many Christians do so without anyone
questioning their salvation.
The baptism of Jesus was through immersion and this
appears to be the method most often used by John the Baptist
and the apostles. This was also the most commonly used
method in the early church according to historical accounts
outside of the Bible. Nowhere is this mandated in the Bible
however. According to early church accounts, baptism was
done in ways other than immersion for those who were sick or
unable to be immersed.
To baptize something is to identify it with something
else. Cloth was baptized in dye and it became a new color. A
ship was baptized when it was sunk. It became a wreck. When
Christians are baptized, they become identified with Christ
and are a new creation.
Baptism is to be performed in the names of the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit. Once again, scripture is silent on
whether a person is baptized one time for each name or one
time for all three together.
Baptism boils down to a command that Christians should
follow. It is an outward showing of our new life in Christ
and should be a time of celebration among all Christians.
Because many of the details are not given to us as commands
we should seek unity instead of division over these details.
We are all baptized in the same name, regardless of the
manner.
