We often use passages about baptism to show unbelievers the need to be baptized into Christ. Certainly, baptism was taught to those who had not yet done it. The various occasions in the book of Acts demonstrate this. Peter taught the need to be baptized in Acts 2. Those in Samaria heard it and were baptized in Acts 8. That it was taught is the only way to make sense of why the eunuch from Ethiopia, as they were traveling along, asked Philip, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” (Acts 8:36) The eunuch did not just pull that up out of the blue on his own. Philip had taught it to him as they were riding along. Paul was taught to do it in Acts 9 (cf. Acts 22:16). Cornelius and his household were told to be baptized in Acts 10. The Philippian jailor obviously heard from Paul in Acts 16. On we can go. Baptism was an integral part of the conversion process, and Acts is clear about that. If we are teaching the truth about Jesus, the Kingdom, and salvation, baptism will be a part of this teaching. 

Yet there is something else to consider. When we look into the rest of the New Testament to read about baptism, we need to recognize that these writings, these epistles, were written to those who had already been baptized into Christ. So, for example, in Romans 6, Paul is not making an argument to tell the Romans that they need to be baptized, but is reminding them about the importance of the fact that they were, already, baptized. Read this in the context of one who has already done it and what does it show us? 

“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.” (Rom 6:3-6)

Or read Galatians 3 to see what it tells the readers: 

“But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal 3:26-27). 

Several other passages like Colossians 2:11-14, 1 Corinthians 12:13, 1 Peter 3:21, and so on can be added to the list. These are passages written to those who had already submitted themselves to the Lord. Why is this so important? 

These passages are not singling out some of the Christians who were baptized and separating them from others who were not baptized. These passages assume that they were all baptized. The fact that there is so much written to Christians about their own baptism is itself evidence that baptism is both necessary and stands at the beginning of their walk with the Lord.

Why is this important? Because while we want to teach non-Christians to be baptized into Christ, as in Acts, it is just as important that we be reminded of why we were baptized in the first place, as in the epistles. We need to be reminded of the commitment we made and what baptism meant to us. We put on Christ. We appealed to God for a good conscience. We were united with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. We were baptized into one body. We put our faith in the working of God. All of these points (and more) serve to remind us continually why we submitted to the Lord in the first place, and they ought to be continually before us as we grow. 

These passages also show us that we have a point in time to look back to so that we are reminded of the significance of what we did. Our baptism serves as a foundational grounding for us that we can think about no matter how mature we become in Christ. Sometimes it is quite important to go back to the beginning and remember why we did what we did. 

The next time you read the epistles and come across these passages about baptism, don’t just think about what the non-Christian needs to do. Think about what you did and why you did it. This will help keep you grounded in the Lord. You will always have that anchor to go back to so that you can continue to move forward. 

Doy Moyer

Two passages are often conflated when thinking about the subjects of circumcision and baptism. Read these (and the greater contexts) first: 

Colossians 2:11-13:

“In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses…” 

Romans 4:9-12: 

“Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.”

The argument is made that since baptism is the New Testament version of circumcision (Col 2), and since Abraham was justified prior to circumcision (Rom 4), then this proves that one is saved prior to baptism, thus showing that baptism is not necessary (just like circumcision). Sounds pretty solid, right? 

Not really. The problem here is that these two texts are speaking to two different contexts. A mistake is made when we try to take an analogy too far, forcing a one-to-one correlation on every aspect of it. Neither of these texts do that. 

Look at Romans 4. The point being made has to do with the Jew and Gentile situation. Jews might take pride in the fact that they had the covenant of circumcision, but they were missing one major fact: Abraham was justified by faith before the command to be circumcised was even given. Because Abraham was “the father of us all,” the Jews could not bind circumcision on the Gentiles. We should note, though, that Abraham obeyed the command to be circumcised as soon as it was given. What if he had refused to do it at that point? Note also that nowhere in the text of Romans 4 is there any equation to baptism. That wasn’t the point being made. 

Now look at Colossians 2. Here baptism and circumcision are explicitly compared in one particular, and one particular only: they both involve the “putting off” of something. Just as in circumcision there was a cutting off of the flesh, so in baptism there is a “putting off the body of the flesh.” The only comparison being made here is in the concept of cutting away something, which, again, was not the point Paul was making about Abraham in Romans 4. 

In Colossians, Paul continues to say that baptism, which is a putting off the body of flesh (i.e., sin), entails being “buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God.” Notice that in baptism one is submitting to the working of God, rather than it being one’s own work. This is important because many will argue against baptism on the grounds it is a work, and since we are not saved by works, then it cannot be necessary. But that misses the point: submitting to baptism is trusting in the working of God; it is something done to you. Is it necessary for us to trust God’s work or not? 

Paul also writes that “you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses…” The equation here is that one is dead in uncircumcision, then, through being buried with Christ in baptism and raised through faith in the powerful working of God, God makes this one alive by forgiveness. This aspect of baptism corresponds, not to Romans 4, but to Romans 6:1-5. 

To take the narrow point about baptism correlating to one aspect of circumcision in Colossians 2, then squeezing that into what is said about circumcision in Romans 4, is to change the points being made. They aren’t the same. 

Again, what if Abraham refused to be circumcised after the command was given? We know that would have been a problem because it would have shown a lack of faith (trust) on Abraham’s part. He did it right away, and that’s the kind of faith we are to imitate. When we know God wants something, we are not to wait. 

When it comes to baptism, the command is already given. It’s not like the situation with Abraham and circumcision wherein the command was yet to be given. We already have it. What, then, if we refuse or put it off because it is not convenient for us? This will earn us nothing, for it is always by God’s grace that salvation is given. 

If you want to demonstrate faith (trust) in God’s working, how long will you wait to be baptized? 

Doy Moyer

Baptism, which, biblically, is immersion, is not our design. We didn’t invent it as a practice. We didn’t come up with the reasons for doing it. We weren’t the ones who tied it to remission of sins, appealing to God for a good conscience, being clothed with Christ, or dying with Him to be raised up with Him in a new life. Our task, as those who would teach and practice what the Scriptures teach, is to be true to the biblical message. The answer, then, as to why we teach that baptism is necessary, is found within Scripture itself. Why is baptism so important? 

1. Because Jesus taught His disciples to baptize. He commissioned His disciples: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” (Matt 28:18-20). If we are going to take Jesus seriously, we will seek to do what He taught disciples to do, and He taught His disciples to baptize others. 

2. Because the disciples carried out Jesus’ commission to baptize. The book of Acts shows how the disciples carried out Jesus’ commission. Multiple examples demonstrate this: 

On the day of Pentecost, Peter, after preaching that Christ was raised to sit on David’s throne, responded to the question, “What shall we do?” by telling them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:37-38). The response was significant: “those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls” (v. 41). 

Other cases in Acts show the same. For example, when Philip preached in Samaria, we find that “when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike” (Acts 8:12). When Philip taught the eunuch and they came across water, the eunuch responded, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” (Acts 8:36) This tells us that Philip, in teaching Jesus and the kingdom, was also teaching baptism. Why would they have been baptized so promptly if they didn’t see the need for it? 

When Saul of Tarsus saw the light of Christ, Ananias, by Jesus’ commission, told Saul, “Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name” (Acts 22:16). Saul did just that. Upon regaining his sight and hearing what Ananias said, “he got up and was baptized” (Acts 9:18). 

When Peter went to Cornelius, his message included baptism: “he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 10:48). Here, Peter directly tied baptism in the name of Jesus to water (Acts 10:47). 

The apostle Paul carried out the same message. In Acts 16, we find Lydia and her household being baptized after her heart was opened to respond (Acts 16:14-15). Later, the jailer at Philippi had a change of heart and, upon hearing of his need for Jesus, “immediately he was baptized, he and all his household” (Acts 16:33). 

As the gospel spread, we learn that “many of the Corinthians when they heard were believing and being baptized” (Acts 18:8), and that those at Ephesus, after learning the truth, were baptized (Acts 19:5). Clearly the message of Christ and His kingdom throughout the book of Acts included baptism. Shall we diminish its importance now? The disciples then carried out what Jesus taught, and so should we now. 

3. Because the epistles emphasize the importance of baptism. For instance, in Paul’s epistles, we learn that we are baptized into the death of Christ in order to be raised with Him, thereby mirroring His death and resurrection (Rom 6:3-5). We learn that we are baptized into one body (1 Cor 12:13), and that, in baptism, we clothe ourselves with Christ (Gal 3:27). We are “buried with Him in baptism” and “raised up with Him through faith in the working of God” (Col 2:11-13). It’s really God’s work, and we are simply submitting to that. 

Peter also emphasized the importance of baptism by saying that “baptism now saves—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). 

None of this is saying that we are earning our salvation by works. Salvation is by grace through faith (Eph 2:8-9). Yet it is still by God’s grace that He gives baptism its importance as we commit ourselves to Him, die with Him to be raised up with Him, and receive the forgiveness that He offers through Jesus. We teach the importance of baptism because it’s just what God’s word says about it, and we don’t ever want to diminish the importance of that message. 

Doy Moyer