Articles
Is Baptism Sprinkling, Pouring, or Immersion?
June 3, 2018
Is Baptism Sprinkling, Pouring, or Immersion? By Derek Long
Many people will tell you they have been baptized. However, if you were to inquire about what took place at their baptism, you would find several different answers are given. Some people had water poured on them, some had water sprinkled on them, and others were immersed in water. Does the Bible teach us what baptism truly is so we can know what we must do when it commands us to be baptized (Mark 16:16)? Here are some things to consider when seeking to determine what Bible baptism is:
1. When John baptized people, he did so in a place where
there was much water (John 3:23). Why would John need to baptize people in a place with “much water” if baptism is simply sprinkling or pouring water on an individual. “Much water” would be require to immerse a person though.
2. People who were baptized went into the water and came out of the water. When we read of Jesus baptism, the text says, “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water” (Matthew 3:16). If someone comes up from the water, it is necessary for them first to have gone down into the water. A person does not have to go down into the water and up from the water to be sprinkled or poured with water but would have to in order to be immersed. Another example is the conversion of the Ethiopian treasurer. In Acts 8:38-39 we read, “So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.” We can see from this example how the chariot had to be stopped, both men had to go down to the water, and come up out of the water. These actions would not be necessary to sprinkle or pour water on an individual but would seem normal if a person is to be immersed in water.
3. Baptism is described as a burial in the Bible. Romans 6:4 says, “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.” Colossians 2:12 says, “buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.” When we bury a person we do not simply sprinkle some dirt on them or pour dirt on them. When we bury someone we completely cover them with dirt. If baptism is a burial, we need to be completely covered in order to comply with the command.
4. The definition of the Greek word for the word “baptize” is “to dip.” The definition of the Greek word for “baptism” is “consisting of the process of immersion, submersion and emergence” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, W.E. Vine, 50). The word if translated instead of simply being transliterated would have probably been translated “immersion” instead of “baptism.”
5. Jesus commanded His disciples to, “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” (Matthew 28:19). Baptism is something done to the individual according to this passage. If a word serves as an acceptable definition, it should be able to be inserted in place of the word and the passage still make sense. If we read the passage, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, sprinkling them,” the passage no longer makes sense and does not align with the practice of some. If we read the passage, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, pouring them,” the passage no longer makes sense and does not align with the practice of some. If we read the passage, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, immersing them,” the passage makes sense and is correct in light of the other evidence we have already seen.
Does it matter whether a person is sprinkled with water, has water poured over them, or is immersed in water? We need to remember there is only “one baptism” which saves us today (Ephesians 4:5). We cannot have people doing three different types of actions and yet all be obeying the “one baptism” taught in the Bible. In addition, the command requires immersion as has been illustrated. To substitute sprinkling or pouring is to no longer obey the Lord’s command and instead follow human tradition.
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