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Why are babies sprinkled with water and
then said to have been baptized? Does such a ritual make the baby a disciple
of Jesus? Why are some adults dipped in water and told that this ritual
makes them a disciple? Why indeed, since none of these things were ever New
Testament practices nor teachings.
Some people believe that a religious
ritual involving water makes a sinner into a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Others believe that water has nothing at all to do with becoming a disciple.
Let us examine one brief historical statement that proves that baptism does
not make a person into a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Consider this sentence fragment:
“...Jesus
made and baptized more disciples than John...”
(John 4:1). That brief phrase says that Jesus and
John did the same thing. It says that Jesus made more disciples and then
baptized more disciples than John made and then baptized. It is clear, then.
Making disciples is one thing and baptizing disciples is another! First the
disciples were “made” and then they were “baptized.”
So then the making of disciples does not
involve baptism. Making disciples is accomplished by preaching and it has to
do with the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit in bringing life to
spiritually dead sinners who are then able to believe with
“the faith
of God's elect,” (Titus 1:1).
Baptizing disciples follows the making of disciples. John and Jesus first
made disciples or followers and then those disciples were dipped in water.
Baptism does not have anything to do with making disciples.
By the way, the Greek word for baptize is
“baptizo” and means to dip or to plunge. There is another Greek word, “rhantizo,”
that means to sprinkle. This latter word appears four times in the Bible,
but never in regard to water put upon a body. If the Holy Ghost had wanted
us to understand that baptism was by sprinkling, surely He would have used
the correct word for that act.
We do understand from the Scriptures that
baptism is an important act of righteousness and that every disciple should
seek out a church that has biblical authority to exist and to administer
baptism. If baptism were a matter of indifference, the Lord Jesus could have
been baptized by anyone in several places in Galilee. However, He walked
about sixty miles from Galilee down to the Jordan River where John the
Baptist was baptizing. John baptized at such places
“because
there was much water there,” (John
3:23). Dipping requires “much water.” After all this dipping in water
portrays the believer's positional burial with Christ. Paul wrote, “Therefore
we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised
up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in
newness of life,” (Romans 6:4). The
questions are these: have you been made a disciple? And have you, as His
disciple, followed Christ's example and submitted to scriptural baptism? |
