The Fight Over Baptism
Humans…We Make the Simple Complex
A father told his ten-year-old son, “Son…clean your room.”
Enter the human condition, as represented in the story by the boy’s question.
“How should I clean it, dad? Do I start at the back and work to the front? Do I pick up the big objects first and then the small? This is so hard!”
Understanding well the problem, the wise father took off his belt, swatting his son ten times across the backside, seemingly out of the blue. Red of face and wet with tears, the boy’s eyes blurred with protest.
“What was that for?” the son asked, sobbing.
With a stony face the father answered, “Because I told you to clean your room and you asked questions instead. Get busy.”
The story, though not P.C. in modern parenting circles, exposes the carnal nature of mankind. Humans complicate the underlying meanings of God’s rules because their motivations, priorities and values are tainted by sin. Rather than hearing the words of the Father, like brats, men and women search Scripture for verses correlating with what they want to believe.
How Does This Apply to Baptism?
God’s Word is clear on what Baptism was, how it was administered and how we are to administer it today.
First enacted by John the Baptist at the river Jordan, under orders from the Holy Spirit of God (see Matthew chapter three), believers in and around Judaea came to John to be baptized, concluding he was a prophet.
Before going on, since the New Testament wasn’t written in English, its important to gain the correct meaning of the Greek words that have been transliterated as baptism, baptize, Baptist and baptized, in the New Testament.
What is Transliteration?
Bluntly, and without apology, transliteration is a plague across time. Here’s an illustration to put handles on things.
If one were to go to China, it would be wise to bring a translator.
Being an individual of means, June decided to hire the best translator at ten-thousand dollars a day.
Affixed to her person was a recording device, so as to capture all of the back and forth for future enjoyment.
After the trip ended, having gained a new love for China, June took the time to enroll in an immersive program to learn Chinese to a high degree, pounding the books for five years.
How disgusted would June be to discover the translator she’d hired, instead of giving her the meaning of each Chinese word, lazily spoke into English only the sounds of some words. Immediately June feared the professional had taken the same liberties in relaying her words from English to Chinese.
“Oh my God! That’s why nobody in China is returning my letters! They hate me!”
As betrayed as one would feel in June’s situation, it is far more awful how those translating the Word of Almighty God have employed the same lazy liberties. Here are some examples of transliteration found in many Bibles.
Adam’s name means “ground or earth,” showing how God basically named the first man,“Soil.” Why aren’t we given the meaning of Biblical names by translators rather than what the names sound like in Hebrew and Greek? Sadly, it’s because modern parents care little for the meaning of names, having been conditioned to choose names for babies by how they sound.
“I think we should name her Christina,” says the mother. “Doesn’t it just roll off the tongue?”
What a tragedy it would be for that mother to miss the meaning of the name Christ-ina, being “Messiah, Anointed One.” Perhaps she chose the name because “Christ” is transliterated from Greek, “Christos.” How many people still think Christ is the last name of Jesus? What a sad state of affairs, but there’s more.
Arc Angel or Arc Angels?
“Michael the Arc Angel” is one of the best known titles in the Bible. Arc means “First,” but how would one know the meaning without a lexicon? The only “Arc Angel” mentioned in the Bible is Michael. Even so, because of transliteration, the same title is often ascribed to both Lucifer and Gabriel. As if there can be more than one first of anything! This anomaly would not be present if the translators of the Bible had supplied the meaning of Michael’s name as it is. Michael the First Angel.
To The Word
Taken in context from Matthew chapter three verse six, we find John the Baptist doing God’s work at the river Jordan. Here’s what Joseph Thayer’s lexicon says about the word, “baptized” as taken from that verse.
907. βαπτίζω; baptizō; (imperfect ebaptizon); future baptisō; 1 aorist ebaptisa; passive (present baptizomai); imperfect ebaptizomēn; perfect participle bebaptismenos; 1 aorist ebaptisthēn; 1 future baptisthēsomai; 1 aorist middle ebaptisamēn; (frequent. (?) from baptō, like ballizō from ballō); here and there in Plato, Polybius, Diodorus, Strabo, Josephus, Plutarch, others.
- properly, to dip repeatedly, to immerge, submerge (of vessels sunk, Polybius 1, 51, 6; 8, 8, 4; of animals, Diodorus 1, 36).
2. to cleanse by dipping or submerging, to wash, to make clean with water; in the middle and the 1 aorist passive to wash oneself, bathe; so Mark 7:4 (where WH text rantisōntai); Luke 11:38 (2 Kings 5:14 ebaptisato en tō Iordanē, for ṭābal; Sir. 31:30 (Sir. 34:30; Judith 12:7).
What Was John Doing at the Jordan?
Other than the commonly-excepted definition of the word as given by Thayer, what did the word transliterated “Baptizo” mean in the culture of the day? In contemporary literature of the first and second centuries, the word is often used in discussion of dyers of fabric, doing laundry etc.
Conclusion…just like someone putting fabric in dye, John was dunking, immersing or plunging persons in Jordan’s waters who he deemed to be repentant believers. Therefore, immersion is what Jesus experienced at age thirty by the hand of John.
Over Time We Fail
The Father has suppllied clear instruction about baptism, just like the father in the story did for his son. Dunk, immerse or submerge is what Jesus said in Matthew 28, yet many Churches continue to sprinkle and pour. Why?
Before moving on, please know this.
It is the condition of the heart that is paramount to God, as taught in Romans chapter two:
Romans 2:28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
Just like circumcision was of no value to a person who’s heart was wrong toward God, immersion of a non-disciple constitutes nothing more than a bath. Again, the condition of the heart is the crux of the matter.
Since God is continually concerned with the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12), it is no surprise He commanded the first Church to baptize “them,” or disciples (in context), in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The literal translation of the Great Commission is:
“As you go, make disciples of all ethnicities, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
The Church is to make disciples, subsequently baptizing them only. First, one of God’s children must be taught, thereafter exhibiting good deeds corresponding to repentance, belief and commitment. In other words, the condition of the heart precedes baptism.
This is graphically seen with Cornelius, who was given the gifts of the Spirit prior to being baptized. He was already a dedicated disciple before Peter immersed him, having been preemptively welcomed into the kingdom of God as evidenced by the presence of the Helper in his house.
This could have occurred because Peter, with his Jewish prejudice, wouldn’t have immersed a Gentile without such powerful evidence of God’s approval. Even so, God’s motivation was for baptizing Cornelius with the Holy Spirit prior to immersion is unknown. No belief or practice should ever be based on human opinion, no matter how plausible it seems.
Who then Should be Immersed?
Time to take a closer look at the Great Commission.
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Having been privileged to endure four years of Greek and Hebrew in seminary, I am qualified to shed some light.
When one reads the words, “Go therefore,” it sounds like a general’s command to a soldier. This is another sad mistranslation of a clear Greek word. The Greek word translated as, “Go” is written in the passive voice, not the imperative voice required to classify it as a command. In other words, the word translated as “Go,” is not a commandment at all. Instead, Jesus was saying, “As you go,” or “Going,” both of which are acceptable translations of the word in this context.
There is a command in this verse, however, inviting more scrutiny.
“Make disciples of all “Ethnos” or ethnicities is a direct order from the ultimate General to His soldiers. Make disciples is written in the imperative form, marking it as a commandment from the very Being Who spoke the worlds into existence. Hear it again when translated properly:
“All authortiy in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19. Therefore, as you go, make disciples of all ethnicities, immersing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
To further clarify, the word translated “Ethnicities” can mean “Nations,” but only as understood in the culture of the day in which it was written. More so than today, people of the first century were divided by race with furver. Keeping in mind how Jesus was giving this command to His mostly Jewish first Church, it is likely He was making sure they understood they were being commanded to make disciples of both Jews and Gentiles.
All opinion aside, whether one believes the correct translation is nations or ethnicities, it is clear Jesus wanted and wants His Church to include all persons who are willing to submit to God as His disciples.
As to the question, “Who should be immersed,” the command of our Creator is clear.
Immerse disciples.
So…What Was a Disciple in the First Century?
In the culture of the day, a disciple was a person who’d decided to learn under another person of superior knowledge. In ancient, Oriental understanding, one should picture a group of students sitting at the feet of a master. Being a disciple was seen as a grave decision.
Infant Baptism
If your Church practices infant sprinkling or pouring, please don’t take offense. Having studied history, therefore understanding the power of tradition, I empathize deeply with this observance.
As proof of my respect, I recently left a Baptist Church I’d attended for about twenty years to attend a more Scripturally-sound United Reformed Church, which employs the practice of infant sprinkling. Since then, I’ve come to enjoy watching parents bring their precious babies before the Assembly to dedicate them to God, in a way. What a wonderful practice it is when a married man and woman publicly show a desire to raise their child according to God’s Word.
A Heart for God
As stated earlier in this discussion, it is the condition of the heart that matters most to God. God will accept into His kingdom a person who is a servant in their heart, but was sprinkled as a baby. If God denies mistaken persons entry into His service, we’re all in trouble. I certainly am not arrogant enough to think I have everything right. Ever learning is the only way to be.
Deeds Over Words
The big question of when to be immersed is best answered by deeds rather than words. Jesus waited until He was thirty years old to be immersed. John wasn’t born earlier so as to immerse Jesus as an infant. Deeds speak as if carved into Rushmore, while words only whisper.
Knowing the future command He would give to “Make disciples of all races,” Jesus worked all things together to be immersed by John at age thirty, the Jewish cultural age of male adulthood.
The seriousness of becoming a disciple of God is further emphasized in the following Scripture:
““If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.”
(Luke 14:26 NASB)
Understanding God will never teach hatred toward persons, this Greek word is given as a comparative. In other words, in order to be His disciple, one must hold God in such high esteem, it is as if one hates all others by comparison, including family. Such a deep regard for God is impossible for an infant. Esteeming God more highly than family is a tall order for an adult, for that matter.
Conclusion
God is the Ruler of the Universe. Although we can wonder about His commandments, we are not authorized to alter or water them down.
Prior to the Church Age, the nation of Israel was chosen by God to represent Him on this earth. Many signs and wonders were supplied to them so other nations would know God was with them. From the Ark of the Covenant, to the Ten Plagues of Egypt, to Jericho’s wall, to the strength of Samson, to circumcision, God set them apart as His chosen people in His way for His reasons.
According to His Old Testament plan, anyone could become a proselyte by submitting to God and being circumcised. Of course, this did not apply to women, though any female would have been accepted into the nation of Israel without a physical sign of her inward commitment in the same way Jewish women were.
That said, the new covenant given by God to the Church did not override the old but fulfilled it. All people, be they Jews or Gentiles, have always been permitted into God’s Kingdom. Otherwise, how did Adam and Eve serve?
Although He has revealed some of His motivations for choosing Israel by blood, we don’t know them all.
Conversely, we don’t know all of the reasons He gave immersion as a covenant sign showing inward commitment. We don’t know why He didn’t bring infant dedication by immersion into this modern age for we Gentiles, though I suspect it has something to do with the continued practice of circumcision among Jews, who remain His chosen people by birth.
Whatever reasons, we must accept and obey His command to make disciples, be they Jew or Gentile, immersing them in His name. We cannot alter, diminish or transliterate error into His Word without consequences.
No matter what one believes, we must allow the truth to take hold with prayer, fasting and love. In so doing, we must never forget the words of John 7:17:
““If any man is willing to do His will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from Myself.”
(John 7:17 NASB)
If you are willing to DO His will, He is honor-bound to make you know the teaching. Willing servants will walk in the light.
May God bless your studies.
