What is Baptism?

Posted: August 21st, 2005 | Author: stauffer | Filed under: Articles

One’s understanding of the meaning of baptism depends on where that person seeks a definition. He might read from an English dictionary and find that it means “to immerse in water or sprinkle or pour water on in the Christian rite of baptism.” That is correct description of the use of the word in the English language by people in general.

That definition, however, won’t satisfy serious Bible students. They know that the scriptures were originally written in the Greek language, and they will want to know what Jesus or Paul or Peter meant when they commanded sinners to be baptized. When they take the time to research a dictionary that defines Greek words, they will learn that the original words used by biblical writers were baptisma [noun] and baptizo [verb].

J. Henry Thayer’s Greek lexicon says of the verb, baptizo, that it means “to dip, immerge, submerge” (94). William F. Arndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich say, “to dip, immerse.” A secondary idea, growing out of this definition, is “to wash” or “to cleanse.” Totally different and unrelated words in the Greek language mean “to sprinkle” [rantizo] or “to pour” [cheo].

Beyond the exact meaning of the word “baptism” are two verses that declare precisely that baptism, in the likeness of Jesus’ burial and resurrection, is a “burial.” Paul wrote to the church in Rome: “We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). At a later time he wrote to the church at Colossae in Asia: “Having been buried with him in baptism, wherein ye were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead” (Colossians 2:12).

Examples of baptism in the first century confirm this simple, straightforward meaning of the word. John the Baptist, who introduced baptism among the Jews, baptized near the city of Aenon because, the Bible says, “there was much water there” (John 3:23). When Jesus was baptized of John in the Jordan river, Mark describes him as “coming up out of the water” (Mark 1:10).

An Ethiopian, who was traveling in Palestine, learned about Jesus by the preaching of Philip and was commanded to be baptized. Luke, in the book of Acts, said of the two men: “And they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.” He then says: “And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip; and the eunuch went on his way rejoicing” (Acts 8:38-39).

It was centuries later, out of convenience, that men shortened the Bible teaching of baptism by immersion to sprinkling and pouring water on sinners. May God bless all men today with the conviction to follow the teaching of scripture and be “buried” with their Lord in baptism.

–L. A. Stauffer