Proper Subjects for Baptism

Proper Subjects for Baptism

By Reese Currie, Compass Distributors

Though there are many who argue for infant baptism on the "strengths" of their man-made traditions, the Scripture is quite plain on the proper subjects for baptism: only people who have already come to faith in Jesus Christ.

Acts 8:36-38 says, "And as they were going along the highway they came on some water. And the eunuch said, Behold, water! What prevents me to be baptized? And Philip said, If you believe from all the heart, it is lawful. And answering he said, I believe Jesus Christ to be the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him."

The condition that made the baptism lawful was the subject's belief in Jesus Christ. Otherwise, baptism is unlawful and invalid. Thanks to the disobedience of many churches which baptize infants, there are over a billion people on this earth who believe themselves to be baptized, and are not.

The manuscript support for Acts 8:37 is somewhat weak, as it is found in many but not a majority of manuscripts. Nevertheless, there are other verses in Scripture that support this principle. Acts 2:41 has full manuscript support and reads, "Then truly the [ones] gladly welcoming His Word were baptized. And about three thousand souls were added that day." These were baptized after having believed.

In Acts 8:12, we see the pattern again: "But when they believed Philip preaching the gospel, the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women." When they believed, they were then baptized.

In Acts 10:47, we read of Peter speaking of Gentiles who had just come to faith in Jesus, "Can anyone forbid the water that these not be baptized, who the Holy Spirit received, even as we also?" His reason for not forbidding baptism was that the people had obviously believed the message.

In Acts 16:14-15, we read, "And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple of [the] city of Thyatira, [one] reverencing God, listened, whose heart the Lord opened thoroughly to pay attention to the things being spoken by Paul. And as she and her household were baptized, she entreated [Paul], saying, If you have judged me to be believing in the Lord, entering into my house, remain. And she strongly urged us." This is something of a rhetorical question; she knew that she had been judged to be a believer by Paul, because Paul baptized her, and Paul only baptized people he judged to be believers.

In Acts 18:8, we read, "And Crispus, the synagogue ruler, believed the Lord along with all his house. And hearing, many of the Corinthians believed and were baptized." The pattern is always belief, and then baptism.

In Paul's description of the unity of the Spirit in Ephesians 4, he lists the following elements: "one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, the [One] above all and through all and in you all" (Ephesians 4:5-6).

I have realized recently that Paul is not just listing these in any random order. When we repent for the first time, recognizing that we are sinners, we are recognizing that Jesus is the Lord, and has the right to demand our obedience. We turn from our sins and turn to God for salvation, which results in faith. As a result of that faith, in the first century church at least, baptism was immediate (and frankly should be in our churches today). Then, having exercised faith and been baptized in obedience to that faith, we have that one God and Father of all, "all" meaning in this context "all who have believed." I am not intending to convey "baptismal regeneration" here, because the person who believes is instantaneously saved; what I am attempting to demonstrate is that even in this example, baptism is plainly set out as something that does not precede faith, but comes only after faith has been exercised.

Baptism of infants and others who have not believed is simply unbiblical. It is not so much a matter of whether the person is older or not: a personal repentance and placing of faith in Jesus Christ is absolutely necessary before a person is a proper subject of baptism, because baptism always comes after faith in the Scriptures. I have even heard stories of some Baptist churches who simply baptize people when they reach 14 years of age, not understanding the first thing about Baptist principles. It is not to be a baptism of adults, it is to be a baptism of professing believers.

Infant baptism is one of the ways that the churches in Christendom deceive people into a false sense of security, thinking that they are saved when they have not ever repented and fully trusted in Jesus and Jesus only to save them. There is not a single example of infant baptism or baptism of anyone who had not already believed in the Bible.

I would urge anyone who has believed in Christ, and has not been baptized as a believer to obey the Lord and follow Him in believers' baptism. The word baptism in Scripture is not a translation but rather a transliteration for baptisma, the Greek word for "immersion." So, the proper time for baptism is after you have believed, and the proper method is by full immersion underwater.

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