THE UNFINISHED REFORMATION · INVESTIGATION 12

What Is Biblical Baptism?

What pattern does the New Testament give?

New Testament baptism follows proclamation of the gospel, personal faith, repentance, and identification with Christ’s death and resurrection. The Greek verb baptizō ordinarily carries the sense of dipping or immersing. Baptism does not purchase salvation. It publicly embodies union with Christ and entry into the believing community.

Reformation principle. Biblical symbols should be allowed to retain the meaning Scripture gives them.

SCRIPTURE TO EXAMINE

Read the biblical evidence

  • Matthew 28:19–20Jesus commands disciples to baptize and teach.
  • Acts 2:38Repentance and baptism are joined in the apostolic appeal.
  • Romans 6:3–4Baptism symbolizes burial and resurrection with Christ.
  • Acts 8:36–39The Ethiopian believer enters and comes up out of the water.
STRONGEST OBJECTION OR ALTERNATIVE READING

Examine the challenge

Christian traditions disagree about infant baptism and covenant continuity. The New Testament contains household baptisms, but it never explicitly describes an infant being baptized.

YOUR VERDICT

Which sequence is most visible in the New Testament evangelistic pattern?

  • Baptism, then later belief
  • Hearing, believing/repenting, then baptism
  • Family tradition, then baptism