Baptism Defined

By Barry P. Hampton
Some of the things that we will discuss in this article about BAPTISM are: What does baptism mean? How many are there? Which one is for today? The word baptism in the dictionary is a misrepresentation of the true biblical definition. The dictionary definition deals with baptism being only a ceremonial dipping in water. This is not the definition at all. [Note: the word baptism is not an English word. It is a Greek word that does not even deal with a church ceremony.] Baptism deals with Identification; it means to be identified with someone, or a group, as in the case with the “baptism unto Moses” in I Cor. 10:1,2.
When dealing with a doctrine like baptism, you must fathom that there are as many theories as to what baptism does, as there are on which one is for today. In this article we will try to discuss some of the views.
First, how many baptisms are there in the Word of God? There are at least twelve baptisms. It was Charles Baker that said in his book Dispensational Theology, pg. 544, “the Scriptures speak of at least twelve distinct kinds of baptism, and that only five of these have any reference to a ceremony involving the use of water or of any other physical substance.” Yet, with this fact, most people still equate baptism with water, and for no other reason than that for so long that is what the local church has said it to be. That reminds me of what my father once told me about people. He said, “If you tell something long enough someone will believe it, whether it is right or wrong.” That is exactly where the church is today. They believe it just because it has been said so much. We must again become students of the Scriptures and check things out for ourselves.
Charles Baker divided them up like this:
1. Christ baptizing with the Holy Spirit (Matt. 3:11), which took place on the day of Pentecost and resulted in the endowment with miraculous power from on high (Luke 24:49).
2. Christ baptizing with fire (Luke 3:160. From the context it appears that this baptism of fire is yet future and perhaps describes the phenomenon, which will accompany His second coming (2 Thes. 1:7-9).
3. The Holy Spirit baptizing believers into the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13).
4. Christ’s baptism into death upon the Cross (Luke 12:50).
5. The typical baptism of Noah’s ark (I Peter 3:20,21), the anti-type of which is Christ’s death baptism, the baptism which now saves us [Israel].
6. The baptism of the children of Israel unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea (I Cor. 10:2.) The Israelites in this baptism went through on dry land, but the Egyptians were immersed.
7. The Baptism for the dead (I Cor. 15:29). This is a much disputed passage, but it appears from the context that Paul is speaking of baptism as a suffering of martyrdom, similar to the usage in point four abo which are mentioned in Scripture are:
The five ritual types of baptisms, which are mentioned in Scripture, are:
l. The divers baptisms of the law (Heb 9:9,10). The word translated “washing” in the A.V. is baptismos. The Levitical ritual contained divers or various kinds of baptisms. The most common probably was the sprinkling of water of purification according to the ordinance of the red heifer (Numbers 19). It was most important to understand that water baptism is not an innovation of the New Testament. Israel practiced many baptisms for fifteen hundred years before New Testament times. The priests were inducted into office by baptism at eh laver. These were all types, looking forward to fulfillment in a spiritual reality, not in another physical ritual.
2. The traditional Baptisms of the Jews (Mark 7:1-9), where the word translated “washing” is again baptismos. These baptisms were similar to those of the Law, but they were never commanded by God and, in fact, they served only to make the commandment of God of none effect.
3. John’s Baptism (John 1:32 and Luke 3:3), the purpose of which as stated was to introduce Jesus as Israel’s Messiah and to effect the remission of sins.
4. The Baptism of Christ by John (Matt. 3:15), which in all outward appearances was the same as point three above, but which was designed to “fulfill all righteousness.” In this baptism Jesus identified Himself officially with sinful humanity. This identification was completed on the cross when He died for the sins of the whole world. He was not a sinner, but He took His place as a sinner by being baptized of John.
5. Pentecostal water baptism for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). This baptism is called a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, just the same as John’s baptism, in that it resulted in the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The way that Charles Baker divided up the baptisms is marvelous. Yet there are a few areas that I believe need some comment. Under the spiritual list #5, I think Peter is trying to show Israel how water baptism is required. He is using a type for an illustration. I do not believe this applies to the Church in any way.
It is also truly hard to distinguish between the (WATER) baptism that John baptized with and the baptism Peter mentions in Acts 2:38. It seems that both come with the promise of the Holy Spirit, but there may be enough to separate them. At any means, it was used to identify them with the new nation of Israel, just as the one baptism of Eph. 4:5 identifies us with the body of Christ. The fact still remains the same (Charles Baker had put hours of research into the subject of Baptism).
This brings us to another part of our article. Which one is for us today? Paul is the Apostle of the Gentiles (Rom. 11:13, Rom 15:16, I Tim. 2:7). Therefore, one must go to Romans through Philemon for the answer, comparing the rest of the scriptures. Not one place, not even in his pastoral epistles, does he mention to dip anyone in water.
In fact, every reference in Paul’s epistles is always to the one baptism of I Cor 12:13, except 1 Cor. 1:17. Paul says that we are complete in Christ (Col. 2:10); what could water baptism add to the state of completeness? There is not even one hint of water in any of his letters, outside of I Cor. 1:17, where he is rebuking them. Is it not strange that the Apostle to the Gentiles never told us how to baptize in water, whether by sprinkling or submersion? He never tells when to do it. In fact, he goes as far as saying Christ sent him NOT to baptize (I Cor. 1:17)! This is a far cry from that of the twelve’s commission in Mark 16:16, Luke 24, and Matt. 28: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them…”
I’m always amazed at how many people will keep on defending their religion and will not consider what God says. The fact remains the same—that religion today is promoting incompleteness in Christ by adding a work to make a believer complete. Why can’t we take God’s Word at face value? Did God not mean what he said? Has human wisdom surpassed the wisdom of the Almighty One? Where in Scripture did God tell us that baptism is for a testimony, or that baptism is for church membership? These questions can all be answered, if you rightly divide the Scripture.
God is not and has not dealt with people the same way all through the Bible. This is obvious if you think about the blood sacrifices of Lev. 1-7, which stopped at the cross. We do not bring blood sacrifices anymore. Why? Something in God’s program changed. So if this is true, how about baptism? So if this is true, how about baptism? Could it not have changed as well?
The one baptism for today is not the baptism with the Holy Ghost, but the baptism in which the Spirit takes and plummets us (the believers who have placed their faith in the finished work of the CROSS) into the body of Christ (I Cor. 12:13). This is clarified in Rom. 6:3. Paul states: “Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?” That is, the moment when the Holy Spirit placed us into Christ, we were also made partakers of the baptism that the Lord Jesus Christ partook of when he died upon the tree—the BAPTISM INTO DEATH (Luke 12:50). The ONE BAPTISM of Eph. 4:5 is the only one for today. I have heard that we are to baptize in water, and the only one that counts is I Cor. 12:13. Well if that is the only one that counts, why do any other? Can you imagine for a second, partaking of a baptism God never asked for? That brings me to a thought. In Matt. 15:8,9 the Lord tells what is dishonoring to Him. “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”
Peter, however, did not preach one baptism. He preached two, water and the Holy Ghost, and both were required for salvation (Mark 16:15,16)! Either Paul and Peter are preaching different doctrines to the same group or they are preaching different messages to different groups. The latter is found to be truth by Gal. 2:7-9. God does not need Bible critics; He needs Bible believers!
Heb. 11:6 says it so well: “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” I hope in some small way that you will consider what God has said about baptism, and comply with it. Don’t be caught at the Judgment Seat of Christ involved with the teaching and commandments of men!