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What does the BIBLE say about Water Baptism


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In water baptism, we baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus. This has been a controversial subject in the Body of Christ as some people baptize in "Jesus' name only." However scripture tells us how to baptize in Matthew 28:18-20:

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

This commission is given to the disciples. Disciples can baptize those that are needing to be baptized. However, not all Christians qualify as disciples unless they are being obedient to the Lord's commandments. One cannot teach others until they are first taught themselves. The Bible teaches that disciples are to baptize others when they come to Christ.

In the above scripture, we see that we are to baptize in the name of each member of the Trinity, BUT we do it in the "authority and the name of Jesus Christ."

Some people discount a water baptism if it was not done in "Jesus' name only." It is legalistic to say one has been baptized wrongly if they have been baptized in name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost since all is done in the authority of Jesus.

Acts 8:26-39 is a New Testament example of water baptism:

And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.

Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?

Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.

Here Phillip preached Jesus and water baptism. The eunuch received Jesus and was baptized in obedience to God's Word after he was "born again." From these verses we can see the importance of water baptism. Baptism in water is in obedience to God's Word, and by it we identify ourselves with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection.

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. 1 Corinthians 12:2-14

The baptism into the Body is actually a baptism in the Blood of Christ at the time we are born again. We become a member of the body of Christ. It does not matter what denomination we are a member of, but rather what family we are "born" into. We become sons and daughters of God and are now members of the body of Christ when we repent and accept Him as our Savior. Our water baptism is the portrayal of that happening and a witness to the world that we are saved. If you have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior and have not been water baptized you need to be baptized today to seal your covenant with God.


Excerpt from the book Extremes or Balance?

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