Expert: Scott Talbot - 9/11/2010

Question
Dear Scott,

I saw your response to a question asked by a person named Mark and was inspired by your answers and would like to ask you some questions of my own.

I have never been baptized and I feel that I have been called to be baptized and am in a bit of a dilemma. I grew up with a Presbyterian church but throughout my life have visited other churches. I am visiting more than one church right now and consider myself non-denominational. Different churches have different perspectives on baptism. What I really want to know is what Jesus says about baptism. I am involved in more than one church and I don't consider just one of them to be my "home church" because my attendance to going to church to me is home in itself. Some churches ask me to declare myself a formal member of their church in the process of being baptized and not get baptized elsewhere at the same time, as wel as commit more time to their church in order to go through a several week process of quiet times with pastors before getting baptized.

Some specific questions I have: Does the Bible say anything of Jesus or John (or anyone else/disciple who baptized) ever baptizing any infant children? Was there a time frame that had to be met before anyone could get baptized? Are all baptisms full-immersions by the river in the Bible?

Sorry this was a tad long.
Thanks,
Heather

Answer
Hi Heather,

It's good to hear that you want to be baptized. God instructs Christians to be baptized following their conversion as a testimony to the world of what God has done.

Many churches require baptism prior to church membership. However, church membership should not be required in order to be baptized. Hopefully you will be able to find a church that will baptize you without pressuring you to become a member, if you're not ready for that.

If a church is asking you to go through a study prior to baptism, this is not such a bad thing. They may merely wish to make sure that you understand what baptism represents.

Let me get to your specific questions.

Q: Does the Bible say anything of Jesus or John (or anyone else/disciple who baptized) ever baptizing any infant children?

A: No, the Bible makes no mention of any infant being baptized. Further, the Bible requires that one be born again (John 3:3) before being baptized, as baptism is an outward symbol of this inward reality--death to the old life, resurrection to new life in Christ. Since infants are incapable of receiving God's free gift of salvation (Romans 10:9-10,13), it would be inappropriate to baptize them.

Q: Was there a time frame that had to be met before anyone could get baptized?

A: No, not necessarily. But, if you look at the book of Acts (early part of the book), you will notice that it was typical for a new believer to get baptized immediately. You certainly wouldn't want a long period of time to elapse. After one is saved, the baptism (testimony to the outside world) should take place fairly soon afterward.

Q: Are all baptisms full-immersions by the river in the Bible?

A: All baptisms in the Bible are by full immersion. Generally it was in a river, but there may have been a few exceptions. All that was needed was a large enough body of water to immerse. (Baptize, in the original Greek, means "immerse.")

I hope this helps. If you have more questions, feel free to ask. And, if you would like me to provide Bible references to support the Bible's position on baptism, I can do that, too.

If you would like to study this further, read the gospels (early chapters which speak of John the Baptist) as well as the early chapters of Acts.

Scott