while today

When is baptism not a baptism? Put another way, are there necessary ingredients of baptism that make it valid in the eyes of God? Do things like the reason one is baptized, or the way in which one is baptized have a bearing on its effectiveness?

When Paul came to Ephesus in Acts chapter 19, he found a group of twelve men who had been baptized and yet, they were not baptized. These men had indeed been immersed in water (which is what the word “baptized” means), but there was something deficient about their immersion. We know this is the case because at the end of the story, Paul had them baptized in the name of Jesus. What was the problem with their first baptism? And what makes baptism a true baptism?

First of all, it has to have the right meaning. They had been baptized into John’s baptism. Paul had to explain to them that John’s baptism was no longer valid. Paul said to them, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus” (Acts 19:4 NASB95). Their baptism needed to be in the name of Jesus, that is, to become a possession of Jesus—to belong to Him. Baptism into the name of Jesus is to die with Christ, be buried with Him, be raised to newness of life, and receive the Holy Spirit. The baptism of John could not accomplish any of these things. What do we learn? If baptism has the wrong meaning, it is not the baptism commanded by Christ.

And we see from the above verse that for a baptism to be a baptism, belief in Jesus must be present. There are many scriptures that make this clear. For example, Paul writes, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27). Note the vital connection between faith and baptism.  Or as Paul writes in Colossians, “having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead” (Colossians 2:12). Note that it is only through faith that a person can be raised up with Christ in baptism. The conclusion? If baptism is not a response of faith, it is not the baptism commanded by Christ.      

What does this mean for us today? Is it possible for our baptism to have the wrong meaning? One might be baptized as a formality, to check a box, join a certain denomination, or satisfy family members. One might be baptized as an expression of the salvation they have already obtained. None of these actions have the same meaning as the baptism taught in the New Testament.

What about the practice of sprinkling infants? Does this fit the definition of biblical baptism? Is such a ceremony performed because of the baby’s faith in the gospel message? If not, is it truly a baptism into Christ?

I humbly ask each of us to search the scriptures and answer this question: Did your baptism have the right meaning?  Was it born out of your faith in the good news about Jesus? If not, what holds you back? The Lord invites you to come to Him to find forgiveness, newness of life, and union with Him in the waters of baptism.

—Scott Colvin