07/01/2026
A very thorough treatise on baptism.
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Baptism stands as one of the clearest and most consistently taught commands and promises in the New Testament. It is not a human invention or optional ritual but a divine ordinance tied directly to faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, the forgiveness of sins, and being born again. The focus verse, Acts 22:16, captures this with striking clarity in the words spoken to Saul of Tarsus (the apostle Paul) days after his encounter with the risen Lord on the Damascus road:
“And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” (ESV)
Ananias, sent by the Lord, did not tell Paul to pray a sinner’s prayer, sign a card, or merely believe in his heart while remaining unbaptized. He commanded him to rise, be baptized, and in that act wash away his sins while calling on the name of the Lord. This verse, alongside every other New Testament passage addressing the subject, presents water baptism by immersion as the God-appointed moment and means where a penitent believer’s sins are washed away through the power of Christ’s blood and resurrection.
The Meaning of Baptism: Full Immersion in Water
The Greek word translated “baptize” (baptizō) means to dip, immerse, or submerge. It is never used in the New Testament for sprinkling or pouring. The consistent pattern and symbolism confirm immersion as the biblical mode.
Jesus Himself was baptized by John “in the Jordan River” and “came up out of the water” (Mark 1:9-10; Matthew 3:16). John baptized where “there was much water” (John 3:23). When Philip baptized the Ethiopian eu**ch, “they both went down into the water” and “came up out of the water” (Acts 8:38-39). These details are unnecessary if sprinkling or pouring were intended.
The theological symbolism in Romans 6:3-4 requires immersion:
“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”
Baptism pictures death (going under the water), burial, and resurrection (coming up). No other mode visually or symbolically fulfills this. Paul reinforces the same picture in Colossians 2:12: believers have been “buried with him in baptism” and “raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God.”
Baptism for the Forgiveness of Sins
Acts 22:16 explicitly links baptism to the washing away of sins. The parallel command on the Day of Pentecost is equally direct:
“And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins,” (Acts 2:38)
The Greek preposition *eis* (“for” or “unto”) indicates purpose or result. Baptism is not performed *because* sins are already forgiven; it is the appointed step *in which* or *unto which* forgiveness is granted to the penitent believer. This matches Ananias’ words to Paul exactly.
1 Peter 3:21 states the same truth with unmistakable clarity:
“Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
Peter carefully distinguishes baptism from a mere bath. It is an appeal of faith to God that saves through Christ’s resurrection. The water does not possess magical power; faith in the resurrected Lord, expressed in obedient baptism, does.
Mark 16:16 ties belief and baptism together in salvation: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Note that unbelief brings condemnation; the verse does not say the unbaptized believer is condemned, because it is unnecessary to say so. It is understood that the unbeliever will never trust in Jesus to wash away his or her sins in baptism, therein remaining eternally lost. The consistent New Testament pattern shows that genuine faith leads to baptism without delay.
Born Again of Water and the Spirit
Jesus taught Nicodemus the absolute necessity of the new birth:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God… Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3, 5)
The “water” here is not physical birth or the Spirit alone (which would make the phrase redundant). In context and consistent with the rest of the New Testament, it refers to baptism in water. The new birth occurs when a person is baptized in water guided by the Words of the Holy Spirit.
Titus 3:5 describes salvation as occurring “by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” The “washing of regeneration” is baptism, the point at which the old life is washed away and the new life in the Spirit begins. Hebrews 10:22 likewise speaks of drawing near to God “with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
Baptism is therefore the divinely ordained occasion of the new birth — not a symbol of something that has already happened independently, but the moment when, by faith, the believer is saved.
Trusting in Jesus: Faith, Repentance, and Obedient Baptism
Baptism is never presented as a work that earns salvation apart from faith. It is the obedient expression of trusting Jesus. In Acts 22:16, Paul was to be baptized “calling on his name.” This echoes the promise of Romans 10:13: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Genuine faith always includes repentance. On Pentecost, Peter commanded, “Repent and be baptized” (Acts 2:38). The Ethiopian eu**ch confessed his faith: “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” before being baptized (Acts 8:37). The Philippian jailer and his household “believed in God” and “were baptized at once” the same night (Acts 16:33-34). Cornelius’ household received the Spirit and was then commanded to be baptized (Acts 10:47-48). In every case, faith and repentance preceded or accompanied baptism, and baptism completed the response of trust.
Galatians 3:26-27 beautifully summarizes: “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Baptism is how faith “puts on” Christ.
The One Baptism and the Consistent New Testament Pattern
Scripture recognizes only “one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5). This is water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ (or the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — Matthew 28:19), administered to penitent believers. It is the same baptism practiced throughout Acts: three thousand on Pentecost (Acts 2:41), the Samaritans (Acts 8:12), the Ethiopian (Acts 8:36-38), Paul (Acts 9:18; 22:16), Cornelius’ household (Acts 10:48), Lydia and her household (Acts 16:15), the Philippian jailer and his household (Acts 16:33), the Corinthians (Acts 18:8), and the Ephesian disciples who were re-baptized properly in the name of Jesus (Acts 19:1-7).
Jesus commanded His apostles: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). Making disciples includes baptizing them. The Great Commission cannot be fulfilled without baptism.
The Accuracy of This Teaching
The New Testament presents a unified, coherent doctrine: Water baptism by full immersion is necessary for the forgiveness of sins and the new birth because that is what the Lord and His apostles taught and practiced. It is not a work of human merit but the appointed response of faith in which God washes away sins, regenerates the believer, and adds them to the church Jesus built (Mt. 16:18, Mk. 9:1, 1 Cor. 12:13, Rom. 16:16) . To separate baptism from salvation is to separate what God has joined in His Word.
Those who trust Jesus fully will not argue with His commands or the clear statements of Scripture (Jn. 14:15). They will rise, be baptized, and wash away their sins, calling on His name — just as Paul was told in Acts 22:16. They will repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins, just as the first converts were told in Acts 2:38. They will believe and be baptized to be saved, just as Jesus declared in Mark 16:16. They will submit to being born of water and the Spirit, just as Jesus required in John 3:5. And they will rejoice that “baptism now saves you” as an appeal of faith to the living God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:21).
This is the accurate, consistent, and saving teaching of the New Testament on baptism. May all who read these words respond in obedient faith to the Lord Jesus Christ.
EastCoast church of Christ ✝️
