Liberty University
The Purpose, Function, and Method of Baptism
1 Peter 3:21-22
Thomas Luis Reyes
Religion 301
March 5, 2018
Professor Lambskin
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In the beginning there was water and a man named John. John would become, the
Baptizer. He was a good baptizer, requiring all those who wanted to get wet, to turn away from
life of sin (to repent). The Baptizer understood he was not the man, and a man with a greater
plan was at hand. This man was his cousin man, Jesus. Jesus, he assembled around him twelve
men, from many walks of life. One day these men were unleashed to turn their world upside
down under one command, ““18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and
on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all
that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Mat
28:18-20). Jesus never baptized a man or woman, but he included this in his command. Two
thousand years have passed since the original command, and many have added to Jesus original
command. They argue that it is through the water you become a saved man or woman, magic
happens if your dunked or sprinkled in the proper hands, all this read into one command. It does
not matter who is doing the sprinkling or dunking. Baptize them is a command, an order to obey
if you are claiming that you have been changed by this Jesus, man.
The practice of ritual bathing for religious reasons can be traced back the Jewish people
as God established his religious law. Through time various religious Jewish sects continued
ritual bathing to accompany ones’ act of repentance. One sect who are believed to have been in
practice during the time of John the Baptizer and Jesus, are the Essenes. Some theologians
believe that John the Baptist may have been influenced by them or may have been a member.
There is no documented evidence to support this claim, only that Johns ways were like those of
the Essenes. Everett Ferguson In BAPTISM IN THE EARLY CHURCH, points to the Dead Sea
Scrolls, believing that the Qumran community may have been Essenes, “When his flesh is
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sprinkled with purifying water and sanctified by cleansing water, it shall be made clean by the
humble submission of his soul to all the precepts of God”.1 He further highlights that “A
righteous life (repentance), therefore, was necessary for the bath and other rituals to be
effective.”2 This practice many have been adopted by John the Baptist, there is no mandate for
John to baptize in the scriptures. What is known about Johns role in Gods redemptive plan, is
that he was to win the hearts of Gods people back, “16 And he will turn many of the children of
Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to
turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to
make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”” (Luke 1:16-17). If adopted from the Essenes, it
would explain why repentance was a focal point of John message “1 In those days John the
Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at
hand.” (Mat 3:1-2). In establishing religious laws and practices for the Jewish people, God set in
place laws for various religious cleansings, none of which provided for the remission of sins.
God has always required blood for our sins “11. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I
have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes
atonement by the life.” (Lev 17:11)
As with any religious order, doctrines are provided for continuity. In obedience to Jesus
command to baptize, Early Church fathers provided a manual for those in ministry. Ferguson
directs his readers to the “Didache (“The teaching of the Lord through the Twelve Apostles to
the Nations”)”,3 this manual is from the end of the first century. These writings are not to
1.Everett Ferguson, BAPTISMIN THE EARLY CHURCH (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B
Eerdmans, Publishing, 2009), 68.
2.Ibid., 69.
3.Ibid., 69.
Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the English Standard Version.
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be considered scriptures, they only serve as an instruction manual. Baptism is addressed in
chapter seven, no deep meaning is attached, only a process is provided. One can discern that the
baptizer is to apply the trinitarian formula, “in this way: after speaking all these words, baptize
into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”,4 and it is to be done in a living body of
water, if living water is not available provisions are made for other methods. Nothing magical is
happening to the water, no special angel, no sins are being washed away. The only other
pertinent information that one can take away is, “Before the baptism, the one baptizing, the one
being baptized, and others if they are able are to observe a preliminary fast. Command the one
being baptized to fast beforehand for one or two days.”5 and that some instruction is to be
provided to the candidate. This leads one to believe that the candidate is already a Christian.
Early Church Fathers provide a clear indication that baptism is not some supernatural event that
washes away sins, and that those preparing to be baptized are already Christians.
Upon further investigation into the annals of church history revelations are made as to
how a practice such as infant baptism gains prominence. On event in history propels the practice
of infant baptism to the forefront. In his victory over the Roman ruler Maxentius on October 28,
312, Constantine sealed the deal on the practice. Christianity gained legitimacy, and full support
of Roman government, Lutzer writes,” With Constantine in power, Christianity was no longer a
sect within the empire but was to become synonymous with the empire.”6 They had achieved the
unthinkable in a matter of 312 years. To became easier, “One would now be a Christian simply
by being born into the empire”7 and “Infant baptism became the link by which the church and the
state were united.”8 This did not come without penalty, anyone who rejected this new way would,
“Thus “heretics” could be killed and dissenters massacred; and infant baptism should be
required.”9 A stain in the history of the Church. With the establishment of the church and state
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relationship, under Constantine, baptism takes on a new meaning, one is now Christianized by
being born within the borders of the Roman Empire. Baptism had now become an initiation
right for the state and church, administered under the auspices of the now Roman Church. A
review of Christian history one can conclude that infant baptism was not a widespread practice.
Nor was this doctrine developed by interpreting the writings, or practices of the Apostles.
History does no favors to great Protestant reformers, in relation to infant baptism. Martin
Luther argued “There is not sufficient evidence from Scripture that one might justify the
introduction of infant baptism at the time of the early Christians after the apostolic period,”10 but
he refused to denounce, or discontinue the practice on the grounds that it had been in practice for
so long, tradition over “Sola Scriptura” won the day. Reformers like Zwingli, and John Calvin
opposed the practice, but continued to baptize infants because of long-standing tradition. It is
clear, that tradition gained equality to the authority of scripture. Reformers were unwilling to
distance themselves from the practice. Reformers who sought to bring about change within the
Church, did so without the intentions of bring an end to infant baptism, they proclaimed one
thing, but practice the another, by allowing tradition to override the word of God, “Sola
Scriptura” was a battle cry they did not defend.
The Protestant Reformation was an attempt to bring change from within the Roman
Church, but there remained the Eastern Orthodox, and Greek Catholic Church which were once
part of the same Christian communities. The Greek Catholic Church falls under the auspices of
the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Church continues the teaching that one receives the
newness of life, through baptism to “share God’s nature” (2 Pt 1:4), and to “be incorporated into
7.Erwin Lutzer, The Doctrines that Divide (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1998), 122.
8.Ibid., 122.
9.Ibid., 122.
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Christ’s body” (1 Cor 6:15). So that one can “share Christ’s inheritance (Rom 8:17), and to
“sanctify our bodies to be the temples of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor 6:19).” 10 all bestowed upon an
infant recipient of this sacrament. If this sacrament is received and if this individual “formally
left the Church, by the power of Baptism, he would permanently remain in it.”12 In the Code of
Canon of the Byzantine Churches, baptism “enables man to receive other sacraments.”13 The
Code of Canon also claims that, “At the moment when the sacrament of Baptism is being
performed, God temporarily gives a special power to the water to be the actual instrument of
sanctification of the person.”14 The Roman Catholic Church also allows for the baptism of
mature adults.
The Eastern Orthodox Church also teaches that one is born again through the waters of
baptism, Daniel B. Clendenin provides the following,
“By means of holy baptism, the “bath of regeneration” and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
believers shed the sinful garments of the old man and are clothed in Christ, entering
through him, as through a door, into the church, the kingdom of grace. We are thus
regenerated, renewed, and recreated, our nature being made over into the divine image,
so that we become members of the mystical body of Christ, children of God by grace, and
partakers of the divine nature through participation in the Holy Spirit.”15
Clendenin then quotes Chrysostom, “It is through baptism that we received remission of sins,
sanctification, communion of the Spirit, adoption and life eternal.”16 In the words of their
Patriarch Dositheus, “There is no sin which cannot be absolved by baptism. The inclination to sin
remain, but that is irrelevant…All those sins committed prior to baptism, or during baptism,
disappear, are counted as not existing, as though they had never been committed.”.17 This
contradicts the Bible, John tells us,
10.Ibid., 126.
11. Ibid.,126
12. Michal Hospodár, “Baptism and its Consequences for our Life,” Journal Title 3, no. 2
(December 28, 2012): 177-78, https://doi.org/10.2478/v10154-012-0015-8 (accessed February
20, 2018).
13.Ibid., 178.
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7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we
have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 Joh 1:7-10)
In keeping with long standing tradition, the Eastern Churches continue teaching that one is
regenerated through the waters of baptism.
Regenerative baptism has predominantly been a doctrine defended by sacramental
Christianity. During the eighteen-hundreds a movement was birth in the United States, the
Stone-Campbell movement named after its organizers Barton W. Stone, and Thomas and
Alexander Campbell. Today they make up the Church of Christ, Churches of Christ, Christian
Churches and Disciples of Christ all Campbellites, or Restorationist. While Protestant the prefer
simply to be called Christian, what unites them is their doctrine of Baptismal Regeneration.
Much like the sacramental communities they believe as Campbell states, “Hence the Scripture
doctrine of regeneration is born of water and of the Spirit, or immersion for the remission of sins
—not in order to faith, but as a consequence of the belief of the glad tidings of remission.”18 This
view on the surface appears to agree with the traditional Evangelical understanding of baptism,
as you pursue clarification of their teaching one begins to understand that baptism is more in line
with Sacramentalism. Jon A. Weatherly, says, “Although the New Testament nowhere sets forth a
systematic understanding of baptism, it nevertheless assumes that baptism belongs normally in
the context of conversion and results in any or all of the benefits associated
14.Ibid., 178.
15.Ibid., 178.
16. Clendenin, Daniel B. Eastern Orthodox Theology. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Academic, 2003.
17. Ibid., 24.
18. Ibid., 24.
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with conversion.”19 The Restoration Movement falls in line with every sect of Christianity that
continues the teaching. It was the purpose of the Restoration movement to restore the Church
back in line with Biblical Christianity, but when presented with the following question by the
World Council of Churches, “In light of the emerging theological convergence on baptism and
growing ecumenical encounter, how has the thing of your church’s traditional developed over the
past 50 years in relation to our understanding and practice of baptism?”.20 Robert K. Welsh
answers, “within the Stone-Campbell movement in making the choice to emphasize unity (or,
rather than) restoration.”21 This once reform minded movement has exchanged truth, for unity.
Their standing with the members of the World Council of Churches is more important than truth.
There is no better person to begin studying the topic of regeneration baptism, than with the
Apostle Peter. His writings are always presented as proof texts in the regenerative baptism
argument,
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might
bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 3:19 in which
he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey,
when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in
which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 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, 22 who has
gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers
having been subjected to him. (1 Pet 3:18-22)
18. Stephen Waers, “Common Sense Regeneration: Alexander Campbell on Regeneration,
Conversion, and the Work of the Holy Spirit,” HARVARD THEOLOGICAL REVIEW (October
5, 2016): 21, accessed February 20, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0017816016000304.
19. William R Baker, Evangelicalism and The Stone-Campbell Movement (Downers Grove, IL:
Intervarsity Press, 2002), 159.
20. Robert K. Welsh, “Believers’ Baptism in the Disciples of Christ,” The Ecumenical Reviw
World Council of Churches 67, no. 3 (October 13, 2015): 386-87.
21.Ibid., 386.
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Peters appears to be contradicting his opening statements,
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in
Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to the foreknowledge of
God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for
sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. 3 Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us
to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for
you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be
revealed in the last time. (1 Pet 1:1-5)
Peter, walked, talked, ate and spent three years of his life with Jesus, he even went as far as to
deny Jesus. If anyone knows how one is saved, he meets all the requirement, “he caused us to be
born again to living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” it is through
the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead that we are saved. The Apostle
Paul affirms this teaching in Romans, “8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your
mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess
with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one
confesses and is saved. (Rom 10:8-10). Peter did not lose his mind, he clearly understood what
he was saying in the opening of his letter, and what he wrote in chapter three. Erwin Lutzer
provides clarification, “Note his preceding admonition to “keep a good conscience” (v16). The
context is one of being willing to suffer for Christ, regardless of the cost. Baptism is a public
affirmation of identification with Christ; it saves one from the temptation to be silent about one’s
faith. It is, Peter said, “an appeal to God for a good conscience.” 22 Addressing 1 Pet 3:18-22
apart from his previous statements renders a totally different understanding to the verse and
allows for Peters sanctioning a work for salvation. Erwin Lutzer also reminds us that we are to
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handle each passage of scripture in its context, that which precedes the verse, and that which
follow the verse. This is crucial to providing a proper explanation of any all written documents.
Christians from various backgrounds denounce regenerative baptism on the basis that it is
not present in the Word of God. By elevating baptism to this position one is diminishing the
substitutionary death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and you are minimizing the blood
Jesus shed through all his sufferings, especially his brutal crucifixion on the Cross.
Revelations declares “16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of
kings and Lord of lords.” (Rev 19:16, ESV), as King of kings Jesus made the following
declaration, “18 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with
you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt 28:18-20) Military personnel understand this to be a
Lawful order, you acknowledge it, and execute it. When a king makes a declaration, it is law, so
baptism is the law of our King, Jesus. It is not magical, it is part of what Jesus ordered his
disciples to do, “teaching them to observe all that I have command you.” All true followers of
Jesus will be baptized, not because it saves them, simply because their King has declared it.
Jesus, the one who took upon himself the punishment that he did not deserve, so that no one else
would have to go through the rejection, abuse, public humiliation and execution. This Jesus has
made one demand, be baptized. Baptism, is ones’ public declaration that they have placed their
full loyalty in Jesus of Nazareth, and that he is who he says he is, and he obeyed the one who
sent him, God. Samuel reminds us, “22“Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and
sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to
listen than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22). Jesus requires our obedience. One only needs to
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be reminded, Jesus who knew no sin, humbly submitted to baptism (Mat 3:13-17), and God was
pleased.
Robert Lowry (1876) penned it best,
What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
O precious is the flow that makes me white as snow;
no other fount I know; nothing but the blood of Jesus.
21. Robert K. Welsh, “Believers' Baptism in the Disciples of Christ,” Journal Title 67, no. 3
(October 13, 2015): 386-87, accessed March 6, 2018, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com
/doi/10.1111/erev.12176/epdf?
r3_referer=wol&tracking_action=preview_click&show_checkout=1&purchase_referrer=www.g
oogle.com&purchase_site_license=LICENSE_DENIED_NO_CUSTOMER
22. Ibid., 387.
23. Ibid., 136.
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Bibliography
Baker, William R. Evangelicalism and The Stone-Campbell Movement. Downers Grove, IL:
Intervarsity Press, 2002.
Clendenin, Daniel B. Eastern Orthodox Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic,
2003), 24-25.
Ferguson, Everett. BAPTISMIN THE EARLY CHURCH. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B Eerdmans,
Publishing, 2009.
Hospodár, Michal. “Baptism and its Consequences for our Life.” Journal Title 3, no. 2
(December 28, 2012): 177-78. https://doi.org/10.2478/v10154-012-0015-8 (accessed
February 20, 2018).
Lutzer, Erwin. The Doctrines that Divide. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1998.
Waers, Stephen. “Common Sense Regeneration: Alexander Campbell on Regeneration,
Conversion, and the Work of the Holy Spirit.” HARVARD THEOLOGICAL REVIEW
(October 5, 2016): 21. Accessed February 20, 2018.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0017816016000304.
Webster, Marriam. “” Merriam-Webster Since 1828. 1627. Accessed March 5, 2018.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exegesis.
Welsh, Robert K. “Believers' Baptism in the Disciples of Christ.” Journal Title 67, no. 3
(October 13, 2015): 386-87. Accessed March 6, 2018.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/erev.12176/epdf?
r3_referer=wol&tracking_action=preview_click&show_checkout=1&purchase_referrer=
www.google.com&purchase_site_license=LICENSE_DENIED_NO_CUSTOMER.
Whiston, William. The Works of Josephus. 27th ed. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers,
2016.
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Summary
Reexamining my research paper has forced me to reflect on my understanding of the
significance of baptism. By revisiting the source documents, and reconsidering the arguments
presented in defense of certain practices, I remain convinced that Jesus command to be baptized,
is his desire that we obey him in the minor things, so that he can entrust us with the deeper
things. There are many examples in scriptures of individuals who were entrusted with a lot of
authority, only to fail because they were unable to complete the simple things that God required
them. The first kings of Israel, King Saul is a prime example of this, he was given a command
by God, and his inability to obey the caused him lose favor with God. Disregarding minor things
can mean the difference between, seventeen dead. or stopping someone before they set out on
their rampage.
I am very humbled having had this opportunity to work on this assignment. I am grateful
for the positive, and constructive criticism you provided over these eight weeks. I made every
effort to follow your recommendations to reduce the length of the paper, on strengthening my
opening and closing sentences, my sentence construction, and my chattiness. I made every effort
to improve this assignment, I am certain that you will encounter many mistakes. It has been a
pleasure to have you as my instructor.
Respectfully,
Jose Luis Reyes
