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Introduction
Although not as intense as some of the arguments within Christian doctrine, the debate
over the mode and purpose of baptism is never void of passion. Some prefer to dunk while others
sprinkle, and some even perform it on infants. These can all be kindly discussed within the
church, but the teachings of baptismal regeneration do not deserve such a soft response. It is
important to assure new believers how their salvation was secured and Who in fact secured it.
Water does not save the soul, nor is it used to save the soul, and it is vitally important that those
who believe it does come to understand the truth of Jesus Christ and His wonderous work in
salvation; this is represented in baptism. The command to be baptized is important as is
understanding what true baptism is, but it is just as important to declare what baptism is not.
Biblical Considerations
In John 3, Jesus Christ attempts to explain to Nicodemus, a Jew, what the baptism of the
Spirit is. It is written, “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will
cleanse you from all your uncleanness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new
heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and
give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes”
(Ezekiel 36:25-27, Legacy Standard Bible). Based off of these details, God is clearly not talking
about a physical cleansing, but rather He is speaking of the initial point of regeneration. This
passage’s usage of imagery, however, would set the stage for the manner in which God would
command His people to symbolize the internal change in an external and public fashion.
In Matthew 3, Jesus Christ is baptized by the final Old Testament prophet, John the
Baptist. This was done, “for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew
3:15). Matthew continues, “And after being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the
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water” (Matthew 3:16), and this indicates that Jesus underwent a full submersion baptism. This
was the baptism He would later command of all His true followers: “Go therefore and make
disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy
Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). In His moment of baptism, Jesus would set the example for all
Christian baptisms, take His place among His people, foreshadow His coming death and
resurrection, and obey God’s coming command that all believers shall be baptized.
Theological Considerations
It must be said that baptism is not a true issue of salvation, and therefore, most of the
debates held over the proper mode and meaning of it should not cause unnecessary strife among
the church. There are “sprinklers’ and there are “dunkers” who may disagree on some aspects of
baptism, but so long as they agree that it is not a requirement for salvation, they may sit in peace
with one another. The great chasm that cannot be so easily dismissed is the one that separates
those who believe baptism is not necessary for salvation from those who argue one cannot enter
the gates of heaven without being baptized before their death. According to Grudem, “the
Catholic Church believes that baptism is necessary for salvation, and that the act of baptism itself
causes regeneration.”1 Furthermore, they believe Christ affirmed this in John 3:5; however, as
mentioned, that passage is referring to the baptism of the Spirit as it is described by Ezekiel.
They also believe in infant baptism, but that belief is not restricted to the Catholic Church.
Sproul argues, “The New Testament nowhere explicitly commands Christians to baptize their
infant children. This represents a change from the Old Testament, where there was an explicit
mandate for parents to circumcise male babies. But by the same token, there is no explicit
1 Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan Academic, 2020), 1200.
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prohibition in the New Testament against the baptism of infants.”2 Sproul is also a believer in
salvation with or without baptism, depending on God’s sovereign election. Although each
recorded baptism in the New Testament, if the mode is mentioned, is said to have been by full
submersion, some still stand firm that either sprinkling or pouring is satisfactory for baptism. The
symbolism of Spiritual cleansing could be seen through these modes, but the symbolism of
Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection cannot be.
Historical Considerations
A predenominational church holds to no creed or confession, and it only aims to teach the
Bible as it interprets it. This particular church holds that the grounds of salvation is grace, the
means of salvation is faith, and the formal event of salvation is full-immersion baptism. It
teaches that baptism is requested by God to be performed so that each person saved by God may
receive the promises they have been given. This writer is in complete disagreement with this
assessment of the sacrament. No matter how it is phrased, to teach that salvation cannot occur
without baptism is to say that baptismal regeneration is valid. MacArthur and Mayhue write, “By
confusing the symbol of water with the reality of God’s grace in salvation, they eliminate the
reality by adding works to the gospel.”3 The church does differ from Roman Catholicism,
however, in that it believes only someone who has true faith and confesses that faith should be
baptized. A dedication is offered for children who are too young to understand the significance
of the event. This creates an odd situation. By this logic, one can have saving faith, but one
cannot receive the promises granted to those with saving faith until one is baptized. Perhaps it is
a watered-down teaching of baptismal regeneration, but it remains baptismal regeneration.
2 R. C. Sproul, What is Baptism? (Sanford, FL: Ligonier Ministries, 2011), 61-62.
3 John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue, eds., Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Biblical Truth
(Wheaton: Crossway, 2017), 785.
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This writer agrees with Spurgeon’s assessment of baptism:
We protest that persons are not saved by being baptized … We hold that persons are not
saved by baptism; for we think, first of all, that it seems out of character with the spiritual
religion which Christ came to teach, that he should make salvation depend upon mere
ceremony … The false religions of the heathen might inculcate salvation by a physical
process; but Jesus Christ claims for his faith that it is purely spiritual.4
Summary and Application
Due to baptism not truly being necessary for salvation, it would be foolish to create
further division in the church for the sake of this argument; however, what the LORD has said
and commanded should be defended in kindness. This grace may be easier to bestow to those
who disagree on the mode of baptism, but those who argue it is necessary for salvation should be
confronted with their error. It is one thing to tell someone she is not saved because she has not
been baptized, but it is a whole other situation to tell someone that she is saved because she was
baptized. Those who stand on that belief need to be shaken so that perhaps they will choose a
truer foundation. It is dangerous to tell people that they have checked the box of salvation, and
they are now okay doing whatever they choose because they have been saved. This is not
acceptable, and dunkers, sprinklers, and pourers should be united on this issue against those who
would say that water saves the soul. It is a commandment that ought to be followed, and every
Christian who has not fulfilled this commandment should be restless as they are actively sitting
in disobedience. It is a representation of Christ’s work in salvation as well as the Spirit’s, and it
is important to understand what its true meaning and ramifications are.
4 Charles H. Spurgeon, Spurgeon’s Sermons: Volume 8 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers Marketing,
2021), 18.
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Bibliography
Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. 2nd ed. Grand
Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020.
MacArthur, John, and Richard Mayhue, eds., Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible
Truth. Wheaton: Crossway, 2017.
Sproul, R. C. What is Baptism? Sanford, FL: Ligonier Ministries, 2011.
Spurgeon, Charles H. Spurgeon’s Sermons: Volume 8. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers,
2021.
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