Christian baptism is one of the ordinances that Jesus instituted for the church just before His ascension (the other is the Lord’s Supper). Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you, surely I am with you always to the very end of age.” (Matt. 28: 19-20).
These instructions specify that the church is responsible to teach Jesus’ word, make disciples and baptize these disciples. These things are to be done everywhere (All nations) until the very end of age. If for no other reason baptism has importance because Jesus commanded it .
Baptism was practiced before the founding of the church by most ancient adherers of other beliefs. The Jews of ancient times would baptize proselytes together with all their under aged children to signify the converts’ cleansed nature. John the baptist used baptism to prepare the way of the Lord, requiring everyone not just gentiles, to be baptized because everyone needs repentance. However, John’s baptism signifying repentance is not the same as Christian baptism, as seen in Acts 18: 24-26 and 19: 1-7.
Christian baptism has a deeper significance. Baptism is to be done in the name of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – this is what makes it “Christian” baptism. It is through this ordinance that a person is admitted into fellowship of the church. I Cor. 12: 13 says “We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body, whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free – and we were all made to drink into one spirit. Baptism by water is a re-enactment of the baptism by the Holy Spirit.”
Christian baptism is the means by which a person makes a public profession of faith and discipleship in the waters of baptism, a person says worldlessly “I confess faith in Christ, Jesus has cleansed my soul from sin, and I now have new life of sanctification.”
Christian baptism illustrates, in dramatic style, the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.
At the same time, it illustrates our death to sin and new life in Christ. As the sinner confesses the Lord Jesus Christ, he dies to sin (Rom. 6: 11) and is raised to brand new life (Col. 2: 12). Being submerged in water represents death to sin and emerged from the water represents the cleansed, holy life. Romans 6: 4 puts it this way, “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Simply put, baptism is an outward testimony of inward change in a believer’s life. Baptism is a sacrament. The catechism defines sacrament as “an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace given unto us, ordained by Christ Himself, as a means whereby we receive the same, and a pledge to assure us thereof.”
A new believer in Jesus Christ should desire to be baptized as soon as possible. When in Acts 8, Philip spoke the good news to the Ethiopian eunuch, as they travelled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said “Look, here is water, what can stand in the way of my being baptized? Right away, they stopped the chariot and Philip baptized the man.
Baptism illustrates a believers identification with Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. Everywhere the gospel is preached and people are drawn to faith in Christ, they are to be baptized.
The controversy about mode of Baptism
Baptism as a sacrament is more of a spiritual exercise than physical. When we talk of immersion, where the candidate enters bodily into water, affusion, where water is poured on the head of the candidate or aspersion, where water is sprinkled on the head or face. It will be wrong to say that unless a particular mode is adopted, baptism is not authentic, what matters here is the spiritual regeneration or new birth that has taken place.
To die to self or to die to sin and rise to new life in Christ is purely spiritual, no one can accomplish this through mode of baptism or by physical death and resurrection.
Infant Baptism:
Baptism is a formal rite of initiation into the body of Christ called the church for both adults and children.
Infants are baptized because Jesus demands them to be brought to Him and God’s kingdom belongs to such as are like children (Mark 10: 13-15). At baptism, they are dedicated to God in faith and are adopted as citizens and members of God’s covenant people redeemed by grace in Jesus Christ.
As circumcision qualified one to partake of Abrahamic covenant so is baptism, a qualification into the covenant of Christ’s flock (cf: Gen. 17: 9-14; Mark 16: 15 & 16).
It is the practice in the Anglican Church to admit to baptism those who are not old enough to profess the Christian faith. But this is done on the understanding that they will receive Christian upbringing from both biological parents and their sponsors. This means that they will be taught the Christian religion and encouraged to practice it, until such a time as they present themselves to the Bishop for confirmation and publicly profess the faith in which they were baptized.
Summary
Christian Baptism is the sacrament or a sign of our Regeneration or New Birth, wherein those baptized receive the promises of forgiveness of sin, adoption as children of God and are made members of Christ’s Body, the Church and inheritors of the Kingdom of God.