MODE OF BAPTISM by M. C. W.

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, Cal. · Mar 4, 1889

MODE OF BAPTISM.

By M. C. W.

IN the St. Louis Christian Advocate, of February 6, is an article entitled, "Letters to the Young—Mode of Baptism," by one "Rev. J. S. Smith." "The priest's lips should teach knowledge," but we are sorry to say that they do not in this case. Mr. S. says:—

"The scriptural mode of baptism is by pouring or sprinkling. I call it pouring for convenience. Immersionists contend that immersion alone is baptism. So far from this being true, they cannot even prove by the Bible that immersion is baptism at all. They cannot show a single case of baptism by immersion. I am satisfied that no one in Christ's day ever saw immersion performed. In the Bible, wherever the mode is given, it is always by pouring and never by immersion."

To an intelligent Bible reader, the above needs no confutation. The Bible does teach that immersion is baptism. We briefly present the following threefold proof that such is the case:—

1. The object of baptism. Baptism is designed to show the individual's faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ; and therefore faith in the redemption which he will bring at the last day, when he comes to raise the sleeping saints. It also is an outward symbol of our union with Christ. The old man of sin, with whom we walked, is dead and buried, and we rise to walk in newness of life with the new man, our Lord Jesus Christ. Rom. 6: 1-6; Col. 2: 12; 3: 1. Buried with Christ, planted in the likeness of his death, risen with him, can only refer to such a mode of baptism. We are not buried by sprinkling, neither do we rise with Christ in anything else, but baptism.

2. The meaning of the word baptize. It comes from the Greek baptizo, which means, according to Liddell and Scott's standard lexicon, "to dip in or under water." Bagster defines, "to dip, immerse. Greenfield gives, "to immerse, immerge, submerge, sink." Baptize therefore means immerse; baptism means immersion. See testimony of Dr. Schaff in SIGNS of last week. Many other authorities might be given.

3. The instances in Scripture all indicate immersion. Those who were baptized of John were baptized "in Jordan," not by it. They were literally baptized in water, not with. Matt. 3: 6, 11; Luke 3: 16; John 1: 26, 33. See margin of Revised Version. John baptized in Enon, near to Salim, because there was much water there (John 3: 23), words which could mean nothing if John sprinkled or poured. Jesus went down into the water; for he came "straightway out of the water." Matt. 3: 16. Both Philip and the eunuch went down "into the water," and came "up out of the water,"—operations

wholly unnecessary if sprinkling or pouring was the true method.

The only example cited by Mr. Smith is clearly against him. That instance is 1 Cor. 10: 1, 2. "Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea."

The apostle represents this passage of the sea, by which the children of Israel were taken from Egypt to liberty, by baptism. Not that they were immersed in water, for the record does not so say; but they were under the cloud, and were immersed in the cloud and in the sea. Both cloud and sea were necessary, and both together completely buried them.

Immersion is the only true method, and the object of the ordinance, the meaning of the term, and the examples given in the word of God, all prove it. To such teachers as Mr. Smith, we commend Heb. 5: 12. To old and young, we commend the words of the wise man (Prov. 19: 27), "Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge." M. C. W.