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Introduction

There is no biblical doctrine more prominent within the corpus of scripture than salvation. The history of theology has designated such a study as soteriology . The sole intent of Christ’s descent to this degenerate existence was to make deliverance from sin every man’s opportunity. Matthew records this in Matthew 1:21 where the angel states, And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins . From the lips of Jesus, Luke records, "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. ¹" Rooted in the eternal purpose of God, the mission of Christ was to rescue man from the bondage of iniquity. If deliverance from sin is necessary, then it is equally essential to explore the why and the how.

The why question will be explored first. Mankind’s unques-tionable need of salvation is founded upon the consequences of sin. While there are several consequences that could be discussed, one in particular is repeatedly stated throughout the body of the New Testament. That consequence is spiritual death, which is separation from God. Therefore, to be delivered from sin is to be delivered from a state of spiritual death. Paul, the apostle, declares in Ephesians 2:1 that we were ‘dead’ in trespasses and sins. To be in this state of death means that one is physically alive while spiritually cut off from God. It is clear that man’s need for deliverance is established on the reality of man’s state of spiritual deadness. Therein lies the why behind salvation. Simply stated, man’s need for salvation is that he must be rescued from a state of spiritual deadness in order to be placed in a right relationship with God. However, between man’s deadness and his deliverance, there is the mysterious process of being dipped in the water of baptism. It is in this process that we begin to explore the how question. The New Testament emphatically teaches that the commanded act of baptism is the occasion when God delivers from sin, rescuing the believer from the state of spiritual death to a new life in Christ Jesus. This being said, we will explore the place of baptism in the salvation process so as to unfold its soteriological importance.

Much debate has been waged concerning the significance of baptism in the Christian faith. Throughout the history of Christendom, a variety of views have been birthed by many theologians, yet it is without question that baptism was considered by the early church to be a significant act absolutely necessary to obtain deliverance from sin. The voices of early church history are replete with statements that indicate a conviction concerning the essentiality of baptism to salvation. Tertullian, one of the prominent early church fathers born in 195 AD, summarizes the pulse of the 2nd-century attitude toward the experience of baptism when he made this declaration:

It is all so simple—no great show, nothing new, no expense. A man is dipped in water, and a few words are said. He comes out of the water, not much (if any) the cleaner. Is it not wonderful that death is washed away by bathing? We too wonder, but we wonder because we believe.²

While we can find departures from the New Testament teachings even within the statements of the early church fathers, it is historically clear that the voice of the early church unanimously agreed with the apostolic writings concerning the necessity of baptism in receiving salvation. This statement of Tertullian reflects the pulse of this book in that man is dead; he must be dipped, so that he may be delivered from the death caused by sin.

Approach to this Study

Several books have been written about the place of water baptism. Some survey its theological importance, while other books provide a historical development of baptism as it was viewed by pagan religions and the early church. However, this book will primarily focus on an exegetical study of the passages that teach water baptism, which is by the authority of Jesus, analyzing the grammar to ascertain the meaning of the text. Theology must be an outgrowth of proper exegesis. Whatever the theological implications are regarding baptism, it will be a product of understanding the meaning of the text as intended by the biblical author.

Chapter 1

Definitional Dimensions of the Term Baptism

It is vitally important to any word study to realize that context plays a significant part in defining any term. Therefore, the surrounding information of a passage sheds light on the meaning of a word. This should be taken into serious consideration. When we see the word baptism in our English translations, it is derived from three Greek terms that have distinct meanings. Two of the terms are used as nouns while the third is a verb. We will explore the range of meaning regarding these terms.

Baptisma: To Immerse

This Greek term, which is translated baptism, is used approximately 22 times in the noun form in the New Testament. Its meaning is to immerse or to submerge. The term is developed from the root word baptó which means to dip. W.E. Vines, noted Greek scholar, expresses this very definition saying:

baptisma (908), baptism, consisting of the processes of immersion, submersion and emergence (from baptó, to dip), is used (a) of John’s baptism, (b) of Christian baptism,³

J.H. Thayer, another noted grammarian, agrees with Vines’ definition while also stating that this immersion, within the Christian context, is the means by which one is born again through the work of the Holy Spirit. He says:

of Christian baptism; this, according to the view of the apostles, is a rite of sacred immersion, commanded by Christ, by which men confessing their sins and professing their faith in Christ are born again by the Holy Spirit unto a new life, come into the fellowship of Christ and the church (1 Cor. 12:13), and are made partakers of eternal salvation;

The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the New Testament, by Spiros Zodhiates, points out that the suffix ma in the Greek term báptisma also indicates immersion. He states:

The suffix -ma indicates the result of the act of dipping. In contrast, báptisis with the suffix -is indicates the act of baptism, while baptismós (909) with the suffix -os indicates the completed act. Báptisma must not be confused with baptismós (909), ceremonial washing.⁴

Linguistic scholarship is clear that this Greek term is used in reference to the act of immersion. According to grammarians, it is consistently used to suggest a dipping, in which the term does not apply to the act of sprinkling or pouring. The term is used once in a figurative sense when Jesus mentions his suffering as that of a baptism (Matt. 20:22; Mark 10:38-39; Luke 12:50). As previously stated, context affects meaning. Within the contextual setting of Romans 6:4, the word báptisma is used in connection with another term, which is translated to be buried with. The phrase buried with is modified by báptisma, which is within a prepositional phrase translated, buried with him by baptism. This grammatical connection demonstrates that báptisma is a description of how one is buried, functioning as an explanation of the process. It answers the question of how one is buried. The answer given in the text is through baptism (báptisma). Therefore, baptism, when used in its normal sense, is a burial.

Baptismós - Washings

This Greek term, as previously mentioned, is also in the noun form and never used in the New Testament to describe Christian baptism. It is used only four times in the New Testament relating to the concept of washings. When this word is used by the authors of the Bible, it is applied to the Jewish washings that were practiced under the law and according to their traditions. Jesus uses the word twice to describe the washing of physical items, according to the traditions of the Elders (Mark 7:4,8). The Hebrew writer utilizes the word to describe the ceremonial washings under the Jewish law (Heb. 6:2 -