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Ask FGBC #2: Is pouring or sprinkling sufficient for Baptism?

Jim Butler · 2024-03-02 · 657 words · 4 min

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Summary

Qa

Full immersion is the only biblically and confessionally proper mode of baptism because the Greek term baptizō, the New Testament narrative accounts, and the death-burial-resurrection symbolism of Romans 6 all demand it.

The proper mode of Christian baptism — immersion, sprinkling, or pouring — is examined through the lens of Scripture, Baptist confession, and the symbolism of Romans 6. The discussion distinguishes between the validity of baptism (requiring a credible profession of faith) and the propriety of its mode, arguing that the Greek term baptizō, the baptismal accounts in the Gospels and Acts, and the death-burial-resurrection imagery of Romans 6 all converge on full immersion as the biblically warranted mode. Sprinkling and pouring, while practiced in paedo-baptist traditions, fail to embody the confessional standard of 'due administration' and obscure the visible word that baptism is meant to declare.

Key quotes

There's valid-invalid baptism, and then there's proper-improper mode of baptism.
When you see somebody in that water, go under that water, and come out of that water, it does reflect what God does with needy sinners. He saves them. They were dead with Christ. They were buried with Christ. They've been raised with Christ.
We need to be immersed into it. If you've got a dirty dish and you put it in a sink, you don't just drip some water on there. You put it right in the water, in the soap and the bubbles, and you clean that thing.

Applications

  1. Do not treat sprinkling or pouring as an equivalent substitute for immersion; the due administration of baptism requires full immersion as the mode that faithfully pictures union with Christ.
  2. If you have been baptised as an infant or by a mode other than immersion without a prior profession of faith, examine whether you have received a valid baptism according to the scriptural pattern.
  3. When witnessing a baptism, contemplate what the visible sign declares: the believer was dead with Christ, buried with Christ, and has been raised with Christ.

Questions this sermon answers

Is sprinkling or pouring an acceptable mode of baptism?

The speaker argues that sprinkling and pouring are improper modes because the Greek term baptizō, New Testament baptismal accounts, and the symbolism of Romans 6 all point to full immersion as the correct practice.

What is the difference between a valid baptism and a proper baptism?

Validity concerns the subject — baptism is only valid when administered to a believing person upon profession of faith — while propriety concerns the mode, with full immersion being the proper and confessionally standard form.

What does baptism by immersion symbolise?

Immersion pictures the believer's union with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection, a theology the apostle Paul draws out explicitly in Romans 6.

Was infant baptism ever considered valid by Reformed Baptists?

No — the speaker distinguishes infant baptism as invalid because validity requires a profession of faith, not merely the application of water.

So, yeah, I talk to people obviously at church and different places around baptism and people coming from a paedo-baptism background like I have, and there's questions around rebaptism and just, yeah, what is scriptural? So this question is around, like, what are the valid modes of baptism? Is sprinkling okay? Pouring?

Complete immersion? And how do you get this out of scripture? What are some truths from scripture on that? I want you to take a crack at this.

Valid vs. Improper Baptism

I'm going to sound super pretentious about what I'm about to say, but there's valid-invalid baptism, and then there's proper-improper mode of baptism. And so we certainly would view an infant baptism as invalid because a valid baptism is upon profession of faith. But our Confession does talk about the due administration, which distinguishes that proper and improper mode. And so, certainly, even when the Baptist forefathers were ironing these things out and coming to a Baptist understanding, initially there were some differences as far as, you know, using face-washing instead of full immersion.

But I think, biblically speaking, they all came to the agreement that it is full immersion.

Scriptural Evidence for Immersion

In Scripture, I mean, Jesus, when He's baptized, He goes under, He comes out of the water. Just the language of baptizo—sorry, I'm getting a little technical here—but the way the language is used does highlight the full immersion and being dunked rather than sprinkled or face-washed. And so, the Scriptures, I do think, are very clear in that way. Yeah, and the eunuch as well.

There was water there, right? It wasn't just a water bottle or a water glass and let's pour this over your head, but it went down into the water. Yeah,

Subjects and Mode of Baptism

historically the debate's always been subjects and mode. Who is the persons or who are the persons that should be baptized and what mode of baptism is to be applied. believer. As Baptists, we believe that they should be believers and by full immersion. And then

Romans 6 and Baptismal Symbolism

the theology of Roman sex. I mean, you're dead, you're buried, you're raised again with Jesus Christ. You know, I realize that doesn't carry the day in the debates, but it certainly does carry the day when we look at it And

Baptism as the Visible Word

as Mike mentioned earlier in terms of regulative principle of worship, we preach the Word, we read the Word, we pray the Word, we sing the Word, and we see the Word. And we see that Word in the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper. In our church, it's quite common when we have a baptism to invite the children, not to the font, but to the front so that they can witness. And one of the things that I like to try and point out to them, it's like a storybook or a picture book that doesn't have any words.

You go down to the store and you buy a book on beautiful BC, you don't need words. You just see those images and you're convinced that BC is beautiful. Well, when you see somebody in that water, go under that water, and come out of that water, it does reflect what God does with needy sinners. He saves them.

They were dead with Christ. They were buried with Christ. They've been raised with Christ. And that's precisely what the apostle does in Romans 6.

Yeah, I still agree 100%. It's a beautiful picture. It's a thing of Jesus died and rose again. And we don't just need to be, we're such wretches, we can't just be sprinkled with that.

We need to be immersed into it, right? That's right. We need to be baptized. Yes.

Totally. Like I said, if you've got a dirty dish and you put it in a sink, you don't just drip some water on there. You put it right in the water, in the soap and the bubbles, and you clean that thing. Good observation.

Scripture References

  • Romans 6

Study notes

Confessions & catechisms

  • 1689 LBCF 29

Theological terms

  • Baptism×12
  • Baptizō
  • Due Administration
  • Paedo-baptism
  • Regulative Principle of Worship
  • Sacraments
  • Valid Baptism×2