By: Matthew D. Dyer
Among different denominations you will find several modes of water “baptism” practiced by professing Christians. You will find full immersion, sprinkling, or pouring of water over the body all called Biblical baptism. In some cases, you may even meet someone that doesn’t believe in water baptism at all, rather believes only in a spiritual baptism, or that one must “immerse themselves” in God’s Word which they believe is a direct replacement of water baptism. What does the Bible teach though? Surely one can read the Bible and discover the truth of what God intended as Biblical baptism. I believe you can. In order to discover what the Biblical mode of water baptism is, we will start out by looking at the Greek words translated into the English as baptize and baptism. The word “baptize” is rendered from the Greek word baptizō, and the word “baptism” is rendered from the Greek word baptisma.
James Strong in his The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible defines this Greek word baptizō as:
“to immerse, submerge; to make whelmed (i.e. fully wet)”
Joseph Henry Thayer in his Thayer’s Greek Lexicon defines baptizōas:
“to dip repeatedly, to immerge, submerge… to wash, to make clean with water.”
A Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament by E.W. Bullinger defines baptizō as:
“To make a thing dipped or dyed. To immerse for a religious purpose”
The English translators of the Bible created the word “baptize” and “baptism” by transliterating the words instead of translating the Greek baptizō and baptisma. Transliteration is when someone commutes the letters of a word from one language to another language instead of bringing the actual meaning of the word over into the new language. Because of this error, it has allowed different denominations to redefine baptism as they see fit.
The Greek word baptizō first appears in the New Testament in Matthew 3:6 where it says, “And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.” In this passage John is at the Jordan river baptizing people in water. If John was fully immersing in water, as the meaning of the Greek word implies, it would make sense that he would have to do it at a river, where there was plenty of water, rather than the commonly portrayed image of John sprinkling a little water on Jesus’ head with a seashell. Albert Barnes in his commentary on Matthew 3:6 stated this:
“The word “baptize” βαπτίζω baptizo signifies originally to tinge, to dye, to stain, as those who dye clothes. It here means to cleanse or wash anything by the application of water.”
I am a professional leather craftsman by trade, and when I dye a holster, knife sheath, or belt, I must completely cover or immerse the piece in dye. If a client of mine was expecting an all-brown holster, and yet I only sprinkled the dye on it, I would imagine they would be very dissatisfied with my work. The same example could be applied to dying a piece of clothing, you don’t mist it with a sprayer, you don’t sprinkle it with a few drops, the clothing has to be fully immersed where it is completely covered with dye. We find further evidence in the Book of Acts, chapter 8, where Philip when he is baptizing the eunuch he goes down into the water and they came up out of the water together, something that is not necessary if all you needed was a canteen or a bucket from a well to perform the act.
Acts 8:34-39 states:
“And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.”
In the Gospel of John, it states that John the Baptist was baptizing in Aenon near Salim because there was much water there, once again why would he need to baptize where there was much water if baptism was sprinkling or pouring.
John 3:23 states:
“And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.”
John Gill, in his commentary on John 3:23 agrees that this passage is speaking of a place with much water for the purpose of baptizing by immersion.
“…because there was much water there; or “many waters”; not little purling streams, and rivulets; but, as Nonnus renders it, abundance of water; or a multitude of it, as in the Arabic version; see Rev_1:15 and the Septuagint in Psa_78:16, and what was sufficient to immerse the whole body in…”
In the Gospel of Matthew, concerning our Lord Jesus’ baptism, we see Jesus being described as coming straightway out of the water which would be necessary if baptism was by immersion.
Matthew 3:16 states:
“And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him”
For more evidence that this Greek word baptizō means to immerse something, we can look to the Greek Septuagint, which is the Greek Old Testament translated around 200 years before Christ, to see how this Greek word baptizō is being used at that time.
2nd Kings 5:14 (Brenton Septuagint Translation) states:
“So Naiman went down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the word of Elisaie: and his flesh returned to him as the flesh of a little child, and he was cleansed.”
The Greek word baptizō is the English word “dipped” in this passage. Is the reader to believe that Naiman sprinkled himself in the river seven times? I don’t think so. I think it is clear from the context he went and “dunked” or immersed himself seven times. Another example of how this Greek word was used for immersion before the time of the New Testament writers, is in the Apocryphal book of Judith. I do not believe the Apocrypha is inspired Scripture, but it does give us more witnesses to how this Greek word baptizōwas being used in literature and how the people would have used it in the 2nd century B.C. up to the 1st century A.D.
Judeth 12:7-8 (Brenton Septuagint Translation) states:
“Then Holofernes commanded his guard that they should not stay her: thus she abode in the camp three days, and went out in the night into the valley of Bethulia, and washed herself in a fountain of water by the camp. And when she came out, she besought the Lord God of Israel to direct her way to the raising up of the children of her people.”
The English word “washed” is the Greek word baptizō, and as you read in verse eight, she came up out of the water. This would not be necessary if she was just sprinkling herself with water.
New Covenant baptism in the New Testament is described as being symbolic of the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus which I believe hints to baptism being immersion in water. Because we all know that when a man is dead you completely cover him with dirt or completely immerse him in the Earth.
Romans 6:3-4 states:
“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
Colossians 2:11-12 states:
“In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.”
Now if baptism is a symbol of death and resurrection, how can sprinkling or pouring water symbolize that? When a person is dead you don’t take the body and sprinkle a little dirt on it, rather you immerse it in the ground. It is true that Jesus was not buried in the ground in the traditional way, but His body was completely immersed within the earth/ground when He was placed in the tomb.
There are some writings of people practicing pouring and sprinkling as a baptism in the 2nd Century, but it was not the norm, and it was not what we find prescribed in the Bible. For an example of this we can read The Didache,which is an early Christian document thought to have been written around the end of the 1st century or early 2nd century written by an anonymous Christian which says the following about baptism:
“Concerning baptism, baptise thus: Having first rehearsed all these things, “baptise, in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost,” in running water; 2. But if thou hast no running water, baptise in other water, and if thou canst not in cold, then in warm. 3. But if thou hast neither, pour water three times on the head “in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.”
Notice how this document is saying that baptism by immersion is the norm, by contrasting it with pouring. The document does go on to say that immersion can be replaced with pouring and still be considered biblical baptism, even though baptism means immersion. I believe this is the author adding early tradition in his writings, or perhaps his own opinion. Because we don’t find anywhere in Scripture where this is prescribed, as well as a prescription for the type of water that needs to be used, such as running water like a river versus water in a baptistry. But we can still add this document along with the other witnesses that Biblical baptism is by immersion in water.
It is my belief that if the Greek word baptizō and baptisma were both translated into the English as immersed and immersion, rather than transliterated, there would be much less confusion concerning what Biblical baptism truly is. Bible translations such as The Apostolic Bible Polyglot translates these words correctly, and below are a few examples:
Matthew 3:6 (The Apostolic Bible Polyglot) states:
“And they were immersed in the Jordan by him, acknowledging their sins.”
Acts 2:38 (The Apostolic Bible Polyglot) states:
“And Peter said to them, Repent, and be immersed each of you in the name of Jesus Christ for a release of sins! and you shall receive the present of the holy spirit.”
Acts 8:36 (The Apostolic Bible Polyglot) states:
“And as they were going along the way, they came upon some water. And the eunuch says, Behold, water, what prevents me to be immersed?”
Acts 18:8 (The Apostolic Bible Polyglot) states:
“But Crispus, the chief of the synagogue trusted in the Lord with his entire house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were immersed.”
For more information on this topic, you can listen to the below radio broadcast:
Christian America Ministries 