Does the Bible prescribe a baptismal formula?

SkyWriting

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Hello! Does the Bible teach a formula that is to be stated at baptism? Thanks!

Water baptism is a symbol of Spiritual baptism that takes place when one is saved by God. What we say is not important, but that we believe in God is the important thing.
For children, water baptism is our reminder of our responsibility to bring up children in Faith.
 
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DamianWarS

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Hello! Does the Bible teach a formula that is to be stated at baptism? Thanks!
The word in Greek means immersion and is just a common word. This coupled with Paul's explanation of the metaphor of baptism in that we are buried and raise again seems to favour full immersion. But as a metaphor this also means the method is less important than the purpose and meaning behind it.
 
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public hermit

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It's arguable as to whether the original text prescribed such a formula. There is a legitimate argument that the Trinitarian formula was a later addition to the text.

Matthew 28 19 in Original Gospel of Matthew
 
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Dave L

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Hello! Does the Bible teach a formula that is to be stated at baptism? Thanks!
In Acts they baptized believers by immersion in water in the name of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the New Covenant name for the trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is also the Name of the Son of Man in whom dwells the trinity.
 
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dqhall

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Hello! Does the Bible teach a formula that is to be stated at baptism? Thanks!
Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.

Mark 1:4 (WEB) John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching the baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins.

Matthew 3 (WEB) John said:
11 “I indeed baptize you in water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire.”

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 But John would have hindered him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?”

15 But Jesus, answering, said to him, “Allow it now, for this is the fitting way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed him.

16 Jesus, when he was baptized, went up directly from the water: and behold, the heavens were opened to him. He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming on him. 17 Behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
 
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Anthony2019

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For a baptism to be valid, it has to be done in its proper form, that is in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).

Whether immersion or sprinkling is used, there is evidence of both mentioned in the scriptures. Ezekiel 36:25-27 states: "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws".

I regard baptism more as a sacrament than an ordinance. It is a sacrament that conveys grace and the remission of original and actual sins. Peter said: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). I also believe in the validity of baptising infants since the call to baptism is universal. Peter added, “For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him”. Jesus also said: "“Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19:14).
 
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lsume

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Hello! Does the Bible teach a formula that is to be stated at baptism? Thanks!
Something to consider is that no man can do anything to get another to Heaven. For example putting water on a babies head wont get that person to Heaven. Christ is the way the truth and the life. He taught that we must be born again.
 
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Strong in Him

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And there is zero justification for sprinkling infants.

No, I don't think that's true.

We are not told explicitly, but when Paul said to the Philippian jailer "repent and be baptised and you will be saved; you and your household", Acts of the Apostles 16:31, it's possible that that household included babies or small children. That's how things were in those days; if the head of the household did something - became a slave, was released from slavery, converted to another faith or whatever - his whole family did too. Of course, it's possible that babies were still immersed briefly; we don't know.
Jews were circumcised when they were babies; unable to understand or give consent. God didn't say that they should be circumcised at their bar mitzvahs, when they would be old enough to declare their faith - he himself said it should be 8 days. Obviously very young babies could be initiated into God's family, and become his people, without their permission or understanding. And Jesus rebuked his disciples for turning away young children. He said that the Kingdom of heaven belonged to people like them, so I doubt he'd turn them away from it.

It's true that, if you require a Bible verse that says "they baptised babies", there isn't one - as far as I know. But imo, there is still justification for infant baptism.
 
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jahel

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Child dedication (or more specifically a public demonstration of the commitment of parents) is more in keeping with scripture as far as baptism of babies is concerned. Parents are biblically instructed to train up their children in the way they should go: and when they are old, they will not depart from it.
 
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GodLovesCats

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Water baptism is a symbol of Spiritual baptism that takes place when one is saved by God What we say is not important, but that we believe in God is the important thing.

For children, water baptism is our reminder of our responsibility to bring up children in Faith.

No it is not. Parents who believe in baptizing babies do not have them baptized again. They think baptism with water can be done at any time in life and is do not believe in repeating it. My mom told me that. She was raised in a Presbyterian church and switched to Methodist as an adult.

It is important to name all three Persons during a water baptism. Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses have a habit of saying because Jesus is the Son of God, he is not God. To be saved, you must believe Jesus is both fully man and fully God, and that the Holy Spirit is also God. Just saying, "Jesus saved me" will not save you.
 
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Albion

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If we hold aside the misinformation posted so far about baptizo having to mean dunking (it can mean all sorts of things), and the misinformation about some age of the candidate (there is none specified in Scripture)...

...the triune formula ("in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost") is clearly Biblical.
 
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Daniel9v9

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A baptism is not something we do for God, but something God does for us. It’s God’s grace, instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ, for our sake and our comfort.

We are to be baptised into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - One God. While full immersion is good, it is not explicitly required as the word used for baptism in Scriptures does not denote full immersion only. We can know this both from the Bible itself and also from history. For example, in the Didache, a very early Christian catechism, it’s clear that they understood baptism in the Biblical sense, meaning the mode (dipping or pouring) is not the primary concern, but rather the triune formula in conjunction with water is what constitutes a baptism. Moreover, baptism is effective on account of God’s own promise, not the amount of water used.
 
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GodLovesCats

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Child dedication (or more specifically a public demonstration of the commitment of parents) is more in keeping with Scripture as far as baptism of babies is concerned. Parents are biblically instructed to train up their children in the way they should go: and when they are old, they will not depart from it.

I learned about this at the Vineyard, an international chain with a Charismatic statement of beliefs. I love it. They call it baby dedication, but older kids can also be blessed up front.
 
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jahel

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I learned about this at the Vineyard, an international chain with a Charismatic statement of beliefs. I love it. They call it baby dedication, but older kids can also be blessed up front.
A lot of Evangelical, Pentecostal and Baptists practice that form of dedication following the custom of presenting Jesus at the temple and as Jesus blessed the children.
 
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In Matthew 28:19 JESUS is teaching “who He is” not a formula for Baptism.
Paul explains the substance, details of
Baptism in Romans 10:8-13.
“Calling on the Name of the LORD” is the way of salvation and always has been. Read Genesis 4:26, Joel 2:32, Acts 2:21, Romans 10:13.
Baptism is a ceremony used, implemented, to “Call on the Name of the LORD. Read Acts 22:16.
It the person being baptized that does the Calling!
“Whosoever shall call on the Name of the LORD shall be saved”
JESUS(YESHUA) is the Name of the LORD.
 
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Ain't Zwinglian

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Hello! Does the Bible teach a formula that is to be stated at baptism? Thanks!

Being baptized in the name of the F, S, and HS is extremely important. It is what makes baptism valid. The name F, S, HS is God's true name as revealed by Scripture. We are baptized into that true name. All of God's actions towards mankind are from his revealed Word to us. So in a sense, the name of God as F, S, and HS is in reality a summary statement of the whole of the content of Scripture. The name when combined with the water is what makes baptism...baptism. In other words, Baptism is a dual noun definition. The name of God and the water.

Now let's test this definition against a known problem....Mormon baptism.

Mormon baptism is in the name of the F, S, and HS, it has the right earthly element...water, and has a mode...immersion. Is Mormon baptism Christian baptism? No. Why? Because the name F, S, and HS as revealed in Scripture is NOT the same as the name F, S, and HS as revealed in the Book of Mormon. In other words, it is not the SOUND of the name F, S, and HS that gives meaning and validity to baptism but the MEANING of the SOUND "in the name of the F, S, and HS" that gives validity to baptism. And the meaning of the sound can only be found from Holy Writ.

What then is Mormon baptism? They don't have the name right but they have the water correct. Mormon baptism is just water and no Christian baptism.

Christian baptism is the true name of God as found in Scripture combined with water.
 
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Albion

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A lot of Evangelical, Pentecostal and Baptists practice that form of dedication following the custom of presenting Jesus at the temple and as Jesus blessed the children.
Yes, they do. I guess we should ask them why the much more pertinent examples Jesus gave us--such as his own baptism in the River Jordan along with the miraculous events accompanying it--don't count for more than such unrelated events as the Presentation in the Temple and Jesus blessing the children.
 
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jahel

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Yes, they do. I guess we should ask them why the much more pertinent examples Jesus gave us--such as his own baptism in the River Jordan along with the miraculous events accompanying it--don't count for more than such unrelated events as the Presentation in the Temple and Jesus blessing the children.
Imo being that righteousness might be fulfilled in that way, Jesus exemplified the sign of repentance (which was John B’s ministry) (not something to be continually repeated) and the beginning of His own ministry, first being led by the HS and returning full of the HS.

The latter part is not what we are identifying with in our baptism but rather it represents identity with His death, burial and resurrection.
Father, Son and the Holy Spirit were present at the time of Jesus’ baptism. I agree with Peter that water baptism into repentance is symbolic of our ongoing cleansing of conscience. 1 Peter 3:21
 
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