Many church sprinkle water on people and call it baptism, but is this Biblical? The early church sprinkle water on a person when water was in short supplies or a person could not make it to a water source, such as death bed baptism like Constantine. I believe in either of this case it is ok to sprinkle water.
The baptist believe in full immersion, in-fact, Baptism is an English word it comes from the Greek word for Immersion. So if we read the Bible correctly we see God is saying it is to be done with immersion.
Some churches baptize babies, but is that Biblical? The baptist believe a person much be old enough to except Christ and have done so. Second a person must be old enough to understand what Baptism means. Baptism is being buried in the grave with Christ(going under the water, into the grave) and Being resurrected with Christ on Easter(coming out of the water, out of the grave with Christ).
So does sprinkling water, expect for the lack of water or a person being able to make it to water, does it count? Does baby baptism count? If they don't how do we address a person and show them the need to be baptized the proper way? Your thoughts?
Pouring and sprinkling are not how it was done, no such teaching in the Bible. If you want to get particular about it, a person would be baptized and fully immersed while there was flowing water to symbolically wash their sins away.
However, the Ethiopian, when wanting to be baptized, saw some water, probably well water-drinking water, and not flowing water, because of where they were on the road to Gaza was in the desert. Philip still baptized him in that water.
Acts 8:26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road--the desert road--that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza."
Acts 8:36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?"
As for Catholics and other denominations such as the ones Calvinists belong who do infant baptisms, we know this is falseness, since baptism in water is for the remission of sins.
John the baptizer prepared the way for Jesus. He came preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Luke 1:76-80).
We are still to confess that we are sinners, and to repent, to prepare the way for Jesus Christ into our lives.
Acts 20:21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
Acts 26:20 First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.
The Bible tells us before people were baptized-they repented. Infants cannot repent.
Acts 2:38 Peter replied, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Mark 1:5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
Acts 19:18
Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done.
Picture how baptism looks
the believer comes to make the pledge to God, to die to the sins of the world; so now standing in the water the believer falls back, as if dead; then, the believer goes under the water, buried; then, the believer rises up out of the water, raises up to live a new life.
Romans explain this perfectly.
Romans 6:4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Water baptism is a promise of a good conscience to God. See 1 Peter 3:21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you alsonot the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
Infants cannot make a promise. Moreover, no one, not even the infants parents can make a promise for their child, nor can anyone make a promise for anyone else.
Infant baptism interferes with people knowing and obeying the Truth. Infant baptism confuses non-Christians and those who want to be a Christian. Many people baptized as an infant do not understand why they do not really know the Lord. Those baptized as infants do not usually walk the path that Jesus teaches...unless they learn more of the truth later. Infant baptism has been confusing millions of people for years. It is more serious of an issue that most even realize.
