In the last few articles we’ve identified the purpose of baptism, and the method of baptism. In this article we will identify who baptism is for. This isn’t as simple as reading a few verses that say who should be baptized. There is too much confusion in the world that says who baptism is really for. In order to identify who baptism is for, we must first identify who it is not for.

1. Baptism is not for children.

There is a common misconception in the religious world that says children are born into sin. This is false. Ezekiel 18:20 teaches that the person who sins is the one who will be punished. It teaches that no one can inherit sin from someone else. Paul said in Romans 7:9 that he was once alive when he didn’t understand what sin was, but when he understood, he died spiritually. The fact of the matter is that children cannot sin because they don’t understand what God has asked of them in order to willfully violate it. Therefore baptizing a child does no good because they have no sins to be forgiven.

2. Baptism is not for those who are already saved.

Some believe that baptism is for a person who has already been saved as an “outward show of an inward change.” That means that someone is baptized because they’ve been saved rather than in order to be saved. The problem is that no such baptism exists in the Bible. Every time there is a baptism in the Bible it it for the purpose of being saved from the consequences of sin. Baptism is for the purpose of forgiving sins, not for the purpose of showing that you’ve already been forgiven.

3. Baptism is not for those who don’t follow Jesus.

There have been some who believe that they can be baptized and get a free pass to heaven without committing to anything else. That isn’t true either. Jesus taught that if anyone wanted to follow Him they needed to give up their previous life and follow Him (Mark 8:34). Baptism is for those who want to commit to a new way of life following Jesus. It is not for those who want an easy free pass to heaven. Being baptized means nothing if you don’t commit to follow Jesus afterwards.

— Kolton Ballance

For many years people have “baptized” in many different forms. People have sprinkled water on someones head, people have poured water on someones head, some have completely immersed people in water, and some have even claimed there is no water involved in baptism but rather its a baptism of the Holy Spirit. Because there is so much confusion on the method of baptism, it begs the question “What does the Bible say?” Does it really matter how you baptize someone? Notice a few passages of scripture that speak to the method of baptism:

Acts 8:38-39 — “And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing.”

Romans 6:4 — “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”

Colossians 2:12 — “having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.”

Notice in all of these descriptions of baptism, there is a burial and a raising. There is a going down in the water, and a coming up out of the water. These descriptions show clearly what baptism looked like in the Bible. It was a burial in water, and a raising up out of that water. When ones asks the question, “what should a biblical baptism look like” the answer becomes painfully clear on the pages of scripture. Baptism in the Bible is an immersion in water.

How were you baptized? Were you sprinkled with water? Did someone pour water on your head? Did someone convince you there was no water involved? Or, were you buried in water and raised to walk in a new life (Romans 6:4). If you have not been properly baptized, we can do that for you today!

— Kolton Ballance

Baptism - Who's It For? (part 1)

Baptism - What's it look like?